P

PART 2

Realism
and Naturalism

Mrs. Charles Thursby, 1897–1898. John Singer Sargent.

Oil on canvas, 78 x 39 3/4 in. Collection of The Newark Museum.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be

The candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
—Edith Wharton, “Vesalius in Zante”

531
The Newark Museum/Art Resource, NY
 LITER ARY H I STORY

The Two Faces of Urban America

I
N THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY
twentieth centuries, despite the emergence of a
growing middle class, rapid industrialization
created two sharply contrasting urban classes: wealthy
entrepreneurs and poor immigrants from Europe and
Asia who provided them with cheap labor. Although
dependent upon each other, these two groups seldom
met, as they lived in starkly different neighborhoods.
The wealthiest families established fashionable
districts in the hearts of cities, where they built
fabulous mansions.
By contrast, the majority of factory workers squeezed
into dark, overcrowded tenements where crime, violence,
fire, and disease were constant threats. U.S. writers
of the time responded to and reflected these urban
conditions in their novels, stories, essays, and articles.

Picnicking in Central Park, 1885. Robert L. Bracklow. Black and

white photograph.

“The entire metropolitan center

her heroine Lily Bart’s descent from wealth into
possessed a high and mighty air poverty is mirrored by a decline in the houses she is
calculated to overawe and abash the forced to inhabit.
common applicant, and to make the Wharton’s older contemporary and friend Henry James
gulf between poverty and success was born into a distinguished Boston family in 1843.
James became the master chronicler of the inner lives
seem both wide and deep.” of his characters, and his subtle innovations in narrative
—Theodore Dreiser point of view contributed to the literary technique that
Sister Carrie his brother William, the famous psychologist, called
“the stream of consciousness.” James used this technique
to probe the complex relationship between wealth
and culture. One of his favorite themes was the
The Face of the Urban Rich confrontation between naïve, wealthy, uncultured
Two major Realist writers from the upper class who Americans and highly cultivated and sophisticated
reflected and criticized its values, and who formed a Europeans, whose aristocratic civilization was in decline.
famous literary friendship, were Edith Wharton and James’s treatment of this theme reached its zenith in his
Henry James. late novel The Ambassadors (1903), in which the elderly,
Edith Wharton was born in 1862 into one of New respectable American Lambert Strether is charmed by
York’s most prominent families. Her interest in the pleasures of European civilization and learns too late
architecture prompted her to criticize and satirize the that there is more to life than making money.
“conspicuous consumption” (a term coined by social
critic Thorstein Veblen) that led to the fashionable,
The Face of the Urban Poor
cluttered interior decoration favored by the members The plight of the urban poor was a favorite subject
of her social class. Wharton’s early novel The House of the new group of Naturalist writers. Stephen Crane’s
of Mirth (1905) uses architecture metaphorically, as Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a bleak study of life in

532 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Photo Collection Alexander Alland, Sr./CORBIS
the slums of New York City. Although Crane later began to critically examine the social, economic,
turned to other subjects, he retained his sympathy and political system that created the huge gulf
for urban characters such as Maggie. between the rich and the poor. In his book How the
Other Half Lives (1890), Jacob Riis attracted the
Some writers focused their attention on the hardships of
attention of President Roosevelt to the squalor of
immigrants and ethnic groups who faced bigotry and
life in New York City slum tenements. The result
discrimination as well as poverty in U.S. cities. Anzia
was an improved water supply, child labor laws, and
Yezierska and Abraham Cahan wrote about the social,
other improvements. The Jungle (1906), Upton
cultural, and political tensions experienced by Eastern
Sinclair’s exposé of the brutal and degrading
European Jews living in New York’s Lower East Side.
working conditions in the meatpacking industry,
Perhaps the most famous writer to address the led to the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food
socioeconomic plight of the urban poor was and Drug Act of 1906.
Theodore Dreiser. Despite a mediocre education, his
writing propelled him to the pinnacle of American
Naturalism. In his first and perhaps greatest novel,
Sister Carrie (1900), Dreiser tells the story of Carrie
Meeber, a naïve country girl who comes to Chicago
looking for work. While there, she endures the
impersonal cruelty and loneliness of life in a large
U.S. city at the turn of the century.

Reformers and Muckrakers

A social reform movement arose in the late nineteenth
century that was dedicated to providing better
conditions for the urban working class. Perhaps the
most prominent of these reformers was Jane Addams.
In Twenty Years at Hull-House (1910), she tells how she
turned an old home in an immigrant neighborhood in
Chicago into a settlement house where neighborhood
residents could learn to speak English, discuss political
events, and hold celebrations.
A group of journalists and novelists known as
Men gather in an alley called “Bandit’s Roost” in Manhattan’s Little
“muckrakers,” a term coined by Theodore Roosevelt,
Italy. Around the turn of the century, this part of Mulberry Bend was
a notoriously dilapidated and dangerous section of New York City.
ca. 1890s. Jacob August Riis.
Literary History For more about Viewing the Photograph: How do the people in this scene
the literature of urban America, go to www.glencoe.com. compare with those of the previous page?

R ES P O N D I N G AN D TH I N K I N G C R ITI CALLY
1. In Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, the protagonist believes that 2. What were Edith Wharton’s and Henry James’s main
the city will provide her with new opportunities and a criticisms of the wealthy upper class in the United States?
new life. Would you have wanted to live in a large city
3. What was the chief aim of the muckrakers? Do you
at the turn of the twentieth century? Why or why not?
think that they were successful? Explain.

O B J EC TIVES
• Analyze literary periods. • Connect to cultural events. • Understand Realism and Naturalism.

LITERARY HISTO RY 533

Bettmann/CORBIS
 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

April Showers
M E E T E DI T H W H A R TON years later, The House of Mirth, which was both
popular and praised by critics, appeared.

E
dith Wharton is best known for her novels In 1907, after selling her home and separating from
depicting the intricate codes of conduct that her husband, Wharton permanently settled in Paris,
ruled the lives of New York City’s aristocracy where she felt female artists were more accepted.
at the end of the 1800s. Wharton felt that upper- As World War I raged in Europe, Wharton worked
class society discouraged both art and the artist. in support of the French cause—aiding Belgian refu-
gees and raising money from Americans. For this
she was given the Cross of the Legion of Honor, the
“Mrs. Ballinger is one of the ladies who highest honor awarded to a foreigner in France.

pursue Culture in Bands, as though it This was perhaps the most productive time in
Wharton’s life, during which she published some of
were dangerous to meet it alone.” her greatest novels, including Ethan Frome, The Reef,
—Edith Wharton The Custom of the Country, and Summer. The Age of
Innocence, probably Wharton’s best-known work,
Xingu and Other Stories, 1916
appeared in 1920. For this she became the first
woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
A Privileged Youth Edith Newbold Jones was born Edith Wharton’s greatness came from her ability to
into one of New York City’s wealthiest and most dis- depict the interplay between the life of the mind and
tinguished families. Taught by private tutors, she of society. Alternately tragic and satiric, Wharton’s
received an excellent education both in the United incisive fiction helped to establish Realism as the
States and abroad. When she was sixteen, Edith pri- most important movement of her day.
vately published her first book. Her mother may have
Edith Wharton was born in 1862 and died in 1937.
arranged the publication, hoping that Edith would
feel fulfilled, stop writing, and take up interests con-
sidered more suited to her social position.
In 1885 Edith married Edward Wharton, a wealthy
Boston banker. Shortly after, he began to suffer from
both mental and physical illnesses. It was during
this time that Wharton began seriously writing fic-
tion with the intention of publishing. She modeled
her work mostly after novelist Henry James—com-
bining complicated psychological portraits with cri-
tiques of social convention. Throughout the 1890s,
she contributed to various magazines and produced
two collections of short stories.

A Novelist Abroad Wharton’s first novel, The

Valley of Decision, was published in 1902. Three

Author Search For more about

Edith Wharton, go to www.glencoe.com.

534 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Bettmann/CORBIS
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W R E A D I N G P R EVI E W

Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Making and Verifying

Have you ever neglected your responsibilities in order to Predictions
devote yourself to a project you felt passionately about? To predict means to make an educated guess about
In Wharton’s story, the main character is so preoccupied what will happen in a text, using the clues that a writer
with her novel that she forgets her household responsi- provides. Predicting will help you stay engaged in the
bilities. Think about the following questions: plot of a story as it evolves. While you read “April
• Under what circumstances might it be acceptable to Showers,” verify, adjust, or change your predictions as
new information emerges in the text.
neglect daily chores?
• How important is it to receive widespread recogni- Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record
tion for the work that you do?
your predictions and the evidence on which you base
Building Background those predictions.
“April Showers” is set in Massachusetts in the early
1900s. At the time, novels were often printed in maga-
Prediction Evidence
zines in serial form, appearing in weekly or monthly
installments. The proliferation of magazines in the United Theodora’s obsession Theodora is neglecting
States and Britain began in the 1800s, partly in response with her novel will her family obligations.
to the rise of the middle class and to the spread of public come back to haunt
education. Publications aimed at the general public were her.
inexpensive, had little literary content, and included a
great deal of light entertainment. However, the more
expensive magazines, such as Atlantic Monthly or Vocabulary
Harper’s, had more substantive content and a greater
impact on the tastes and ideas of the day. prosperous (pros pər əs) adj. wealthy or successful;
p. 536 The Smith family, who owned the area’s largest
Setting Purposes for Reading factory, was the most prosperous family in town.
Big Idea Realism obscure (əb skyoor ) adj. little known or having
an insignificant reputation; p. 537 The contribu-
As you read, notice how Realism’s focus on psychology
tions of more obscure American painters were over-
and human behavior is displayed in “April Showers.”
looked in the student’s research paper.

Literary Element Flashback stupor (st¯¯¯

oo pər) n. a confused or dazed state of
mind; p. 538 Jack had been in a stupor since his ton-
A flashback is an interruption in the chronological sils were removed the previous day.
order of a narrative to show an event that happened
earlier. A flashback gives readers information that may calamity (kə lam ə tē) n. an unfortunate event or
help explain the main events of a story. As you read disaster; p. 539 The hurricane’s fierceness, combined
“April Showers,” examine how Wharton incorporates a with the lack of warning, resulted in a terrible calamity
brief flashback near the start of the story and also near on the island.
the end to help the reader better understand
Theodora’s character and the story’s events. Vocabulary Tip: Synonyms Words that have the
same or nearly the same meaning are called syn-
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R7. onyms. The words mirth and delight, for example, are
synonyms. Note that synonyms are always the
Interactive Literary Elements same part of speech.
Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements,
go to www.glencoe.com.

O B J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • making predictions
• analyzing literary periods • analyzing flashbacks

EDITH WHARTON 535

 Edith Wharton

“But Guy’s heart slept under the violets on

Muriel’s grave.” been given to literature. Then, with a last look
It was a beautiful ending; Theodora had seen at the precious pages, she sealed and addressed
girls cry over last chapters that weren’t half as the package. She meant to send it off next morn-
pathetic. She laid her pen aside and read the ing to the Home Circle. She knew it would be
words over, letting her voice linger on the fall of hard to obtain access to a paper which numbered
the sentence; then, drawing a deep breath, she so many popular authors among its contributors,
wrote across the foot of the page the name by but she had been encouraged to make the ven-
which she had decided to become known in lit- ture by something her Uncle James had said the
erature—Gladys Glyn. last time he had come down from Boston.
Downstairs the library clock struck two. Its He had been telling his brother, Doctor Dace,
muffled thump sounded like an admonitory about his new house out at Brookline. Uncle
knock against her bedroom floor. Two o’clock! James was prosperous, and was always moving
and she had promised her mother to be up early into new houses with more “modern improve-
enough to see that the buttons were sewn on ments.” Hygiene was his passion, and he
Johnny’s reefer,1 and that Kate had her cod-liver migrated in the wake of sanitary plumbing.
oil2 before starting for school! “The bathrooms alone are worth the money,”
Lingeringly, tenderly she gathered up the he was saying, cheerfully, “although it is a big rent.
pages of her novel—there were five hundred of But then, when a man’s got no children to save
them—and tied them with the blue satin ribbon up for—” he glanced compassionately round
that her Aunt Julia had given her. She had Doctor Dace’s crowded table “—and it is some-
meant to wear the ribbon with her new dotted thing to be in a neighborhood where the drain-
muslin on Sundays, but this was putting it to a age is A-one. That’s what I was telling our
nobler use. She bound it round her manuscript, neighbor. Who do you suppose she is, by the
tying the ends in a pretty bow. Theodora was way?” He smiled at Theodora. “I rather think
clever at making bows, and could have trimmed that young lady knows all about her. Ever hear of
hats beautifully, had not all her spare moments Kathleen Kyd?”

1. A reefer is a short, heavy jacket. Literary Element Flashback What does this sentence
2. Cod-liver oil is an unpleasant-tasting liquid rich in vitamins A
indicate about the paragraphs following it?
and D.

Big Idea Realism What can you infer about Theodora’s Vocabulary
view of herself from this comment? prosperous (pros pər əs) adj. wealthy or successful

536 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Private Collection, © Connaught Brown, London/Bridgeman Art Library
 Kathleen Kyd! The famous “society novelist,” she remembered, with a touch of retrospective
the creator of more “favorite heroines” than all compassion, that George Eliot3 had not become
her predecessors put together had ever turned out, famous till she was nearly forty.
the author of Fashion and Passion, An American No, there was no doubt about the merit of
Duchess, Rhona’s Revolt. Was there any intelligent “April Showers.” But would not an inferior work
girl from Maine to California whose heart would have had a better chance of success? Theodora
not have beat faster at the mention of that name? recalled the early struggles of famous authors, the
“Why, yes,” Uncle James was saying, notorious antagonism4 of publishers and editors
“Kathleen Kyd lives next door. Frances G. to any new writer of exceptional promise. Would
Wollop is her real name, and her husband’s a it not be wiser to write the book down to the
dentist. She’s a very pleasant, sociable kind of average reader’s level, reserving for some later
woman; you’d never think she was a writer. Ever work the great “effects” into which she had
hear how she began to write? She told me the thrown all the fever of her imagination? The
whole story. It seems she was a saleswoman in a thought was sacrilege! Never would she lay
store, working on starvation wages, with a hands on the sacred structure she had reared;
mother and a consumptive sister to support. never would she resort to the inartistic expedient
Well, she wrote a story one day, just for fun, and of modifying her work to suit the popular taste.
sent it to the Home Circle. They’d never heard of Better obscure failure than a vulgar triumph.
her, of course, and she never expected to hear The great authors never stooped to such conces-
from them. She did, though. They took the story sions, and Theodora felt herself included in their
and passed their plate for more. She became a ranks by the firmness with which she rejected all
regular contributor and eventually was known all thought of conciliating5 an unappreciative pub-
over the country. Now she tells me her books lic. The manuscript should be sent as it was.
bring her in about ten thousand a year. Rather She woke with a start and a heavy sense of
more than you and I can boast of, eh, John? apprehension. The Home Circle had refused “April
Well, I hope this household doesn’t contribute to Showers”! No, that couldn’t be it; there lay the pre-
her support.” He glanced sharply at Theodora. “I cious manuscript, waiting to be posted. What was
don’t believe in feeding youngsters on sentimen- it, then? Ah, that ominous thump below stairs—
tal trash; it’s like sewer gas—doesn’t smell bad, nine o’clock striking! It was Johnny’s buttons!
and infects the system without your knowing it.” She sprang out of bed in dismay. She had been
Theodora listened breathlessly. Kathleen Kyd’s so determined not to disappoint her mother
first story had been accepted by the Home Circle, about Johnny’s buttons! Mrs. Dace, helpless from
and they had asked for more! Why should chronic rheumatism,6 had to entrust the care of
Gladys Glyn be less fortunate? Theodora had the household to her eldest daughter; and
done a great deal of novel reading—far more Theodora honestly meant to see that Johnny had
than her parents were aware of—and felt herself his full complement of buttons, and that Kate
competent to pronounce upon the quality of her and Bertha went to school tidy. Unfortunately,
own work. She was almost sure that “April the writing of a great novel leaves little time or
Showers” was a remarkable book. If it lacked memory for the lesser obligations of life, and
Kathleen Kyd’s lightness of touch, it had an Theodora usually found that her good intentions
emotional intensity never achieved by that bril- matured too late for practical results.
liant writer. Theodora did not care to amuse her
readers; she left that to more frivolous talents.
3. George Eliot (1819–1880) was the pen name of famed
Her aim was to stir the depths of human nature, British novelist Mary Ann Cross.
and she felt she had succeeded. It was a great 4. Antagonism means “hostility.”
thing for a girl to be able to feel that about her 5. Conciliating means “appeasing.”
first novel. Theodora was only seventeen; and 6. Rheumatism is an illness that causes discomfort in the joints
or muscles.

Vocabulary
Reading Strategy Making and Verifying Predictions obscure (əb skyoor) adj. little known or having an
What is your prediction of Gladys Glyn’s success? insignificant reputation

ED IT H WHARTON 537
 Her contrition7 was softened by the thought that “No matter, dear. I suppose Johnny’s buttons
literary success would enable her to make up for all kept you. I can’t think what that boy does to his
the little negligences of which she was guilty. She clothes!”
meant to spend all her money on her family; and Theodora sat the tray down without speaking.
already she had visions of a wheeled chair for her It was impossible to own to having forgotten
mother, a fresh wallpaper for the doctor’s shabby Johnny’s buttons without revealing the cause of
office, bicycles for the girls, and Johnny’s establish- her forgetfulness. For a few weeks longer she
ment at a boarding school where sewing on his but- must bear to be misunderstood; then—ah, then
tons would be included in the curriculum. If her if her novel were accepted, how gladly would she
parents could have guessed her forget and forgive! But what if
intentions, they would not have it were refused? She turned
found fault with her as they did; aside to hide the dismay that
and Doctor Dace, on this partic- flushed her face. Well, then she
ular morning, would not have would admit the truth—she
looked up to say, with his “I suppose you would ask her parents’ pardon,
fagged,8 ironical air: and settle down without a mur-
“I suppose you didn’t get
didn’t get home mur to an obscure existence of
home from the ball till morn- from the ball till mending and combing.
ing?”
Theodora’s sense of being in
morning?” She had said to herself that
after the manuscript had been
the right enabled her to take sent, she would have time to
the thrust with a dignity that look after the children and
would have awed the unfeeling catch up with the mending;
parent to fiction. but she had reckoned without
“I’m sorry to be late, father,” she said. the postman. He came three times a day; for an
Doctor Dace, who could never be counted on hour before each ring she was too excited to do
to behave like a father in a book, shrugged his anything but wonder if he would bring an
shoulders impatiently. answer this time, and for an hour afterward she
“Your sentiments do you credit, but they moved about in a leaden stupor of disappoint-
haven’t kept your mother’s breakfast warm.” ment. The children had never been so trying.
“Hasn’t mother’s tray gone up yet?” They seemed to be always coming to pieces,
“Who was to take it, I should like to know? like cheap furniture; one would have supposed
The girls came down so late that I had to hustle they had been put together with bad glue. Mrs.
them off before they’d finished breakfast, and Dace worried herself ill over Johnny’s tatters,
Johnny’s hands were so dirty that I sent him back Bertha’s bad marks at school, and Kate’s open
to his room to make himself decent. It’s a pretty abstention9 from cod-liver oil; and Doctor
thing for the doctor’s children to be the dirtiest Dace, coming back late from a long round of
little savages in Norton!” visits to a fireless office with a smoky lamp,
Theodora had hastily prepared her mother’s called out furiously to know if Theodora would
tray, leaving her own breakfast untouched. As kindly come down and remove the “East, West,
she entered the room upstairs, Mrs. Dace’s home’s best” that hung above the empty grate.
patient face turned to her with a smile much In the midst of it all, Miss Sophy Brill called.
harder to bear than her father’s reproaches. It was very kind of her to come, for she was the
“Mother, I’m so sorry—” busiest woman in Norton. She made it her duty
to look after other people’s affairs, and there was
not a house in town but had the benefit of her
7. Contrition means “remorse.”
8. Fagged means “tired” or “weary.”
9. Abstention means “the act of refraining from something.”
Big Idea Realism How might a person’s behavior in real-
Vocabulary
ity differ from his or her behavior in a book? Are the charac-
ters in this story portrayed realistically? stupor (st¯¯¯
oo pər) n. a confused or dazed state of mind

538 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
personal supervision. She generally came when spring—spring! Everything was crowding toward
things were going wrong, and the sight of her the light and in her own heart hundreds of germi-
bonnet on the doorstep was a surer sign of nating hopes had burst into sudden leaf. She won-
calamity than a crepe bow10 on the bell. After dered if the thrust of those little green fingers hurt
she left, Mrs. Dace looked very sad, and the doc- the surface of the earth as her springing raptures
tor punished Johnny for warbling down the hurt—yes, actually hurt!—her hot, constricted
entry: breast! She looked up through interlacing boughs
“Miss Sophy Brill at a tender, opaque blue sky full of the coming of
Is a bitter pill!” a milky moon. She seemed enveloped in an atmo-
while Theodora, locking herself in her room, sphere of loving comprehension. The brown earth
resolved with tears that she would never write throbbed with her joy, the treetops trembled with
another novel. it, and a sudden star broke through the branches
The week was a long nightmare. Theodora could like an audible “I know!”
neither eat nor sleep. She was up early enough, but Theodora, on the whole, behaved very well.
instead of looking after the children and seeing that Her mother cried, her father whistled and said he
breakfast was ready, she wandered down the road to supposed he must put up with grounds in his cof-
meet the postman, and came back wan and empty- fee now, and be thankful if he ever got a hot meal
handed, oblivious of her morning duties. She had again; while the children took the most deafening
no idea how long the suspense would last; but she and harassing advantage of what seemed a sudden
didn’t see how authors could live if they were kept suspension of the laws of nature.
waiting more than a week. Within a week everybody in Norton knew that
Then suddenly, one afternoon—she never Theodora had written a novel, and that it was
quite knew how or when it happened—she coming out in the Home Circle. On Sundays,
found herself with a Home Circle envelope in her when she walked up the aisle, her friends dropped
hands, and her dazzled eyes flashing over a wild their prayer books and the soprano sang false in
dance of words that wouldn’t settle down and her excitement. Girls with more pin money than
make sense. Theodora had ever dreamed of copied her hats
“Dear Madam:” (They called her Madam! And and imitated her way of speaking. The local paper
then; yes, the words were beginning to fall into asked her for a poem; her old school teachers
line now.) “Your novel, ‘April Showers,’ has been stopped to shake hands and grew shy over their
received, and we are glad to accept it on the usual congratulations; and Miss Sophy Brill came to
terms. A serial on which we were counting for call. She had put on her Sunday bonnet and her
immediate publication has been delayed by the manner was almost abject.11 She ventured, very
author’s illness, and the first chapters of ‘April timidly, to ask her young friend how she wrote,
Showers’ will therefore appear in our midsummer whether it “just came to her,” and if she had found
number. Thanking you for favoring us with your that the kind of pen she used made any difference;
manuscript, we remain,” and so forth. and wound up by begging Theodora to write a
Theodora found herself in the wood beyond sentiment in her album.
the schoolhouse. She was kneeling on the ground, Even Uncle James came down from Boston to
brushing aside the dead leaves and pressing her talk the wonder over. He called Theodora a “sly
lips to the little bursting green things that pushed baggage,” and proposed that she should give him
up eager tips through last year’s decay. It was her earnings to invest in a new patent greasetrap
company. From what Kathleen Kyd had told
him, he thought Theodora would probably get a
10. A crepe bow is a piece of black fabric displayed as a sign of
mourning.
thousand dollars for her story. He concluded by

Reading Strategy Making and Verifying Predictions

What news do you think the envelope will contain? 11. Abject means “miserable.”

Big Idea Realism What do these descriptions of people’s

Vocabulary
reactions to Theodora’s success suggest about human
calamity (kə lam ə tē) n. an unfortunate event or disaster behavior?

ED IT H WHARTON 539
 Trains at Paddington Station, London. 1910 .

suggesting that she should base her next romance when she reached home; but that didn’t mat-
on the subject of sanitation, making the heroine ter—nothing mattered now. She sank into her
nearly die of sewer gas poisoning because her seat, closing her eyes in the vain attempt to shut
parents won’t listen to the handsome young doc- out the vision of the last few hours; but minute
tor next door, when he warns them that their by minute memory forced her to relive it; she felt
plumbing is out of order. That was a subject that like a rebellious schoolchild dragged forth to
would interest everybody, and do a lot more good repeat the same detested “piece.”
than the sentimental trash most women wrote. Although she did not know Boston well, she
At last the great day came. Theodora had left an had made her way easily enough to the Home
order with the bookseller for the midsummer num- Circle building; at least, she supposed she had,
ber of the Home Circle and before the shop was open since she remembered nothing till she found her-
she was waiting on the sidewalk. She clutched her self ascending the editorial stairs as easily as one
precious paper and ran home without opening it. does incredible things in dreams. She must have
Her excitement was almost more than she could walked very fast, for her heart was beating furi-
bear. Not heeding her father’s call to breakfast, she ously, and she had barely breath to whisper the
rushed upstairs and locked herself in her room. Her editor’s name to a young man who looked out at
hands trembled so that she could hardly turn the her from a glass case, like a zoological specimen.
pages. At last—yes, there it was: “April Showers.” The young man led her past other glass cases
The paper dropped from her hands. What containing similar specimens to an inner enclo-
name had she read beneath the title? Had her sure which seemed filled by an enormous pres-
ence. Theodora felt herself enveloped in the
emotion blinded her?
presence, submerged by it, gasping for air as she
“April Showers, by Kathleen Kyd.”
sank under its rising surges.
Kathleen Kyd! Oh, cruel misprint! Oh, das-
Gradually fragments of speech floated to the
tardly typographer! Through tears of rage and dis-
surface. “‘April Showers?’ Mrs. Kyd’s new serial?
appointment Theodora looked again; yes, there
Your manuscript, you say? You have a letter from
was no mistaking the hateful name. Her glance me? The name, please? Evidently some unfortu-
ran on. She found herself reading a first paragraph nate misunderstanding. One moment.” And then
that she had never seen before. She read farther. a bell ringing, a zoological specimen ordered to
All was strange. The horrible truth burst upon unlock a safe, her name asked for again, the
her: It was not her story! manuscript, her own precious manuscript, tied
She never knew how she got back to the station. with Aunt Julia’s ribbon, laid on the table before
She struggled through the crowd on the plat- her, and her outcries, her protests, her interroga-
form, and a gold-banded arm pushed her into the tions, drowned in a flood of bland apology: “An
train just starting for Norton. It would be dark unfortunate accident—Mrs. Kyd’s manuscript
received the same day—extraordinary coinci-
Reading Strategy Making and Verifying Predictions dence in the choice of a title—duplicate answers
How does this turn of events compare with your predictions sent by mistake—Miss Dace’s novel hardly suited
about Theodora’s success? to their purpose—should of course have been

540 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS
returned—regrettable oversight—accidents They walked on slowly, and presently he
would happen—sure she understood.” added, “You see, you left the Home Circle lying in
The voice went on, like the steady pressure your room.”
of a surgeon’s hand on a shrieking nerve. When How she blessed the darkness and the muffled
it stopped she was in the street. A cab nearly sky! She could not have borne the scrutiny of
ran her down, and a car bell jangled furiously in the tiniest star.
her ears. She clutched her manuscript, carrying “Then mother wasn’t very much frightened?”
it tenderly through the crowd, like a live thing “Why, no, she didn’t appear to be. She’s been
that had been hurt. She could not bear to look busy all day over some toggery12 of Bertha’s.”
at its soiled edges and the ink stain on Aunt Theodora choked. “Father, I’ll—” She groped
Julia’s ribbon. for words, but they eluded her. “I’ll do things—dif-
The train stopped with a jerk and she opened ferently; I haven’t meant—” Suddenly she heard
her eyes. It was dark, and by the windy flare of gas herself bursting out: “It was all a mistake, you
on the platform she saw the Norton passengers know—about my story. They didn’t want it; they
getting out. She stood up stiffly won’t have it!” and she shrank
and followed them. A warm back involuntarily from his
wind blew into her face the fra- impending mirth.
grance of the summer woods, “The voice went She felt the pressure of his
and she remembered how, two arm, but he didn’t speak, and
months earlier, she had knelt on, like the she figured his mute hilarity.
among the dead leaves, pressing steady pressure of They moved on in silence.
her lips to the first shoots of Presently he said:
green. Then for the first time a surgeon’s hand “It hurts a bit just at first,
she thought of home. She had on a shrieking doesn’t it?”
fled away in the morning with- “O Father!”
out a word, and her heart sank nerve.” He stood still, and the gleam
at the thought of her mother’s of his cigar showed a face of
fears. And her father—how unexpected participation.
angry he would be! She bent her head under the “You see I’ve been through it myself.”
coming storm of his derision. “You, Father? You?”
The night was cloudy, and as she stepped into “Why, yes. Didn’t I ever tell you? I wrote a
the darkness beyond the station a hand was novel once. I was just out of college, and didn’t
slipped in hers. She stood still, too weary to feel want to be a doctor. No; I wanted to be a genius,
frightened, and a voice said, quietly: so I wrote a novel.”
“Don’t walk so fast, child. You look tired.” The doctor paused, and Theodora clung to him
“Father!” Her hand dropped from his, but he in a mute passion of commiseration.13 It was as if
recaptured it, and drew it through his arm. a drowning creature caught a live hand through
When she found voice, it was to whisper, “You the murderous fury of the waves.
were at the station?” “Father—O Father!”
“It’s such a good night I thought I’d stroll “It took me a year—a whole year’s hard work;
down and meet you.” and when I’d finished it the public wouldn’t
Her arm trembled against his. She could not see have it, either; not at any price and that’s why I
his face in the dimness, but the light of his cigar came down to meet you, because I remembered
looked down on her like a friendly eye, and she my walk home.” 
took courage to falter out: “Then you knew—”
“That you’d gone to Boston? Well, I rather
12. Toggery means “clothes.”
thought you had.” 13. Commiseration means “sympathy.”

Reading Strategy Making and Verifying Predictions Is

Literary Element Flashback What clues does this give this a comment you would have expected from Doctor Dace?
you about the chronology of the story? Why or why not?

ED IT H WHARTON 541
 A F T E R YO U R E A D

R ESP ON D I NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. (a)How do you feel about Theodora? (b)Do you 5. (a)What tone does the narrator take toward
think she is a sympathetic character? Explain. Theodora, her novel, and her goals? (b)Do you think
the tone is appropriate? Why or why not?
Recall and Interpret
6. (a)How does Theodora feel about neglecting her
2. (a)At the start of “April Showers,” how does Theodora
responsibilities at home? (b)Is she right to feel this
feel about her novel? (b)How do you think the narra-
way? Explain.
tor feels about it? Explain.
7. (a)Irony occurs when what happens is the opposite of
3. (a)Describe Theodora’s reaction to both the letter
what is expected. What is ironic about the fact that
she receives from Home Circle and to the midsum- Theodora’s father meets her at the train station? (b)How
mer issue of the magazine. (b)In what ways are does your perception of his character change at the
these reactions similar? What does this tell you about end of the story?
Theodora’s character?
4. (a)When Theodora goes to Boston, what explanation Connect
does the editor at Home Circle give her for the con- 8. Would you advise Theodora to continue writing? Why
fusion over the novel? (b)What does this suggest to or why not?
you about the quality of Theodora’s novel?
9. Big Idea Realism In what ways does this story
demonstrate the techniques of Realism?

LI T E R A RY A N A LYS I S

Literary Element Flashback Review: Theme

In narrative writing, the author usually relates events in The theme of a piece of literature is a dominant idea,
chronological order, or the order in which they occur. often a universal message about life, that the writer
Sometimes, however, a writer disrupts a story’s time communicates to the reader. Most short stories have
sequence with a flashback to a scene that occurred one main, or central, theme. They may also have
before the narrative’s plot began. The writer may pre- secondary themes.
pare you for the flashback with a phrase such as ear-
Partner Activity Meet with a classmate to identify
lier that day or the previous week, but many writers
the central theme of “April Showers.” Working with
prefer to let readers figure it out themselves.
your partner, create a web diagram like the one below.
1. What clues in “April Showers” signal the two First, write the theme in the center oval. Then fill in the
flashbacks? outer ovals with evidence that supports the theme.
2. What purpose do these flashbacks serve in the
story?
Evidence Evidence
3. Is Wharton’s use of flashback effective in the story?
Why or why not?
Theme

Evidence Evidence

542 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

 R E AD I N G A N D VO CA B U L A RY WRITI NG AN D EXTEN DI NG

Reading Strategy Making and Verifying Writing About Literature

Predictions Respond to Theme Theodora says that it is better to
Predictions About Plot Predictions can be made be an “obscure failure than a vulgar triumph” (page
about various aspects of a text. For example, as you read, 537). Write a brief response explaining why you agree
you might make predictions about a character’s motives, or disagree with this statement. Use evidence from the
the theme, or the outcome of a specific conflict. story and examples from your own experience to
Inevitably, the predictions you make will sometimes be defend your position.
wrong. In “April Showers,” Wharton intentionally withholds As you draft your essay, remember that in most para-
information in order to increase the dramatic tension.
graphs, the main idea is stated in a topic sentence,
However, Wharton does provide clues throughout the
and all the details in the paragraph develop that idea.
text that make it possible to predict the plot’s outcome.
The topic sentence is often at the beginning of each
1. What images, details, or descriptions did you notice
paragraph, but it can also be at the end or in the mid-
that seemed to hint at the story’s conclusion?
dle. Regardless of its location, the topic sentence
2. List any details you did not notice while reading should convey two things: what your topic is and what
that may seem relevant now. your paragraph will say about it. As you write your
essay, check to make sure that each paragraph
includes a topic sentence and adequate support.
Vocabulary Practice
After completing your draft, meet with a peer reviewer
Practice with Synonyms Find the synonym for
to evaluate each other’s work and to suggest revisions.
each vocabulary word listed in the first column.
Then proofread and edit your draft for errors in spell-
Use a dictionary or a thesaurus if you need help.
ing, grammar, and punctuation.
1. prosperous a. affluent b. wild
2. obscure a. unknown b. furious Literary Criticism
3. stupor a. muddle b. noise Group Activity In her discussion of Edith Wharton,
4. calamity a. hero b. catastrophe Claire Preston states that her “novels remain a rich
source of period understanding of manners, dress, cul-
tural and social mores, architecture and interiors.” As a
group, discuss what you learned about these aspects
Academic Vocabulary of Wharton’s era from reading “April Showers.”

Here are two words from the vocabulary list on

page R86. These words will help you think,
write, and talk about the selection.

notion (nōshən) n. a person’s ideas or impres-

sion about something
controversy (kontrə ver´sē) n. a disagreement
or dispute

Practice and Apply

1. How does Theodora’s notion of her father
change at the end of “April Showers”?
Time of Roses, ca. 1900. George Dunlop Leslie. Oil on canvas,
2. Why does Theodora’s writing cause controversy
24 x 181/4 in. Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany.
within her family?

Web Activities For eFlashcards,

Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

ED IT H WHARTON 543
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY
 Vocabulary Workshop
Language Resources

º Technology Tip Using a Thesaurus

Many Internet and CD-
Connecting to Literature In “April Showers,” one character describes the
ROM thesauruses have
author Kathleen Kyd as a “pleasant, sociable kind of woman.” Pleasant and socia-
extra features such as
ble are synonyms, or words with similar meanings. Although some synonyms are
audio pronunication and
practically interchangeable, many have subtle differences in meaning or conno-
the ability to define a
tation. For example, pleasant is a general word that means agreeable or enjoyable,
word within an entry.
whereas sociable suggests agreeable or pleasing as a social companion. Recognizing
º Test-Taking Tip such differences in synonyms can improve your abilities in reading, writing, lis-
To decide whether two tening, and speaking.
words are synonyms, first
Most dictionaries list and explain the differences between synonyms, but for
determine what part of
many words you will need to search in a thesaurus. A thesaurus is a specialized
speech each word is.
dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, words with opposite meanings. There
Synonyms must always be
are a variety of formats for a thesaurus: CD-ROMs, word-processing software,
the same part of speech.
the Internet, and print. Thesauruses (or thesauri) are organized in two different
º Reading Handbook ways—the traditional-style thesaurus and the dictionary-style thesaurus.
For more about using a
thesaurus, see Reading Traditional Style Probably the best-known thesaurus is the traditional Roget’s
Handbook, p. R20. Thesaurus, which organizes large categories of words related to a basic concept.
To find a synonym for the verb taste, for example, browse through the index of
categories until you find the category senses, which includes the subentry taste.
The index will refer you to the page for the subentry, where you will find a list
of synonyms for taste.

Dictionary Style This type of thesaurus presents words in alphabetical order,

exactly as a dictionary does. Each word is followed by several synonyms, which
are grouped by part of speech. The entry also directs the reader to cross-referenced
entries. In this type of thesaurus, you must look up a specific word, such as taste or
eFlashcards For eFlashcards
and other vocabulary activities, go
sweet, to find its synonyms. When you find a synonym, look for it in the alphabetical
to www.glencoe.com. listing to find additional synonyms. J. I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder is an example
of a dictionary-style thesaurus.

Exercise
OB J EC TIVES 1. Using a thesaurus, find two synonyms for each word below. Then look
• Use research tools such as
up the definitions of those synonyms in a dictionary to identify the pre-
a thesaurus.
• Analyze why an author cise meaning for each one.
uses particular language. a. pathetic c. muffled e. prosperous
b. linger d. precious
2. Using the above list of words and the synonyms you have found, use
each word in a sentence. Be sure that your sentences reflect the slight
differences in meaning between each group of synonyms.

54 4 U N IT 4
Comparing Literature Across Time and Place

Connecting to the Reading Selections

Have you ever had a relationship too complex to describe? Perhaps you have had a friendship
that ended in a way you did not expect. The three works compared here—by Kate Chopin,
Anton Chekhov, and Gabriela Mistral—attempt to re-create the eccentric behaviors and passion-
ate reactions of people in pivotal moments of a relationship. The fictional worlds in these selec-
tions analyze how human interactions continue to surprise us.

Kate Chopin
The Story of an Hour ............................................ short story .................. 548
One hour brings drastic changes
United States, 1894

Anton Chekhov
The Darling ................................................................. short story .................. 552
The engulfing power of love
Russia, 1899

Gabriela Mistral
Richness .................................................................................. poem .................. 560
Finding value in loss
Chile, 1922

COM PAR I NG TH E Big Idea Realism

The writers associated with Realism chose to depict life as they saw it rather than in a romanti-
cized or idealized way. The characters in Realistic literature are often ordinary people who
encounter struggles that are familiar to many people. Kate Chopin, Anton Chekhov, and Gabriela
Mistral portray characters in ways that reveal insights into them that often contrast with their
outward appearances.

COM PAR I NG Narratives About Relationships

Relationships are complex; two people can view the same relationship in vastly different ways.
These selections explore the interactions between people and the way these interactions con-
nect to larger themes about individuality and society.

COM PAR I NG Social Context

In these selections, the social context—the common values, habits, and beliefs of a certain soci-
ety—provides a way of understanding characters’ actions. In some cases, society creates roles
that limit the potential of the individual. At other times, social interaction is the saving grace in a
character’s existence.

COMPAR ING LIT ER ATURE 545

(t)Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, (c b)Scala/Art Resource, NY
 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

The Story of an Hour

M E E T K AT E C H O PI N Daring Pieces
During the next ten

K
years, Chopin published
ate Chopin (shō pan) was the first female
more than 100 short sto-
writer in the United States to portray
ries, two story collections,
frankly the passions and discontents of
and two novels. She earned
women confined to traditional roles as wives and
praise for early stories that captured
mothers. For this she was roundly condemned in
the local color of Louisiana. In later stories, Chopin
her time. Critics focused their wrath on the publi-
explored women’s issues considered controversial in
cation of her novel The Awakening, the story of a
her time. She modeled these stories on the work of
woman who abandons her husband and children to
Guy de Maupassant, the French master of the Realist
search for her true identity. Reviewers characterized
short story. Not surprisingly, she had difficulty finding
the novel as shocking, morbid, coarse, and vulgar.
magazines willing to publish her most daring pieces,
including “The Story of an Hour.”
Strong, Independent Women Chopin was born
Katherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew Though acutely aware of the criticisms many of
up in the late Victorian period, a time when the ideal her stories received, Chopin was not prepared for
woman gave up her independence and devoted her- the reaction to The Awakening in 1899. The deluge
self to the will of her husband and to the welfare of of negative reviews destroyed her spirit. Chopin
her children. When Chopin was five, her father died continued to write, but by 1903 her health was
in a railroad accident—an event that is echoed in failing. After spending an entire day at the 1904
“The Story of an Hour.” She left school, and for the St. Louis World’s Fair, Chopin came home com-
next two years she studied at home with her mother, plaining of a severe pain in her head. Two days
grandmother, and great-grandmother. Growing up in later she died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
a household of strong, independent women did much
to shape Chopin as a person and a writer. Lonely Pioneer For more than fifty years after her
death, Chopin’s works were ignored. Then, in 1969,
at a time when the women’s movement in the
United States was gaining momentum, Per Seyersted
“The artist must possess the published a biography of Chopin and her complete
courageous soul that dares and defies.” works. His efforts galvanized modern readers hungry
to learn more about the woman who, according to
—Kate Chopin, The Awakening Chopin scholar Emily Toth, had written “the most
radical novel of the 1890s.” Today The Awakening is
one of the most read novels in colleges and universi-
At age twenty, Kate married Oscar Chopin and
ties across the United States. Kate Chopin is cele-
moved with him to New Orleans. Business prob-
brated as the lonely pioneer who dared to write
lems, however, soon forced them to move to Oscar’s
realistic portraits of women trapped and stifled by
rural hometown of Cloutierville, Louisiana, an area
the social conventions of their time.
that would later inspire many of Chopin’s stories.
When her husband died in 1882, Chopin was left Kate Chopin was born in 1850 and died in 1904.
with children to raise and support. She soon moved
back to St. Louis to be near her family. When her
mother died a year later, Chopin was overwhelmed
with grief. At her doctor’s advice, she turned to Author Search For more about
writing and published her first work in 1889. Kate Chopin, go to www.glencoe.com.

546 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Missouri Historical Society
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W R E A D I N G P R EVI E W

Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Applying Background

In Kate Chopin’s story, a woman learns that her hus- Knowledge
band has died. Think about the following questions: Knowing the historical, social, and cultural forces that
• How would you feel if you learned that something influenced an author can help you understand his or
her writing. As you read “The Story of an Hour,” ask
you valued in life was taken from you?
• Under what circumstances might you sacrifice your yourself these questions:
own happiness for that of another person?
• How does the information you have read about
Kate Chopin affect your understanding of the story?
Building Background
Social tension marked the 1890s. While some women
• If you knew nothing about when or by whom the
story was written, how might your opinion of the
attended college and entered professions previously characters be different?
open only to men, many others were told that “the
woman’s place” was in the home. Although society glo-
rified the roles of wives and mothers, women had few
legal rights. For example, when Chopin’s husband died, Vocabulary
she had to petition the court to be appointed the legal elusive (i l¯¯¯
oo siv) adj. difficult to explain or
guardian of her own children. This male-dominated grasp; p. 549 The speaker’s elusive argument left
society was the world that Chopin knew and wrote the audience scratching their heads.
about. In much of her fiction, she criticized the institu-
tion of marriage and wrote about women who struggled tumultuously (t¯¯¯oo mul ch¯¯¯ oo əs lē) adv. in an
against social convention in expressing their individuality. agitated manner; violently; p. 549 The wind
blew across the plains, swirling tumultuously in
Setting Purposes for Reading every direction.

Big Idea Realism exalted (i zol təd) adj. elevated; p. 549 The
film star enjoyed the exalted status that fame
As you read, look for details that reveal Chopin’s realis-
afforded him.
tic description of Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions
when she learns of her husband’s death. perception (pər sep shən) n. an awareness; an
insight; p. 549 The music student acted modestly
Literary Element Conflict when she accepted the award in order to avoid the
perception that she had worked hard for it.
Conflict is the central struggle between two opposing
forces in a story or a drama. An external conflict exists persistence (pər sis təns) n. stubborn or deter-
when a character struggles against some outside force, mined continuance; p. 550 The reporter pursued
such as another person, nature, society, or fate. An the politician with a persistence that frustrated the
internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within campaign workers who tried to block his way.
the mind of a character who is torn between opposing
feelings, desires, or goals. As you read this story, deter- Vocabulary Tip: Antonyms Words that have
mine the types of conflict that are presented. opposite or nearly opposite meanings are called
antonyms. The words uplifting and degrading, for
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R4. example, are antonyms. Note that antonyms are
always the same part of speech.

Interactive Literary Elements

Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements,
go to www.glencoe.com.

O B J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • applying background knowledge
• analyzing the characteristics of Realism • analyzing conflict

KATE CHOPIN 547

 Kate Chopin

The Lady Anne, 1899. Edwin Austin Abbey.

Oil on canvas, 48 x 24 in. The Butler Institute
of American Art, Youngstown, OH.

548 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

The Butler Institute of American Art
 nowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep
with a heart trouble, great care was taken to continues to sob in its dreams.
break to her as gently as possible the news of She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose
her husband’s death. It was her sister Josephine lines bespoke repression and even a certain
who told her, in broken sentences; veiled1 strength. But now there was a dull stare in her
hints that revealed in half concealing. Her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on
husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a
her. It was he who had been in the newspaper glance of reflection, but rather indicated a sus-
office when intelligence of the railroad disaster pension of intelligent thought.
was received, with Brently Mallard’s name There was something coming to her and she
leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did
the time to assure himself of its truth by a sec- not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name.
ond telegram, and had hastened to forestall2 But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching
any less careful, less tender friend in bearing toward her through the sounds, the scents, the
the sad message. color that filled the air.
She did not hear the story as many women Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.
have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability She was beginning to recognize this thing that
to accept its significance. She wept at once, with was approaching to possess her, and she was
sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. striving to beat it back with her will—as pow-
When the storm of grief had spent 3 itself she erless as her two white slender hands would
went to her room alone. She would have no one have been.
follow her. When she abandoned herself a little whis-
There stood, facing the open window, a comfort- pered word escaped her slightly parted lips.
able, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed She said it over and over under her breath:
down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look
body and seemed to reach into her soul. of terror that had followed it went from her eyes.
She could see in the open square before her They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat
house the tops of trees that were all aquiver fast, and the coursing4 blood warmed and relaxed
with the new spring life. The delicious breath of every inch of her body.
rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a
was crying his wares. The notes of a distant monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted
song which some one was singing reached her perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion
faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering as trivial.
in the eaves.
There were patches of blue sky showing here
4. Coursing means “swiftly moving.”
and there through the clouds that had met and
piled one above the other in the west facing Literary Element Conflict How does this passage com-
her window. plicate the conflict?
She sat with her head thrown back upon the
cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except Reading Strategy Applying Background Knowledge
How does your knowledge of the Victorian era affect your
when a sob came up into her throat and shook
understanding of this passage?

1. Veiled means “disguised” or “obscure.” Vocabulary

2. Forestall means “to hinder or prevent by action taken elusive (i l¯¯¯
oo siv) adj. difficult to explain or grasp
in advance.” tumultuously (t¯¯¯ oo əs lē) adv. in an agitated
oo mul ch¯¯¯
3. Here, spent means “exhausted.” manner; violently
Literary Element Conflict Based on this passage, what do exalted (i zol təd) adj. elevated
you think the main conflict will be? perception (pər sep shən) n. an awareness; an insight

K AT E CHOPIN 549
 She knew that she would weep again when “Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No;
she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; she was drinking in a very elixir of life6 through
the face that had never looked save5 with love that open window.
upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw Her fancy was running riot along those days
beyond that bitter moment a long procession of ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and
years to come that would belong to her abso- all sorts of days that would be her own. She
lutely. And she opened and spread her arms out breathed a quick prayer that life might be long.
to them in welcome. It was only yesterday she had thought with a
There would be no one to live for her during shudder that life might be long.
those coming years; she would live for herself. She arose at length and opened the door
There would be no powerful will bending hers to her sister’s importunities.7 There was a
in that blind persistence with feverish triumph in her
which men and women eyes, and she carried herself
believe they have a right to unwittingly like a goddess of
impose a private will upon a
fellow-creature. A kind inten- “Free! Body Victory. She clasped her sis-
ter’s waist, and together
tion or a cruel intention made they descended the stairs.
the act seem no less a crime and soul free!” Richards stood waiting for
as she looked upon it in that them at the bottom.
brief moment of illumination. she kept Some one was opening
And yet she had loved the front door with a latch-
him—sometimes. Often she whispering. key. It was Brently Mallard
had not. What did it matter! who entered, a little travel-
What could love, the unsolved stained, composedly carrying
mystery, count for in face of his grip-sack8 and umbrella.
this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly He had been far from the scene of accident,
recognized as the strongest impulse of her being! and did not even know there had been one. He
“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering. stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at
Josephine was kneeling before the closed door Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the
with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admis- view of his wife.
sion. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the But Richards was too late.
door—you will make yourself ill. What are you When the doctors came they said she had died
doing, Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.” of heart disease—of joy that kills. 

5. Here, save means “except.”

6. An elixir (i liksər) of life is a substance thought to prolong
Big Idea Realism Why does Chopin include this informa- life indefinitely.
tion about Mrs. Mallard’s relationship with her husband? 7. Importunities are persistent requests or demands.
8. A grip-sack is a small traveling bag.
Vocabulary Reading Strategy Applying Background Knowledge
persistence (pər sis təns) n. stubborn or determined How does this passage reflect what you know about
continuance Chopin’s writing?

550 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 A F TE R YO U R E A D

RESP ON DI NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. At what points in the story did you feel sorry for 5. What is your opinion of Mrs. Mallard? Support your
Mrs. Mallard? Explain. How did the end of the story evaluation with details from the story.
affect you?
6. How does Mrs. Mallard’s admission that often she
Recall and Interpret had not loved her husband affect your evaluation
of her character?
2. (a)How does Mrs. Mallard first react to the news
about her husband? (b)What does her reaction 7. How would this story be different if it were set in
indicate about her feelings toward him? the present rather than at the end of the nine-
teenth century? Explain.
3. (a)How do Mrs. Mallard’s feelings change while
she is in her room? (b)Why might she fear this Connect
change at first but later welcome it?
8. Big Idea Realism How does the central conflict
4. (a)What words does the narrator use to describe of this story illustrate the idea that Chopin wrote
Mrs. Mallard as she leaves her room? (b)How realistic portraits of women’s lives? Support your
might the others interpret her appearance? answer with details from the story.

L I T E R A RY A N A LYS I S R EAD I N G AN D VO CAB U L ARY

Literary Element Conflict Reading Strategy Applying Background

The events of a story develop its conflict. The conflict Knowledge
builds until the story reaches a climax, which is the An author’s message becomes more apparent when
point of greatest emotional intensity. The story then you apply background knowledge to your reading. This
concludes with the resolution, or the final outcome reading strategy can help you infer the commentary
of the conflict. that Chopin’s story makes about the institution of mar-
1. Identify the conflict in Chopin’s story. Is this conflict riage in Victorian America.
external or internal? Explain why. Partner Activity Review your answers to the
2. How does Chopin develop this conflict? At what Reading Strategy questions on page 547. Meet with
point does the conflict reach its climax? another classmate to compare how you each applied
background information to the selection.
3. What is the resolution of the conflict?

Vocabulary Practice
Writing About Literature
Practice with Antonyms Find the antonym for
Evaluate Author’s Craft The original title of “The each boldfaced word.
Story of an Hour” was “The Dream of an Hour.”
1. elusive
How are the titles similar? Different? Why might
a. knowable b. vague
Chopin have chosen to change the title? Which title
2. tumultuously
do you think is more appropriate? Why? Write a
a. simply b. peacefully
paragraph or two in which you answer these ques-
3. exalted
tions.
a. lowered b. enchanted
4. perception
Web Activities For eFlashcards,
a. incomprehension b. awareness
Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to 5. persistence
www.glencoe.com. a. insistence b. reluctance

KATE CHOPIN 551

 Anton Chekhov

B EF O R E YO U R E A D
Building Background
Anton Chekhov studied both medicine and literature. receiving a medical scholarship and supported his
He eventually focused on his literary pursuits, becoming family by writing comic articles for newspapers and
a master of the short story as well as Russia’s most magazines. In medicine, his role models were doctors
revered playwright. His realistic stories, which focus on who worked for rural governments. He saw their work
atmosphere and character rather than plot and action, as altruistic. Later, Chekhov served as a doctor himself,
became an essential influence on modern literature. providing medical support during a cholera epidemic
Chekhov’s substantial place in literature comes in part in 1892. He died of tuberculosis.
from his ability to reveal how ordinary events can have
Anton Chekhov was born in 1860 and died in 1904.
a huge impact on people’s lives.
Born in southern Russia, Chekhov grew up apart from Author Search For more about
his parents. He rejoined them in Moscow after Anton Chekhov, go to www.glencoe.com.

Olenka,1 the daughter of retired collegiate assessor alone, and it was bliss to think it would soon be
Plemyannikov, sat on the porch in her yard, lost in evening. Dark rain-clouds were moving up from the
thought. It was hot, the flies wouldn’t leave her east, preceded by occasional wafts of humid air.
In the middle of the yard Snookin, manager-
proprietor of the Tivoli Pleasure Gardens, who
1. Olenka is a nickname for Olga. In Russia, people are often lodged across the yard in Olenka’s fliegel,2 stood
informally referred to by their given name and then a gazing at the sky.
patronymic, which is a variation of their father’s given name.
If the father’s name were Ivan, the son’s patronymic name
would be Ivanovich, and the daughter’s would be Ivanovna. 2. A fliegel is a small house on the property of a larger house
Semyonovna is Olga’s patronymic. that might be rented out.

552 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Scala/Art Resource, NY
 “Not again!” he was saying in despair. “Not breathing with difficulty; then she had loved her
rain again! Day after day, day after day, rain, rain, aunt, who came to visit them every other year from
rain! Just my luck! What I have to put up with! Bryansk;5 and earlier still she had loved the French
I’m ruined! I’m losing huge sums every day!” master at her school. She was a quiet, good-
Throwing up his hands, he turned to Olenka natured, tender-hearted girl, with soft gentle eyes,
and said: and in the best of health. Looking at her plump
“You see what our life’s like, Olga Semyonovna. rosy cheeks and soft white neck with its dark birth-
Enough to make you weep! You work hard and do mark, at the innocent, kindly smile on her face
your best, you worry and have sleepless nights, whenever she was listening to something pleasant,
you’re always thinking of improvements—and men said to themselves, “yes, not a bad one, that,”
what’s the result? Take audiences for a start. and smiled, too, while her female visitors could not
They’re nothing but ignorant savages. I give them refrain from seizing her by the hand in the middle
the best operetta and pantomime, top-quality of a conversation and exclaiming with delight:
burlesque,3 but is that what they want? Do they “You’re such a darling!”
appreciate it? No, they want some vulgar little The house she had lived in all her life and was
peepshow. Then take the weather. Rain almost due to inherit stood on the edge of town in Gypsy
every evening. May 10th it started, and it’s been Lane, not far from the Tivoli, so that in the eve-
at it right through May and June. Appalling! The nings and at night, hearing the band playing and
public stays away, but who has to pay the rent, I the rockets going off with a bang, she imagined this
ask you? Who has to pay the performers?” was Snookin challenging his fate and taking his
Clouds began gathering at the same time chief enemy, the indifferent public, by storm; her
next day. heart would melt, she didn’t feel a bit sleepy, and
“Oh yes, let it all come!” Snookin said, laugh- when he returned home in the early hours, she
ing hysterically. “Let it flood the whole Gardens would knock softly on her bedroom window and,
and take me with it! I don’t deserve any happiness letting him see through the curtains only her face
in this world or the next! Let the performers take and one shoulder, smile affectionately. . . .
me to court! Why stop at that? Make it penal ser- He proposed and they were married. Now that
vitude in Siberia! The scaffold!4 Ha-ha-ha!” he could see her neck and both her plump healthy
It was the same next day. . . . shoulders properly, he threw up his hands and said:
Olenka said nothing but listened to Snookin “You darling, you!”
gravely, and sometimes tears came to her eyes. In He was happy, but since it rained on the wed-
the end his misfortunes moved her and she fell in ding day and on the wedding night, the look of
love with him. He was short and skinny, with a sal- despair never left his face.
low complexion and hair combed back off the tem- Life went well after the marriage. She sat in his
ples, he spoke in a high-pitched tenor, twisting his box office, supervised the Gardens, wrote down
mouth as he did so, and his face wore an expression expenses and paid out salaries, and you’d catch a
of permanent despair—yet he aroused in her deep glimpse of her rosy cheeks and sweetly innocent,
and genuine emotion. She was constantly in love radiant smile at the box office window one moment,
with someone and could not live otherwise. behind stage the next, and now in the refreshment
Previously she had loved her Papa, now an invalid bar. Already she was telling her friends that nothing
sitting in his armchair in a darkened room and in the world was so remarkable, so important and
necessary as the theatre, and only in the theatre
3. An operetta is a form of opera that includes elaborate
could you experience real enjoyment and become
dancing and music, as well as a romantic, usually comic plot. an educated, civilized human being.
A pantomime relies on body movement to tell a story. A “But does the public appreciate that?” she
burlesque, usually a series of comic short skits, uses would say. “What they want is a peepshow.
exaggeration to ridicule.
Yesterday we did Faust Inside Out and almost all
4. The governments of Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union
sent criminals to Siberia, an area known for being remote
and having a harsh climate. Here, scaffold refers to the
platform on which a criminal is executed. 5. Bryansk is a Russian city southwest of Moscow.

ANT ON C HEKHOV 553

 the boxes were empty, but if we’d
put on something vulgar, me and
Vanya,6 we’d have been packed
out, I can tell you. Tomorrow
we’re doing Orpheus in the
Underworld, me and Vanya, why
don’t you come?”
Whatever Snookin said about
the theatre and the actors, she
repeated. Like him, she despised
the public for its indifference to
art and its ignorance, interfered
in rehearsals, corrected the actors
and made sure the musicians
behaved, and whenever there was
a bad notice in the local press,
she would cry and then go round
to the editorial office to have it
out with them.
The actors were fond of her
and called her “Me and Vanya”
and “The Darling.” She felt sorry
Russian Woman at the Window, 1923. Boris Kustodiev. Watercolor over pencil
for them and gave them small on paper, 24.3 x 21.5 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Kostroma, Russia.
loans, and if they let her down, she
just had a quiet cry and said nothing
to her husband. delayed in Moscow but said he’d be back by
Life went well that winter, too. They hired the Easter, and his letters were already giving her
town theatre for the whole season and rented it instructions about the Tivoli. But on the Sunday
out for short periods to a Ukrainian troupe, a before Easter, late at night, there was a sudden
conjuror, and the local amateur dramatic com- ominous knocking outside. Someone was bang-
pany. Olenka put on weight and positively radi- ing on the gate until it started booming like a
ated well-being, but Snookin looked thin and barrel. The sleepy cook ran to answer, her bare
sallow, and complained of huge losses, even feet splashing in the puddles.
though business was quite good all winter. At “Open up, please!” someone outside was say-
night he coughed and she gave him raspberry or ing in a deep bass. “Telegram for you!”
lime-blossom tea to drink, rubbed him with eau- Olenka had received telegrams from her hus-
de-Cologne and wrapped him in her soft shawls. band before, but now for some reason she felt
“My wonderful little man!” she would say with petrified. She opened it with trembling hands
complete sincerity, as she stroked his hair. “My and read as follows:
handsome little man!” “Ivan Petrovich8 died suddenly today suchly
During Lent7 he went off to Moscow to await instructions funreal Tuesday.”
engage a new company, and in his absence she That was what the telegram said, “funreal”
couldn’t sleep, but sat by the window looking at and the other meaningless word “suchly”; it was
the stars. She was like the hens, she thought, signed by the producer of the operetta company.
which stay awake all night and are restive when “My darling!” Olenka sobbed. “My sweet dar-
the cock isn’t in the henhouse. Snookin was ling little Vanya! Why did I ever meet you? Why
did I come to know you and love you? Who’s
6. Vanya is a nickname for Ivan, which is Snookin’s given name.
7. Lent is a period of fasting and self-denial prior to the celebra-
tion of Easter that is observed by some Christian denominations. 8. Ivan Petrovich is Snookin’s name.

554 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY
going to look after your poor wretched Olenka in the office until evening, doing the accounts
now you’ve abandoned her?” and dispatching orders.
Snookin was buried on the Tuesday at the “Timber’s going up by twenty percent a year
Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow. Olenka now,” she would tell customers and friends. “In
returned home on Wednesday and as soon as she the past we used to get our timber locally, but
entered her room, flung herself down on the bed now, imagine, my Vasya10 has to fetch it every
and sobbed so loudly she could be heard in the year from Mogilyov Province. And the freight
street and the neighboring yards. charges!” she would say, covering both cheeks
“Poor darling!” the women neighbors said, with her hands in horror. “The freight charges!”
crossing themselves. “She is taking it badly, poor She felt that she had been dealing in timber
darling Olga Semyonovna!” for ages and ages, and it was the most vitally
Three months later Olenka, in full mourning, important thing in life, and the words joist,
was returning home sadly one day from church. batten, offcut, purlin,11 round beam, short
It so happened that a neighbor of hers, Vasily beam, frame and slab, were like dear old friends
Andreich Pustovalov, manager of the merchant to her. At night she dreamed of whole moun-
Babakayev’s timber yard, was also returning from tains of boards and battens, of never-ending
church and walking alongside her. He was wear- convoys of carts carrying timber somewhere
ing a straw hat and a white waistcoat9 with a far beyond the town; she dreamed of a whole
gold watch-chain, and looked more like a land- regiment of beams, thirty feet by nine inches,
owner than a tradesman. marching upright into battle against the tim-
“Everything has to take its proper course, Olga ber yard, and how beams, joists and slabs
Semyonovna,” he was saying soberly, with a sym- banged together with the resounding thud of
pathetic note in his voice, “and if someone dear dry wood, falling over and then righting
to us dies, that means it is God’s wish, so we must themselves, piling up on top of each other.
contain ourselves and bear it with resignation.” Olenka would cry out in her sleep and
After seeing Olenka to her gate, he said good- Pustovalov would say to her tenderly:
bye and walked on. For the rest of the day she “What’s the matter, Olenka dear? Better cross
kept hearing that sober voice, and she had only yourself!”12
to close her eyes to picture his dark beard to her- Whatever thoughts her husband had, she had
self. She liked him very much. Evidently she had also. If he thought the room was too hot or busi-
made an impression on him, too, for not long ness had become quiet, she thought the same.
afterwards an elderly lady, whom she scarcely Her husband did not like any entertainments
knew, came to drink coffee with her, and had no and on holidays stayed at home; so did she.
sooner sat down at the table than she started talking “You’re always at home or in the office,”
about Pustovalov, what a good, reliable man he was friends said to her. “You should go to the theatre,
and how any young lady would be delighted to have darling, or the circus.”
him for a husband. Three days later Pustovalov “Me and Vasya have no time for theatres,” she
himself paid her a visit, stayed no more than about replied soberly. “We’re working folk, we can’t be
ten minutes and said little, but Olenka fell for him bothered with trifles. What do people see in
so completely that she lay awake all night feeling those theatres, anyway?”
hot and feverish, and next morning sent for the On Saturdays she and Pustovalov attended the
elderly lady. The match was quickly arranged, then all-night vigil, and on feast days early-morning ser-
came the wedding. vice. Afterwards, walking home side by side, they
Life went well for Pustovalov and Olenka after
their marriage. He would usually stay at the tim- 10. Vasya is a nickname for Vasily.
ber yard until lunch and then go out on business, 11. A joist is a type of wood beam; a batten is a piece of wood
whereupon Olenka would take his place and stay used on a boat or in a floor; an offcut is a small piece of
wood; a purlin is a piece of wood used in a roof.
12. Pustovalov is suggesting that Olenka make the sign of a
9. A waistcoat is an ornamental vest worn under a jacket. cross to help keep away her nightmare.

ANT ON C HEKHOV 555

 both looked deeply moved, they smelt fragrant, When Pustovalov returned, she would tell him
and her silk dress rustled agreeably. At home in a hushed voice about the vet and his unhappy
they drank tea, with rich white bread and var- family situation, and both would sigh, shake
ious jams, then they had pie. Every day at their heads and talk of how the boy must be
noon the yard and the street outside the gates missing his father; then, by some strange associa-
were filled with the appetizing smell of tion of ideas they would both kneel before the
borsch13 and roast lamb or duck, or fish on icons,18 prostrate themselves and pray that God
fast days, and no one could walk past without might send them children.
beginning to feel hungry. In the office the Thus did the Pustovalovs live for six years,
samovar14 was always on the boil, and custom- quietly and peacefully, in love and complete har-
ers were treated to tea and buns. Once a week mony. But one winter’s day at the yard Vasily
the couple went to the baths and walked home Andreich went out bare-headed to dispatch some
side by side, both red in the face. timber after drinking hot tea, caught cold and
“We’re not complaining,” Olenka told her fell ill. He was treated by the best doctors, but
friends. “Life’s going well, praise be to God. the illness took its course and he died four
May God grant everyone as good a life as me months later.
and Vasya.” Olenka had become a widow again.
When Pustovalov went off to Mogilyov “Who will look after me now, my darling?” she
Province for timber, she missed him terribly and sobbed, after burying her husband. “How can I
could not sleep at night for crying. Sometimes possibly live without you? I’m so wretched and
she had an evening visit from the young man unhappy! Pity me, good people, I’m all alone
renting her fliegel, a regimental vet15 called now. . . .”
Smirnin. He would tell her about something or She wore a black dress with weepers,19 having
they’d play cards, and this cheered her up. She vowed never to wear a hat or gloves again, went
was particularly interested to hear about his out seldom and then only to church or to her
own family life: he was married with a son, but husband’s grave, and lived at home like a nun.
had separated from his wife because she’d been Six months passed before she discarded the
unfaithful, and now he hated her and sent her weepers and began opening her shutters. Some
forty roubles16 a month for the boy’s mainte- mornings she was to be seen shopping for food in
nance. As she listened, Olenka sighed and the market with her cook, but people could only
shook her head, and felt sorry for him. surmise how she was living now and what her
“The Lord be with you,” she would say, bidding domestic arrangements were. They surmised
him good night and lighting him to the top of the when they saw her, for example, sitting in her
stairs with a candle. “It was kind of you to while little garden drinking tea with the vet while he
away your time with me, may God and the Holy read the newspaper out to her, and also when she
Mother watch over you. . . .” bumped into a female friend at the post office
She always expressed herself in the same sober, and was heard to say:
judicious tones, imitating her husband. The vet “Our town has no proper veterinary inspection
was already disappearing behind the downstairs and that gives rise to many illnesses. You’re
door when she would call him back and say: always hearing of people being infected by milk
“Vladimir Platonych,17 don’t you think you or catching diseases from horses and cows. We
should make it up with your wife? Forgive her, if really ought to treat the health of domestic ani-
only for your son’s sake! That little chap knows mals as seriously as we do that of human beings.”
just what’s going on, be sure of that.” She repeated the vet’s thoughts and now
shared his opinions on everything. It was clear

13. Borsch is beet soup.

14. A samovar is a type of urn used to make tea in Russia. 18. Here, icons refers to religious images, often painted on
15. Here, vet is short for veterinarian. wood and used in religious practices.
16. Roubles is an alternate spelling of rubles, Russian currency. 19. Here, weepers means “a veil worn as a symbol of
17. Vladimir Platonych is Smirnin’s formal name. mourning.”

556 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 But this happiness did not
last long. The vet departed
with his regiment, and since
they had been transferred
somewhere very distant, practi-
cally to Siberia, his departure
was permanent.
Olenka was left on her own.
This time she was completely
on her own. Her father had
long since died, and his arm-
chair, with one leg missing, was
gathering dust in the attic. She
became plain and thin, and
people meeting her in the street
no longer looked at her and
smiled as they used to; her best
years were evidently gone for
Portrait of Vasily Mathé, 1902. Boris Kustodiev. Oil on canvas, good, now a new, unknown life
125 x 151 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. was beginning that did not bear thinking about.
In the evenings Olenka sat on her porch and
that she could not survive even for a year
could hear the band playing and the rockets
without an attachment and had found her new
going off at the Tivoli, but this no longer made
happiness in the fliegel next door. Anyone else
her think of anything. She gazed apathetically at
would have been condemned for this, but no one
her empty yard, had no thoughts or desires, and
could think ill of Olenka, her whole life was so
when night fell, went to bed and dreamed of her
transparent. She and the vet did not tell anyone
empty yard. She seemed reluctant even to eat or
about the change that had taken place in their
drink.
relationship and tried to conceal it, but without
But the worst thing of all was no longer
success, because Olenka could not keep a secret.
having any opinions. She saw objects round
When regimental colleagues came to visit him
her and understood everything that was going
and she was pouring out their tea or serving sup-
on, but she could not form opinions about
per, she would start talking about cattle plague,
anything and did not know what to talk about.
pearl disease,20 and the municipal slaughter-
How awful it is not to have an opinion! You
houses. This made him terribly embarrassed, and
see a bottle, for example, standing there, or
as they were leaving, he would seize her by the
the rain falling, or a peasant going along in his
arm and hiss angrily:
cart, but what the bottle or rain or peasant are
“Haven’t I told you before not to talk about
for, what sense they make, you can’t say and
things you don’t understand? When we vets are
couldn’t say, even if they offered you a thou-
talking shop, please don’t butt in. It’s extremely
sand roubles. In Snookin’s and Pustovalov’s
tedious.”
time, and then with the vet, Olenka could
She would look at him in alarm and astonish-
explain everything and give her opinion on
ment, and say:
any subject you liked, whereas now her mind
“But Volodya21 dear, what am I to talk about?!”
and heart were as empty as the yard outside. It
With tears in her eyes she embraced him
was a horrible, bitter sensation, like a mouth-
and begged him not to be angry, and they
ful of wormwood.22
were both happy.

20. Pearl disease is a blood disease in cattle.

21. Volodya is Smirnin’s nickname (his first name is Vladimir). 22. Wormwood is a plant that produces a bitter oil.

ANT ON C HEKHOV 557

Scala/Art Resource, NY
 The town has gradually expanded in all direc- time he went to grammar school. I’ve made it up
tions. Gypsy Lane is now called a street, and where with my wife, you know.”
the Tivoli and the timber yards once stood, houses “And where is she now?” Olenka asked.
have sprung up and there are a number of side “At the hotel with the boy while I go round
streets. How time flies! Olenka’s house looks dingy, looking for lodgings.”
the roof has rusted, the shed is leaning to one side, “But good heavens, have my house, dear!
and the yard is completely overgrown with weeds Far better than lodgings. Oh heavens above,
and stinging nettles.23 Olenka herself has grown I don’t want any rent,” Olenka went on,
older and plainer. In summer she sits on her porch, becoming agitated and bursting into tears
with the same feeling of emptiness, boredom, and again. “You live here and the fliegel will do
bitterness in her soul as before, in winter she sits by for me. Wonderful!”
her window gazing at the snow. If she feels the Next day they were already painting the
breath of spring, or hears the sound of cathedral roof and whitewashing the walls, and Olenka
bells carried on the wind, memories suddenly flood was walking about the yard, arms on hips, giv-
in, tugging at her heart-strings, and copious tears ing orders. Her face shone with its old smile,
stream down her face; but this lasts only a minute, and everything about her was fresh and lively,
then the same emptiness and sense of futility as if she had just woken from a long sleep.
returns. Her black cat Bryska snuggles up to her, The vet’s wife arrived, a thin, unattractive
purring softly, but Olenka is unmoved by these woman with short hair and a peevish expres-
feline caresses. Is that what she needs? No, she sion. With her came the boy, Sasha, who was
needs the kind of love that will possess her com- small for his age (he was over nine) and
pletely, mind and soul, that will provide her with chubby, with bright blue eyes and dimpled
thoughts and a direction in life, and warm her cheeks. He had no sooner set foot in the yard
aging blood. She bundles black Bryska off her lap than he began chasing the cat, and his merry,
and says irritably: joyful laughter rang out.
“Go away . . . I don’t want you here!” “Is that your cat, Auntie?” he asked Olenka.
It’s the same day after day, year after year—she “When it has babies, will you give us one, please?
doesn’t have a single joy in life or a single opinion. Mamma’s scared stiff of mice.”
Whatever Mavra the cook says is good enough. Olenka chatted to him and gave him tea,
One hot July day, towards evening, when the and suddenly felt a warm glow and pleasurable
town cattle were being driven past and clouds of tightening in her heart, as if this boy were her
dust had filled the yard, all of a sudden someone own son. And when he was sitting in the din-
knocked at the gate. Olenka went to open it her- ing-room repeating his lessons in the eve-
self, took one look and was completely dumb- nings, she would look at him with tenderness
founded: Smirnin the vet was standing there, and pity, and whisper:
grey-haired and in civilian clothes. Suddenly “My darling, my pretty little child. . . . You’re
everything came back to her, she broke down and so clever and your skin is so fair.”
burst into tears, laid her head on his chest without “An island,” he read out, “is an area of dry
saying a word, and was so overcome that after- land surrounded on all sides by water.”
wards she had no recollection of how they went “An island is an area of dry land . . .” she
into the house together and sat down to drink tea. repeated, and this was the first opinion she had
“Vladimir Platonych,” she murmured, trembling expressed with confidence after all those years of
with joy, “dearest! Whatever brings you here?” silence and emptiness of mind.
“I’d like to settle down here permanently,” he Now she had her own opinions and talked to
told her. “I’ve resigned my commission and come Sasha’s parents over supper about how hard chil-
to try my luck as a civilian, leading a settled life. dren had to work at grammar school these days,
Then there’s my son, he’s growing up and it’s but all the same a classical education was better
than a modern one, because every career was
23. Stinging nettles are a perennial herb with sharp leaves and open to you afterwards—doctor, engineer, what-
white flowers. ever you wished.

558 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 Sasha had begun attending the grammar school. and people meeting her in the street feel pleasure
His mother went away to her sister’s in Kharkov as they look at her, and say:
and did not come back, his father went off some- “Olga Semyonovna darling, good morning!
where every day to inspect herds and might be away How are you, darling?”
for three days at a time, and Olenka felt that Sasha “They have to work so hard at grammar school
was being completely neglected, his parents didn’t these days,” she tells them in the market. “It’s no
want him and he must be starving to death; so she laughing matter. Yesterday the first year had a fable
transferred him to her fliegel and fixed him up in a to learn by heart and a Latin translation and a math
little room there. problem. . . . How can a small boy cope?”
Six months have now passed since Sasha began She goes on to talk about teachers and lessons
living in her fliegel. Every morning Olenka goes and textbooks—repeating exactly what Sasha
into his room: he is fast asleep with his hand under tells her.
his cheek, breathing imperceptibly. She is sorry to Between two and three they have their meal
have to wake him. together, and in the evening they do Sasha’s home-
“Sashenka,” she says sadly, “get up, dear! Time work together and cry. Putting him to bed, she
for school.” spends a long time making the sign of the cross over
He gets up, dresses, says his prayers, and then sits him and whispering a prayer, then, on going to bed
down to drink tea; he drinks three glasses and con- herself, she pictures that distant hazy future when
sumes two large rolls and half a French loaf with Sasha has finished his degree and become a doctor
butter. Still not fully awake, he is in a bad mood. or an engineer, has his own large house with horses
“You didn’t learn your fable properly, you and a carriage, marries and has children. . . . She
know, Sashenka,” Olenka says, looking at him as falls asleep still thinking about it all, and tears run
if about to see him off on a long journey. “What down her cheeks from her closed eyes. The black
a worry you are to me. You must make an effort cat lies purring by her side: mrr, mrr, mrr. . . .
to learn, dear, and do as the teachers say.” Suddenly there’s a loud knock at the gate.
“Oh, stop nagging!” says Sasha. Olenka wakes up, too terrified to breathe. Her
Then he walks along the street to school, a heart is thumping. Half a minute passes, then
small boy in a big cap, with a satchel on his there’s another knock.
back. Olenka follows silently behind. “It’s a telegram from Kharkov,” she thinks, begin-
“Sashenka-a!” she calls. ning to tremble all over. “Sasha’s mother wants him
He looks round, and she pops a date or a cara- to live with her in Kharkov. . . . Oh heavens!”
mel into his hand. When they turn into the She is in despair. Her head, arms and legs
school street, he feels ashamed at being followed turn cold, she feels the unhappiest person in the
by this tall, stout woman, looks round and says: world. But another minute passes and she hears
“You go home now, Auntie, I’ll do the last bit voices. It’s the vet, he’s come back from his club.
on my own.” “Oh, thank God,” she thinks.
She stops and keeps her eyes fixed on him until Gradually the pressure on her heart eases and
he disappears through the school entrance. Oh, how she feels relaxed again. She lies down and thinks
she loves him! Not one of her previous attachments of Sasha, who is sleeping soundly in the room
has been so deep, never before has she surrendered next door. From time to time he starts talking in
herself so wholeheartedly, unselfishly and joyfully as his sleep:
now, when her maternal feelings are being kindled “I’ll show you! Get out! Stop fighting!” 
more and more. For this boy, who is not hers, for his
cap and his dimpled cheeks, she would give away Quickwrite
her whole life, and do so with gladness and tears of
emotion. Why? Who can possibly say why? Olenka is described as being “constantly in love”
and unable to live without love. How does love
After seeing Sasha off, she returns home qui-
affect Olenka? In what ways is her need for love
etly, feeling so calm and contented, and overflow-
both beneficial and detrimental to her? Write a short
ing with love. In these last six months her face
response explaining your views.
has become younger, she is smiling and radiant,

ANT ON C HEKHOV 559

 Gabriela Mistral
Tr a n s l a t e d b y D o r i s D a n a

B E F O R E YO U R EA D

Building Background
Gabriela Mistral (a brē ā la mēs tral) sat I have a faithful joy
unnoticed in the crowd when she received her and a joy that is lost.
first literary award. The 25-year-old was so shy One is like a rose,
that she had another poet accept it for her. In the other, a thorn.
1945, however, Mistral was in the center of the 5 The one that was stolen
literary spotlight when she became the first Latin I have not lost.
American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for I have a faithful joy
Literature. and a joy that is lost.
Mistral was born Lucila Godoy Alcayaga in I am as rich with purple
Vicuña, Chile, north of the capital city of Santiago. 10 as with sorrow.
Her pen name comes from two of her favorite Ay! How loved is the rose,
writers, the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio and how loving the thorn!
the French Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral. Many Paired as twin fruit,
of her poems explore themes of suffering and I have a faithful joy
compassion, and the Bible was one of her most 15 and a joy that is lost.
important influences. Mistral spent her last years
in Long Island, New York.
Gabriela Mistral was born in 1889 and died
in 1957.
Quickwrite
Mistral describes two sides of experience in this
poem—joy and sorrow. She suggests the “richness”
of life includes both of these feelings. Describe how
Author Search For more about the poem links joy and sorrow, exploring how the
Gabriela Mistral, go to www.glencoe.com. imagery adds to the theme. Cite evidence from the
poem in your response.

560 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Christie’s Images/CORBIS
Wrap-Up: Comparing Literature Across Time and Place

• The Story of an Hour • The Darling • Richness

Kate Chopin Anton Chekhov Gabriela Mistral

COM PAR I NG TH E Big Idea Realism

Group Activity In creating verisimilitude, or the illusion of reality in a literary work, Realist writers
tend to focus more on the motivations of characters than on advancing a plot. These writers strive to
portray the confusion and contradiction of their characters. Discuss how Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of
an Hour,” Olenka in “The Darling,” and the speaker in “Richness” each respond to their problems.

1. Do you find their circumstances and their responses realistic?

2. What contradictions do you find in their thoughts and behaviors?
3. What misconceptions might other characters have about the main character or speaker?

COM PAR I NG Narratives About Relationships

Writing Write a short-response essay comparing and contrasting how each quotation below rep-
resents the benefits and difficulties each character finds in relationships.

“She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free,

free, free!’”
—Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”

“No, she needs the kind of love that will possess her
completely, mind and soul, that will provide her with
thoughts and a direction in life, and warm her aging
blood.”
—Anton Chekhov, “The Darling”

“One is like a rose, A Friendly Call, 1895. William Merritt Chase. Oil on canvas.
the other, a thorn.” National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
—Gabriela Mistral, “Richness”

COM PAR I NG Social Context

Partner Activity Social context, or the values and morals of society, plays a role in each of
these selections. Chopin and Chekhov both use the actions and dialogue of various characters to
reveal social context. However, Mistral renders the feelings of the poem’s speaker in isolation
from social context. With a partner, discuss the following questions.

1. Compare and contrast the use of social context in the stories by Chopin and Chekhov.
2. How does the lack of social context affect the reader’s understanding of Mistral’s poem?

O B J EC TIVES
• Compare and contrast authors’ messages. • Evaluate narratives about relationships.
• Compare works associated with Realism. • Analyze social context.

COMPARING LITERATURE 561

William Merritt Chase/National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA/Bridgeman Art Library
 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

Douglass and We Wear the Mask

M E E T PAU L L AU R E NC E D U N BA R Oak and Ivy, which
he sold to elevator
passengers and at
recitals. After it
“I know why the caged bird sings, ah was published, he
me, . . . When he beats his bars and joined Frederick
Douglass at the
he would be free. . . . ” Chicago World’s
—Paul Laurence Dunbar, “Sympathy” Fair, where he
gave recitations of
his poetry. His sec-
ond volume, Majors

T
hese words aptly describe the complex and Minors, came out
plight of Paul Laurence Dunbar. To in 1895 and was fol-
reach an audience for his poetry, he lowed by Lyrics of a Lonely
often felt he had to “sing” within the con- Life in 1896. He married Alice
straints of the taste and prejudice that domi- Ruth Moore, an African American poet, in
nated his times. 1898. When the influential writer and critic
William Dean Howells favorably reviewed
A Midwestern Childhood One of the first Majors and Minors, Dunbar found himself
African American writers to attain national famous and in great demand across the United
recognition, Dunbar was the son of formerly States and in England as a reader.
enslaved people. He grew up hearing their sto- Much to Dunbar’s despair, the poems he wrote
ries of pre-Emancipation days, which would in black dialect—he called them “jingles in a
later provide a wealth of material for his work. broken tongue”—were his best-received works.
Dunbar had a close relationship with his He also wrote novels, librettos, short stories,
mother throughout his life, but his father died and Standard English poems, but these received
when Dunbar was only twelve years old. little attention from critics and readers. His
Dunbar was the only African American student poetry eventually garnered him a clerkship at
at his Dayton, Ohio, high school. He excelled the Library of Congress. Toward the end of his
at his studies, edited the school paper, wrote life, he told James Weldon Johnson, “I have
plays for the drama club, and became class pres- never really gotten to the things I really wanted
ident. Despite his success in school, he could to do.” Despite this sentiment, he was the first
not afford college and had trouble finding a job African American who was able to live solely
in a newspaper or a legal office. He worked on the profits of his writing, and his home
instead as an elevator operator and spent time became the first state memorial to an African
writing between calls for the elevator. With American.
help from the Wright Brothers—who owned a Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in 1872 and died
printing business in addition to pioneering avia- in 1906.
tion—he published the Dayton Tattler, an
African American newsletter.

Dunbar the Poet Dunbar took out a loan Author Search For more about
in 1893 to publish his first volume of poetry, Paul Laurence
this author, go Dunbar, go to www.glencoe.com.
to www.literature.glencoe.com.

562 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W R E A D I N G P R EVI E W

Connecting to the Poems Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning

Sometimes it is difficult to express one’s feelings. If you have trouble understanding a passage, you
As a result, one might try to conceal them from may need to carefully reread the section that con-
others. For example, one might be afraid but hide fuses you to better comprehend its meaning. Be
behind a “mask” of confidence. As you read sure to read any footnotes and definitions that
Dunbar’s poems, ask yourself these questions: accompany the text and look for context clues to
define unfamiliar words.
• What kinds of “masks” do people wear and why?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of masks? Reading Tip: Paraphrasing One way to clarify
meaning is to paraphrase, or state a passage in
Building Background your own words. When paraphrasing a poem, look
Dunbar wrote two kinds of poetry. He was known for natural breaks in thoughts—at the ends of lines
and loved for his sentimental verse, written in dia- or stanzas and at end punctuation. Paraphrase each
lect, about an idyllic, pastoral, pre-Civil War planta- section, then add them together to form complete
tion life. However, this portion of his work has led thoughts. For example, here is one way to para-
some to criticize him for failing to confront the phrase lines 11–14 of “Douglass”: Today, when
issues of racial stereotypes and discrimination. Yet, there is so much disagreement, and we have no
Dunbar also produced less popular poems in leaders whom we can trust, we need your clear
Standard English that meditate on love, nature, or voice, guiding arm, and inspiring presence to com-
death; express pride in African Americans; or fort us in difficult times.
lament thwarted efforts to live and create freely.
“Douglass” and “We Wear the Mask” are examples
Vocabulary
of his Standard English poems.
salient (sāl yənt) adj. prominent or conspicu-
Setting Purposes for Reading ously noticeable; p. 564 Arrogance was a salient
aspect of his personality.
Big Idea Naturalism
Naturalism held that people often faced challenges tempest (tem pist) n. a violent storm; p. 564
beyond their control. As you read, consider how much The trees shook wildly in the tempest.
control Dunbar seems to have felt he had over his dissension (di sen shən) n. disagreement or dis-
own life and the challenges he faced. cord; p. 564 There was dissension in the drama
club over which play to perform.
Literary Element Rhyme Scheme
guile ( ¯
l) n. deceit or slyness; p. 565 She
The pattern formed by end rhymes in a stanza or swayed the jury with her guile.
poem is called a rhyme scheme. If you assign a
different letter to each ending sound in “Douglass,” vile (v¯
l) adj. repulsive or digusting; p. 565
you can chart the rhyme scheme like this: abba, The smell of the rotten fish was vile.
abba, cdcdcd. As you read, chart the rhyme
scheme of “We Wear the Mask.” Vocabulary Tip: Denotation and Connotation A
word’s denotation is its literal, or dictionary, mean-
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R15. ing. A word’s connotation, however, is the feeling
or association the word suggests.
Interactive Literary Elements
Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements,
go to www.glencoe.com.

O B J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following:
• analyzing Naturalism • identifying rhyme scheme
• paraphrasing to clarify meaning • expanding vocabulary

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR 56 3

 Paul Laurence Dunbar

Ah, Douglass,1 we have fall’n on evil days,

Such days as thou, not even thou didst know,
When thee, the eyes of that harsh long ago
Saw, salient, at the cross of devious ways,
5 And all the country heard thee with amaze.
Not ended then, the passionate ebb and flow,2
The awful tide that battled to and fro;
We ride amid a tempest of dispraise.

Now, when the waves of swift dissension swarm,

10 And Honor, the strong pilot, lieth stark,3
Oh, for thy voice high-sounding o’er the storm,
For thy strong arm to guide the shivering bark,4
The blast-defying power of thy form,
To give us comfort through the lonely dark.

1. Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery and became

a great speaker and leader in the abolition movement.
2. Ebb and flow means “fall and rise.”
3. Stark means “stiffly” or “rigidly.”
The Life of Frederick Douglass #30,1939. Jacob Lawrence.
4. A bark is a type of boat.
Casein tempera on hardboard, 12 x 177/8 in.
Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning What does the
speaker tell Douglass in the first two lines?

Big Idea Naturalism From this statement, do you think

that the speaker feels like he has control over his circum-
stances?

Vocabulary
salient (sālyənt) adj. prominent or conspicuously
noticeable
tempest (tempist) n. a violent storm
dissension (di senshən) n. disagreement or discord

564 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Photograph Courtesy of Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence/Art Resource, NY
 Paul Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
5 And mouth with myriad1 subtleties.2
Back Home from Up the Country. Romare Bearden.
Why should the world be overwise, Romare Bearden Foundation/VAGA, New York.
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

10 We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
15 We wear the mask!

1. Myriad means “countless” or “innumerable.”

2. Subtleties are things so slight that they are barely
perceptible.

Literary Element Rhyme Scheme What is the rhyme

scheme of this poem? What is the effect of the word mask?

Vocabulary
guile (̄l) n. deceit or slyness
vile (v̄l) adj. repulsive or disgusting

PAUL LAUR ENC E D UNBAR 565

Christie’s Images/CORBIS/Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
 A F T E R YO U R E A D

R ESP ON D I NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. Which lines in these poems had the greatest 5. The speaker in “Douglass” addresses his words
emotional impact on you? Explain your choices. directly to Frederick Douglass, even though
Douglass had died by the time the poem was writ-
ten. What is the purpose of this apostrophe, or
Recall and Interpret direct address to an absent person?
2. (a)According to the speaker in “Douglass,” how
does the present time compare to Douglass’s 6. Evaluate how well the extended metaphor used by
time? (b)What does the speaker wish that the speaker in “Douglass” represents the struggle
Douglass could do? the speaker is describing.

3. (a)What words does the speaker in “We Wear the 7. Do you think the theme, or central message, of
Mask” use to describe the mask? (b)Who wears “We Wear the Mask” is relevant today? Explain.
the mask, and why must it be worn?
Connect
4. (a)What reality is hidden behind the mask?
8. Big Idea Naturalism Naturalist writers believed
(b)What words and images describe this reality?
social pressures shaped human destiny. Do you
see evidence of this belief in Dunbar’s poems?
Explain.

L I T E R A RY A N A LYS I S R E A D I N G A N D VO C A B U L A RY

Literary Element Rhyme Scheme Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning

A rhyme scheme is the pattern formed by end Paraphrase the lines below. It will be easier to para-
rhymes in a stanza or a poem. phrase if you refer to the poems to clarify the context.
1. Compare the rhyme scheme of “We Wear the This debt we pay to human guile;
Mask” with that of “Douglass.” How do the rhyme With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
schemes in the poems differ? And mouth with myriad subtleties.
2. What letter in “We Wear the Mask” represents an
entire repeated line, or refrain? Vocabulary Practice
Practice with Denotation and Connotation
Literary Criticism Each of the following pairs of words have similar
Partner Activity Editor Dennis Poupard wrote of denotations. In each pair, decide which word has
Dunbar’s Standard English poems, “These poems stronger negative connotations.
consistently examine the nature and possibility of 1. a. tempest b. thunderstorm
personal freedom.” Discuss with a partner whether
2. a. slyness b. guile
this statement applies to “Douglass” and “We Wear
the Mask.” Support your points with evidence from 3. a. disgusting b. vile
the poems.

Web Activities For eFlashcards,

Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

566 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

Richard Cory and

Miniver Cheevy
M E E T E DW I N A RLI NGTON RO BI NSON

E
dwin Arlington Robinson devoted his life became well known for his
almost exclusively to writing poetry, but poetic structure based on natural
recognition and success did not come easily. diction and skillful rhyming pat-
Describing his childhood in Gardiner, Maine, as stark terns within stanzas. His later works
and unhappy, he once wrote to a friend that by the include several long narrative poems in blank verse,
time he was six years old he wondered why he had which were often expanded versions of the psycholog-
been born. He began writing at an early age because ical portraits he wrote during his earlier period.
he felt “doomed, or elected, or sentenced for life, to Robinson was not an experimental poet, yet his
the writing of poetry.” As a high school student, he poems do break with the traditions of nineteenth-
practiced writing in intricate verse forms under the century romantic verse in their use of precise, conver-
guidance of a local poet. He continued to write during sational language and irregular lines.
the two years he attended Harvard University until Struggle for Recognition Robinson’s first two
family financial problems forced him to leave and books of poems, The Torrent and the Night Before and
return to a troubled home. Robinson’s father died in The Children of the Night, were published in 1896 and
1892, and his mother died of diphtheria in 1896. One 1897 at his friends’ expense. Robinson moved to New
of Robinson’s brothers became a drug addict, and the York City in 1897 when he was twenty-eight and
other became an alcoholic; both died early. poverty-stricken. He held a variety of jobs there but
made little money and was unable to get more of his
poems published. He was rescued from his desperate
“I used to read about clearness, force, state by President Theodore Roosevelt, who had read
and admired some of his work. Roosevelt arranged a
and elegance in the rhetoric books, but position for Robinson at the U.S. Customs House in
I’m afraid I go in chiefly for force. . . . New York, an easy job that enabled him to write
without worrying about money. Robinson dedicated
There are too many elegant men in the his third collection, The Town Down by the River, to
world just now and they seem to be the president. He left his position at the Customs
increasing.” House in 1909 to devote himself entirely to his
writing. Robinson was generally ignored by both
—Edwin Arlington Robinson critics and the public until relatively late in his
career. The first collection that brought him critical
acclaim was The Man Against the Sky, published in
1916. His later works include a trilogy based on
Hope and Despair The subjects of Robinson’s Arthurian legend, Merlin, Lancelot, and Tristram,
character studies are often people who feel defeated which was his biggest critical and popular success at
or frustrated by life and who lack a sense of direction. the time. Eventually, Robinson won three Pulitzer
Most of his poems are written with an ironic tone, Prizes and became one of America’s favorite poets.
contain philosophical themes, and end tragically. Edwin Arlington Robinson was born in 1869 and died
However, Robinson was not a true pessimist. He in 1935.
believed that life has meaning despite its hardships
and that there is hope beyond what he described as
“the black and awful chaos of the night.” Most of Author Search For more about
Robinson’s early poems are dramatic lyrics, and he Edwin Arlington Robinson, go to www.glencoe.com.

EDWIN ARLINGT ON R OBINSON 567

Bettmann/CORBIS
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W READI NG PREVI EW

Connecting to the Poems Reading Strategy Making Inferences

Have you ever been extremely sad or felt that you About Characters
were isolated and misunderstood? As you read You make inferences when you use reason and your
Robinson’s poems, think about these questions: experience to understand meaning that is implied but
• How does sorrow affect the title characters? not stated directly. As you read Robinson’s portraits of
• What do you think is a good way to deal with Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy, look for the clues
that the poet offers about each man’s public and pri-
unhappiness?
vate “faces”—how they appear to the world around
them and how they appear to themselves.
Building Background
More than sixty of Robinson’s earliest and best-known Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record the
poems are set in Tilbury Town, a fictional setting modeled inferences you draw from the details presented.
on the poet’s hometown, Gardiner, Maine. Robinson is
daringly realistic in his portrayal of the town and its inhab-
itants. The people that he writes about tend to be loners Detail Inference
and misfits, as Robinson often felt himself to be. The p. 569 Richard Cory
characters in Tilbury Town feel pressured to conform, and “He was a takes care of his
their creativity is wasted through their own despair or gentleman from appearance and
because of the neglect and misunderstanding of others. sole to crown” dresses appropriately.

Setting Purposes for Reading

Big Idea Naturalism Vocabulary
Robinson’s poetry often focuses on characters who
imperially (im pēr ē əl ē) adv. majestically;
seem to have little control over their lives or who are
magnificently; p. 569 The queen walked imperi-
unable to cope with the scientific, social, and environ-
ally into the palace.
mental forces that affect them. As you read, notice
how Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy react to assail (ə sāl ) v. to attack violently; p. 570
these forces. The ship was assailed by the heavy storm.
fragrant (frā rənt) adj. having a strong, pleas-
Literary Element Irony ant smell; p. 570 The fragrant roses made the
apartment look and smell lovely.
Irony is a contrast or discrepancy between appearance
and reality. In literature it is often accompanied by grim incessantly (in ses ənt lē) adv. continually; hap-
humor. Be aware of what appears to be true and what pening over and over without interruption; p.
is actually true as you read these poems. 570 Alison’s brother incessantly asked for a cookie.
scorned (skornd) v. treated with open con-
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R10. tempt; rejected something as worthless; p. 570
The angry citizens scorned the mayor’s proposal.

Vocabulary Tip: Denotation and Connotation

A word’s denotation is its literal, or dictionary,
Interactive Literary Elements meaning. A word’s connotation, however, is the
Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, feeling or association the word suggests.
go to www.glencoe.com.

OB J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing irony
• understanding characteristics of Realism and Naturalism • making inferences about characters

56 8 U N IT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

 Edwin Arlington Robinson

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored,1 and imperially slim.

S11-108-01C-635423 5 And he Mark

Bodoni/customized was always quietly arrayed,2
U4T6 And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—

10 And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine,3 we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
15 And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Man with the Cat (Henry Sturgis Drinker), 1898. Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Cecilia Beaux. Oil on canvas, 48 x 345/8 in. Bequest of
Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of
Design. Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Washington, DC.

1. Clean favored means “having a tidy appearance.”

2. Arrayed means “dressed.”
3. In fine means “in short.”

Reading Strategy Making Inferences About Characters

What can you infer about Richard Cory’s relationship with the peo-
ple based on the speaker’s description?

Vocabulary
imperially (im pērē əl ē) adv. majestically; magnificently

EDWIN ARLIN GT ON R OBINSON 569

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC/Art Resource, NY
 Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.

5 Miniver loved the days of old

When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would set him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,

10 And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes1 and Camelot,2
And Priam’s3 neighbors.
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
15 He mourned Romance, now on the town,4
And Art, a vagrant.

S11-109-01C-635423 Bodoni Miniver loved the Medici,5

Mark
U4T6 Albeit he had never seen one;
Drop cap font = Arkona
He would have sinned incessantly
20 Could he have been one.

Miniver cursed the commonplace

And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
He missed the mediæval grace
Of iron clothing.

25 Miniver scorned the gold he sought,

But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,

30 Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.

1. Thebes (thēbz) was a city-state in ancient Greece.

Vocabulary 2. Camelot is the legendary site of King Arthur’s court.
3. In Homer’s Iliad, Priam was the king of Troy.
assail (ə sāl) v. to attack violently
4. On the town means “on welfare.”
fragrant (frārənt) adj. having a strong, pleasant smell 5. Medici (med i chē) refers to a noble, rich, and powerful
incessantly (in sesənt lē´) adv. continually; happening family in Florence, Italy (1300—1500).
over and over without interruption
scorned (skornd) v. treated with open contempt; rejected Literary Element Irony What is the verbal irony in
something as worthless these lines?

570 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

 A F T E R YO U R E A D

R ESP ON D I NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. What was your reaction to the last line in each 5. (a)What is ironic about Richard Cory’s life and
poem? Give reasons for your answer. death? (b)Do you find Cory a sympathetic figure?
Explain.
Recall and Interpret
6. (a)What is the speaker’s tone, or attitude, toward
2. (a)Summarize the speaker’s description of Richard the title character in “Miniver Cheevy”? (b)How
Cory. (b)In what ways does Cory’s life differ from does the speaker’s tone affect your own attitude
the lives of the “people on the pavement”? toward Cheevy?
3. (a)What does Richard Cory do “one calm summer
night”? (b)What does this action suggest about Connect
Cory’s quality of life? 7. Big Idea Naturalism Richard Cory has wealth;
4. (a)What does Miniver Cheevy blame for his Miniver Cheevy is obsessed with the art and culture
unhappiness? (b)What do you think is the real of the past. According to Robinson, why do money
reason he is unhappy? Explain. and art not necessarily make people happy or help
them overcome their limitations?

L I T E R A RY A NA LYS I S R E A D I N G A N D VO C A B U L A RY

Literary Element Irony Reading Strategy Making Inferences

Situational irony occurs when the actual outcome of About Characters
a situation is the opposite of what is expected. Verbal When you make inferences about characters, you use
irony occurs when the meaning of a statement is the clues in the text to find information stated indirectly.
opposite of what is said.
1. What clues indicate that the townspeople regard
Partner Activity How does Robinson use situational Richard Cory as many people regard royalty?
and verbal irony to reveal details about the various
characters—including the townspeople—in these 2. What details lead you to understand that Miniver
poems? Discuss this question with one or more Cheevy is an unhappy person who is unable or
classmates. unwilling to improve his quality of life?

Reading Further Vocabulary Practice

Practice with Denotation and Connotation
For more of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poetry, see
For each of the vocabulary words listed below, tell
these books:
which word in parentheses is the word’s denota-
Collected Poems (1921) and The Man Who Died tion and which is its connotation.
Twice (1924) were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
1. fragrant (scented, perfumed)
Merlin (1917), Lancelot (1920), and Tristram (1928) 2. incessantly (relentlessly, repeatedly)
are long narrative poems based on the legends of 3. scorned (rejected, disdained)
King Arthur. Robinson received his third Pulitzer Prize
for Tristram.

Web Activities For eFlashcards,

Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

EDWIN ARLINGT ON R OBINSON 571

 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

The Open Boat

M E E T ST E PH E N C R A N E Live Quick; Write Fast
Crane’s second novel,

B
The Red Badge of
y the time he reached college, Stephen Crane
Courage: An Episode
was better known for his baseball-playing skills
of the American Civil
than for his scholarly achievements. Within a
War, appeared first
decade, however, Crane’s rebelliousness toward his
as a syndicated news-
schooling, his upbringing, and society at large would
paper feature in 1894
help shape a short but prolific literary career. In his
and became a best-
work, Crane embraced a pessimistic realism that
seller in 1895. At
undermined earlier, romanticized visions of human
age twenty-four, the
experiences. In fiction, as in journalism, Crane por-
struggling journalist
trayed life as it was, not as one wished it were.
had reached international fame with the novel’s
success. In The Red Badge of Courage, Crane
turned his power for acute observation inward,
“A man said to the universe: exploring the psychology of a Civil War soldier
‘Sir, I exist!’ who grapples with his fear, cowardice, and pride
in battle. Ironically, Crane became famous for
‘However,’ replied the universe, his realistic portrayal of a soldier during battle
‘The fact has not created in me even though he had not yet experienced war
firsthand and was born six years after the Civil
A sense of obligation.’” War ended. Nonetheless, many veterans
—Stephen Crane, “War Is Kind” applauded his ability to re-create the internal
tension experienced during combat. In late
1895, Crane published a book of poems, The
Black Riders and Other Lines, to less favorable
Bowery Life The fourteenth child of a Methodist reviews.
minister and his devout wife, Crane chafed against
Fascinated with danger and war, Crane covered
the constraints of structured family life. University
the Greco-Turkish War in Greece and the
life left him with much the same feeling, and he
Spanish-American War in Cuba. He then settled
attended classes sporadically before leaving college
in Sussex, England, in 1899, heavily in debt and
entirely to work as a newspaper writer. As a free-
ill with tuberculosis and recurrent malarial fever.
lance reporter, Crane lived in the Bowery district
Years of exposure, poor food, and lack of treat-
of Manhattan, reporting on the poverty of the dis-
ment ended Crane’s life at twenty-eight.
trict’s slums through firsthand experience. His
observations of Bowery life eventually became the Crane is known as a man who “lived quickly and
basis for his controversial first novel, Maggie: A wrote fast.” Despite a brief literary career, his stud-
Girl of the Streets (1893). Crane’s sympathetic but ies of characters overwhelmed by uncontrollable
starkly realistic portrayal of New York slum life circumstances still resonate today. As Sherwood
repelled publishers; he finally published the novel Anderson noted, “Stephen Crane was a craftsman.
at his own expense under the pseudonym Johnston The stones he put in the wall are still there.”
Smith. Crane’s harsh story did not sell well.
However, critics Hamlin Garland and William
Dean Howells noticed Crane’s talent and became Author Search For more about
his mentors. Stephen Crane,gogototowww.literature.glencoe.com.
Author Name, www.glencoe.com.

572 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Bettmann/CORBIS
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W R E A D I N G P R EVI E W

Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Summarizing

What do you think it might be like to fight for your life? Summarizing means stating the main ideas of a
In “The Open Boat,” four men struggle to survive in selection or passage in your own words and in a logi-
the Atlantic Ocean. As you read the story, think about cal sequence. Summarizing will help you understand
the following questions: and think about what you have read.

• How do one’s priorities change in times of great Reading Tip: Answering the 5 Ws Use a chart to
danger?
help you answer the who, what, where, when, and
• How much of survival depends on personal will, why questions about the passage you’re summarizing.
and how much depends on outside circumstances?

Building Background Quotation: “After a search, somebody produced three

As a war correspondent, Stephen Crane traveled from dry matches, and thereupon the four waifs rode impudently
Jacksonville, Florida, to Cuba aboard the steamship in their little boat, and with an assurance of an impending
Commodore in January 1897. The ship sank, and Crane rescue shining in their eyes, puffed at the big cigars and
and three others faced the raging Atlantic in a ten-foot judged well and ill of all men.”
dinghy until they managed to reach the Florida coast.
Afterward, Crane published a fictionalized account in
Who What Where When Why
The four
Scribner’s Magazine. The tale then became the title members of
story in his book The Open Boat and Other Tales of the crew in
Adventure. Throughout the story, Crane maintains sus- the dinghy
pense by pulling the characters between illusion and
reality, hope and despair.

Setting Purposes for Reading Vocabulary

Big Idea Naturalism
uncanny (un ka nē) adj. strangely unsettling;
Like other Naturalists, Crane does not soften his depiction eerie; p. 576 Yoshi found the presence of two dead
of the struggle his characters face. As you read, notice birds on the path uncanny.
how the characters in “The Open Boat” are continually at
the mercy of environmental forces. emphatic (em fa tik) adj. forceful; p. 576 Jon
gave one last emphatic push, and the door opened.
Literary Element Author’s Purpose ingenuously (in jen ū əs lē) adv. honestly;
frankly; p. 578 The child talked ingenuously to the
An author’s purpose is his or her intent in writing a
doctor about his broken arm.
literary work. For example, an author may want to
inform, entertain, persuade, or express an opinion. An impudently (im pyə dənt lē) adv. in an offen-
author’s purpose may be expressed through direct sively bold manner; p. 579 The politician spoke
commentary, through the dialogue, actions, and so impudently that few voters trusted him.
thoughts of the characters, or through tone, word
coerce (kō urs ) v. to force; p. 587 The boy
choice, and narrative point of view. As you read, look
coerced his sister into giving him all her candy.
for places in the story where Crane reveals his purpose.

• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R2. Vocabulary Tip: Context Clues Context clues are
the words and sentences around an unfamiliar
Interactive Literary Elements word that help you figure out the word’s meaning.
Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements,
go to www.glencoe.com.

O B J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing Naturalism
• understanding the literary movement of Naturalism • summarizing

STEPHEN CRANE 573

 Stephen Crane

A tale intended to be after the fact. Being the The oiler,2 steering with one of the two oars
experience of four men from the sunk steamer in the boat, sometimes raised himself suddenly
Commodore . . . to keep clear of water that swirled in over the
stern.3 It was a thin little oar and it seemed often
I ready to snap.
None of them knew the color of the sky. Their The correspondent, pulling at the other oar,
eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the watched the waves and wondered why he was
waves that swept toward them. These waves there.
were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which The injured captain, lying in the bow, was at
were of foaming white, and all of the men knew this time buried in that profound dejection and
the colors of the sea. The horizon narrowed and indifference which comes, temporarily at least, to
widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its even the bravest and most enduring when, willy
edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust nilly,4 the firm fails, the army loses, the ship goes
up in points like rocks. down. The mind of the master of a vessel is
Many a man ought to have a bathtub larger rooted deep in the timbers of her, though he
than the boat which here rode upon the sea. command for a day or a decade, and this captain
These waves were most wrongfully and barba- had on him the stern impression of a scene in
rously abrupt and tall, and each froth-top was the grays of dawn of seven turned faces, and later
a problem in small boat navigation. a stump of a top-mast with a white ball on it that
The cook squatted in the bottom and looked slashed to and fro at the waves, went low and
with both eyes at the six inches of gunwale1 lower, and down. Thereafter there was something
which separated him from the ocean. His sleeves
were rolled over his fat forearms, and the two
flaps of his unbuttoned vest dangled as he bent 2. The oiler is the person responsible for oiling machinery in
to bail out the boat. Often he said: “Gawd! That the engine room on a ship.
was a narrow clip.” As he remarked it he invari- 3. The stern is the rear part of a boat or ship.
4. Willy nilly means “whether one wishes it or not.”
ably gazed eastward over the broken sea.
Big Idea Naturalism How does this passage reflect
characteristics of Naturalism?
1. A gunwale is the upper edge of the side of a boat.

574 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

strange in his voice. Although steady, it was deep occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up
with mourning, and of a quality beyond oration5 the sky, and they knew it was broad day because
or tears. the color of the sea changed from slate to emer-
“Keep’er a little more south, Billie,” said he. ald green, streaked with amber lights, and the
“‘A little more south,’ sir,” said the oiler in the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the
stern. breaking day was unknown to them. They were
A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon aware only of this effect upon the color of the
a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a waves that rolled toward them.
bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced In disjointed sentences the cook and the cor-
and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each respondent argued as to the difference between a
wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a lifesaving station and a house of refuge. The
horse making at a fence outrageously high. The cook had said: “There’s a house of refuge just
manner of her scramble over these walls of water north of the Mosquito Inlet Light, and as soon as
is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of they see us, they’ll come off in their boat and
them were ordinarily these problems in white pick us up.”
water, the foam racing down from the summit of “As soon as who see us?” said the correspondent.
each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from “The crew,” said the cook.
the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, “Houses of refuge don’t have crews,” said the
she would slide, and race, and splash down a correspondent. “As I understand them, they are
long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in only places where clothes and grub are stored for
front of the next menace. the benefit of shipwrecked people. They don’t
A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the carry crews.”
fact that after successfully surmounting one wave “Oh, yes, they do,” said the cook.
you discover that there is another behind it just “No, they don’t,” said the correspondent.
as important and just as nervously anxious to do “Well, we’re not there yet, anyhow,” said the
something effective in the way of swamping oiler, in the stern.
boats. In a ten-foot dinghy one can get an idea “Well,” said the cook, “perhaps it’s not a house
of the resources of the sea in the line of waves of refuge that I’m thinking of as being near
that is not probable to the average experience, Mosquito Inlet Light. Perhaps it’s a lifesaving
which is never at sea in a dinghy. As each slaty6 station.”
wall of water approached, it shut all else from “We’re not there yet,” said the oiler, in the
the view of the men in the boat, and it was not stern.
difficult to imagine that this particular wave was
the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of II
the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the
As the boat bounced from the top of each wave,
move of the waves, and they came in silence,
the wind tore through the hair of the hatless
save for the snarling of the crests.
men, and as the craft plopped her stern down
In the wan7 light, the faces of the men must
again the spray slashed past them. The crest of
have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted
each of these waves was a hill, from the top of
in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern.
which the men surveyed, for a moment, a broad
Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would
tumultuous8 expanse, shining and wind-riven. It
doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But
was probably splendid. It was probably glorious,
the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if
this play of the free sea, wild with lights of emer-
they had had leisure there were other things to
ald and white and amber.
“Bully good thing it’s an onshore wind,” 9 said
5. An oration is a formal speech.
the cook. “If not, where would we be? Wouldn’t
6. Slaty means “having the bluish gray color of slate.” have a show.”
7. Wan means “pale.”

Literary Element Author’s Purpose Why does Crane

8. Tumultuous means “agitated” or “turbulent.”
have the narrator address the reader in this paragraph?
9. An onshore wind is one that blows toward the shore.

ST EPHEN CRANE 575

 “That’s right,” said the correspondent. to alight on the top of the captain’s head. The
The busy oiler nodded his assent. bird flew parallel to the boat and did not cir-
Then the captain, in the bow, chuckled in a cle, but made short sidelong jumps in the air
way that expressed humor, contempt, tragedy, all in chicken-fashion. His black eyes were wist-
in one. “Do you think we’ve got much of a show, fully fixed upon the captain’s head. “Ugly
now, boys?” said he. brute,” said the oiler to the bird. “You look as if
Whereupon the three were silent, save for a you were made with a jackknife.” The cook and
trifle of hemming and hawing. To express any the correspondent swore darkly at the creature.
particular optimism at this time they felt to be The captain naturally wished to knock it away
childish and stupid, but they all doubtless pos- with the end of the heavy painter,13 but he did
sessed this sense of the situation in their mind. A not dare do it, because anything resembling an
young man thinks doggedly10 at such times. On emphatic gesture would have capsized this
the other hand, the ethics of their condition was freighted boat, and so with his open hand, the
decidedly against any open suggestion of hope- captain gently and carefully waved the gull
lessness. So they were silent. away. After it had been discouraged from the
“Oh, well,” said the captain, soothing his chil- pursuit the captain breathed easier on account
dren, “we’ll get ashore all right.” of his hair, and others breathed easier because
But there was that in his tone which made the bird struck their minds at this time as being
them think, so the oiler quoth: “Yes! If this wind somehow gruesome and ominous.
holds!” In the meantime the oiler and the correspon-
The cook was bailing. “Yes! If we don’t catch dent rowed. And also they rowed.
hell in the surf.” They sat together in the same seat, and each
Canton flannel gulls11 flew near and far. rowed an oar. Then the oiler took both oars;
Sometimes they sat down on the sea, near then the correspondent took both oars; then the
patches of brown seaweed that rolled over the oiler; then the correspondent. They rowed and
waves with a movement like carpets on a line they rowed. The very ticklish part of the business
in a gale. The birds sat comfortably in groups, was when the time came for the reclining one in
and they were envied by some in the dinghy, the stern to take his turn at the oars. By the very
for the wrath of the sea was no more to them last star of truth, it is easier to steal eggs from
than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a under a hen than it was to change seats in the
thousand miles inland. Often they came very dinghy. First the man in the stern slid his hand
close and stared at the men with black bead- along the thwart14 and moved with care, as if he
like eyes. At these times they were uncanny were of Sèvres.15 Then the man in the rowing
and sinister12 in their unblinking scrutiny, and seat slid his hand along the other thwart. It was
the men hooted angrily at them, telling them all done with the most extraordinary care. As
to be gone. One came, and evidently decided the two sidled past each other, the whole party
kept watchful eyes on the coming wave, and the
captain cried: “Look out now! Steady there!”
10. Doggedly means “in a stubbornly persistent manner.” The brown mats of seaweed that appeared
11. Canton flannel gulls are gulls whose feathers resemble from time to time were like islands, bits of earth.
Canton flannel, a strong cotton fabric that is soft on one They were traveling, apparently, neither one way
side and ribbed on the other.
12. Sinister means “evil” or “ominous.”
nor the other. They were, to all intents, stationary.

Reading Strategy Summarizing How would you summa-

rize the thoughts of the four men at this point? 13. A painter is a rope attached to the front of a boat, used for
tying up to a dock.
Big Idea 14. A thwart is a seat going across a boat, on which a rower or
Naturalism How is the influence of Naturalism
passenger sits.
reflected in this passage?
15. Sèvres (sevrə) refers to fine porcelain made in Sèvres, France.

Vocabulary Vocabulary
uncanny (un kanē) adj. strangely unsettling; eerie emphatic (em fatik) adj. forceful

576 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

 Moonlit Shipwreck at Sea, 1901. Thomas Moran. Oil on canvas, 30 x 401/4 in. Private collection.

They informed the men in the boat that it was “If this wind holds and the boat don’t swamp,
making progress slowly toward the land. we can’t do much else,” said the captain.
The captain, rearing cautiously in the bow, The little boat, lifted by each towering sea,
after the dinghy soared on a great swell, said that and splashed viciously by the crests, made prog-
he had seen the lighthouse at Mosquito Inlet. ress that in the absence of seaweed was not
Presently the cook remarked that he had seen it. apparent to those in her. She seemed just a wee
The correspondent was at the oars, then, and for thing wallowing, miraculously, top up, at the
some reason he too wished to look at the light- mercy of five oceans. Occasionally, a great spread
house, but his back was toward the far shore and of water, like white flames, swarmed into her.
the waves were important, and for some time he “Bail her, cook,” said the captain, serenely.
could not seize an opportunity to turn his head. “All right, Captain,” said the cheerful cook.
But at last there came a wave more gentle than
the others, and when at the crest of it he swiftly III
scoured the western horizon.
It would be difficult to describe the subtle broth-
“See it?” said the captain.
erhood of men that was here established on the
“No,” said the correspondent, slowly, “I didn’t
seas. No one said that it was so. No one men-
see anything.”
tioned it. But it dwelt in the boat, and each man
“Look again,” said the captain. He pointed.
felt it warm him. They were a captain, an oiler, a
“It’s exactly in that direction.”
At the top of another wave, the correspondent
did as he was bid, and this time his eyes chanced Literary Element Author’s Purpose What is the function
on a small still thing on the edge of the swaying of the captain’s optimistic reply to the correspondent?
horizon. It was precisely like the point of a pin. It
Reading Strategy Summarizing What is the main idea
took an anxious eye to find a lighthouse so tiny.
expressed in this paragraph?
“Think we’ll make it, Captain?”

ST EPHEN CRANE 577

Private Collection/Christie’s Images
 cook, and a correspondent, and they were at the dinghy, and the little craft, no longer
friends, friends in a more curiously iron-bound under way, struggled woundily over them. The
degree than may be common. The hurt captain, oiler or the correspondent took the oars again.
lying against the water jar in the bow, spoke Shipwrecks are apropos18 of nothing. If men
always in a low voice and calmly, but he could could only train for them and have them occur
never command a more ready and swiftly obedi- when the men had reached pink condition, there
ent crew than the motley three of the dinghy. would be less drowning at sea. Of the four in the
It was more than a mere recognition of what dinghy none had slept any time worth mention-
was best for the common safety. There was ing for two days and two nights previous to
surely in it a quality that was personal and embarking in the dinghy, and in the excitement
heartfelt. And after this devotion to the com- of clambering about the deck of a foundering 19
mander of the boat there was this comradeship ship they had also forgotten to eat heartily.
that the correspondent, for instance, who had For these reasons, and for others, neither the
been taught to be cynical of men, knew even at oiler nor the correspondent was fond of rowing
the time was the best experience of his life. But at this time. The correspondent wondered
no one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. ingenuously how in the name of all that was
“I wish we had a sail,” remarked the captain. sane could there be people who thought it amus-
“We might try my overcoat on the end of an oar ing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it
and give you two boys a chance to rest.” So the was a diabolical punishment, and even a genius
cook and the correspondent held the mast and of mental aberrations could never conclude that
spread wide the overcoat. The oiler steered, and it was anything but a horror to the muscles and
the little boat made good way with her new rig. a crime against the back. He mentioned to the
Sometimes the oiler had to scull16 sharply to boat in general how the amusement of rowing
keep a sea from breaking into the boat, but oth- struck him, and the weary-faced oiler smiled in
erwise sailing was a success. full sympathy. Previously to the foundering, by
Meanwhile the lighthouse had been growing the way, the oiler had worked doublewatch in
slowly larger. It had now almost assumed color, the engineroom of the ship.
and appeared like a little gray shadow on the sky. “Take her easy, now, boys,” said the captain.
The man at the oars could not be prevented “Don’t spend yourselves. If we have to run a surf
from turning his head rather often to try for a you’ll need all your strength, because we’ll sure
glimpse of this little gray shadow. have to swim for it. Take your time.”
At last, from the top of each wave the men Slowly the land arose from the sea. From a
in the tossing boat could see land. Even as the black line it became a line of black and a line
lighthouse was an upright shadow on the sky, of white—trees and sand. Finally, the captain
this land seemed but a long black shadow on said that he could make out a house on the
the sea. It certainly was thinner than paper. shore. “That’s the house of refuge, sure,” said
“We must be about opposite New Smyrna,”17 the cook. “They’ll see us before long, and come
said the cook, who had coasted this shore often out after us.”
in schooners. “Captain, by the way, I believe The distant lighthouse reared high. “The
they abandoned that lifesaving station there keeper ought to be able to make us out now, if
about a year ago.” he’s looking through a glass,” said the captain.
“Did they?” said the captain. “He’ll notify the lifesaving people.”
The wind slowly died away. The cook and
the correspondent were not now obliged to
18. Apropos means “relevant” or “pertinent.”
slave in order to hold high the oar. But the 19. Foundering means “sinking.”
waves continued their old impetuous swooping
Big Idea Naturalism From your understanding of
Naturalism, why is this passage important to the story?
16. Scull means “to propel a boat forward by moving a single
oar from side to side over the stern of a boat.” Vocabulary
17. New Smyrna refers to the town of New Smyrna Beach, on
ingenuously (in jen ū əs lē) adv. honestly; frankly
the east coast of Florida.

578 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

 “None of those other boats could have got “No,” replied the cook. “Funny they don’t
ashore to give word of the wreck,” said the oiler, see us!”
in a low voice. “Else the lifeboat would be out A broad stretch of lowly coast lay before the eyes
hunting us.” of the men. It was of dunes topped with dark vege-
Slowly and beautifully the land loomed out of tation. The roar of the surf was plain, and some-
the sea. The wind came again. It had veered times they could see the white lip of a wave as it
from the northeast to the southeast. Finally, a spun up the beach. A tiny house was blocked out
new sound struck the ears of the men in the black upon the sky. Southward, the slim lighthouse
boat. It was the low thunder of the surf on the lifted its little gray length.
shore. “We’ll never be able to make the light- Tide, wind, and waves were swinging the dinghy
house now,” said the captain. “Swing her head a northward. “Funny they don’t see us,” said the men.
little more north, Billie.” The surf’s roar was here
“‘A little more north,’ dulled, but its tone was,
sir,” said the oiler. nevertheless, thunderous
Whereupon the little and mighty. As the boat
boat turned her nose once swam over the great roll-
more down the wind, and ers, the men sat listening
all but the oarsman
“Funny they to this roar. “We’ll swamp
watched the shore grow. don’t see us,” sure,” said everybody.
Under the influence of this It is fair to say here that
expansion doubt and dire- said the men. there was not a lifesaving
ful apprehension was leav- station within twenty miles
ing the minds of the men. in either direction, but the
The management of the men did not know this fact
boat was still most absorb- and in consequence they
ing, but it could not prevent a quiet cheerfulness. made dark and opprobrious21 remarks concerning
In an hour, perhaps, they would be ashore. the eyesight of the nation’s lifesavers. Four scowl-
Their backbones had become thoroughly used to ing men sat in the dinghy and surpassed records in
balancing in the boat and they now rode this wild the invention of epithets.22
colt of a dinghy like circus men. The correspondent “Funny they don’t see us.”
thought that he had been drenched to the skin, but The light-heartedness of a former time had com-
happening to feel in the top pocket of his coat, he pletely faded. To their sharpened minds it was easy
found therein eight cigars. Four of them were to conjure pictures of all kinds of incompetency
soaked with seawater; four were perfectly scatheless. and blindness and, indeed, cowardice. There was
After a search, somebody produced three dry the shore of the populous land, and it was bitter
matches, and thereupon the four waifs20 rode and bitter to them that from it came no sign.
impudently in their little boat, and with an assur- “Well,” said the captain, ultimately, “I suppose
ance of an impending rescue shining in their eyes, we’ll have to make a try for ourselves. If we stay
puffed at the big cigars and judged well and ill of all out here too long, we’ll none of us have strength
men. Everybody took a drink of water. left to swim after the boat swamps.”
And so the oiler, who was at the oars, turned
IV the boat straight for the shore. There was a sud-
den tightening of muscles. There was some
“Cook,” remarked the captain, “there don’t seem
thinking.
to be any signs of life about your house of refuge.”

21. Opprobrious (ə prō brē əs) means “derogatory.”

20. Waifs are persons having no apparent home.
22. Epithets are descriptive, sometimes abusive, words or
Vocabulary phrases used with or in place of a name.

impudently (im pyə dənt lē) adv. in an offensively Reading Strategy Summarizing In your own words,
bold manner summarize what is happening in this paragraph.

ST EPHEN CRANE 579

 “If we don’t all get ashore—” said the captain. “Yes! Go ahead!” said the captain.
“If we don’t all get ashore, I suppose you fellows This oiler, by a series of quick miracles, and
know where to send news of my finish?” fast and steady oarsmanship, turned the boat in
They then briefly exchanged some addres- the middle of the surf and took her safely to sea
ses and admonitions.23 As for the reflections again.
of the men, there was a great deal of rage in There was a considerable silence as the boat
them. Perchance they might be formulated bumped over the furrowed sea to deeper water.
thus: “If I am going to be drowned—if I am Then somebody in gloom spoke. “Well, anyhow,
going to be drowned—if I am going to be they must have seen us from the shore by now.”
drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad The gulls went in slanting flight up the
gods who rule the sea,24 was I allowed to come wind toward the gray desolate east. A squall,27
thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I marked by dingy clouds, and clouds brick-red,
brought here merely to have my nose dragged like smoke from a burning building, appeared
away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese from the southeast.
of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny- “What do you think of those lifesaving peo-
woman, Fate,25 cannot do better than this, she ple? Ain’t they peaches?”
should be deprived of the management of “Funny they haven’t seen us.”
men’s fortunes. She is an old hen who knows “Maybe they think we’re out here for sport?
not her intention. If she has decided to drown Maybe they think we’re fishin’. Maybe they
me, why did she not do it in the beginning think we’re damned fools.”
and save me all this trouble. The whole affair It was a long afternoon. A changed tide tried
is absurd. . . . But, no, she cannot mean to to force them southward, but wind and wave said
drown me. She dare not drown me. She can- northward. Far ahead, where coastline, sea, and
not drown me. Not after all this work.” After- sky formed their mighty angle, there were little
ward the man might have had an impulse to dots which seemed to indicate a city on the
shake his fist at the clouds. “Just you drown shore.
me, now, and then hear what I call you!” “St. Augustine?”
The billows that came at this time were more The captain shook his head. “Too near
formidable. They seemed always just about to Mosquito Inlet.”
break and roll over the little boat in a turmoil of And the oiler rowed, and then the correspon-
foam. There was a preparatory and long growl in dent rowed. Then the oiler rowed. It was a weary
the speech of them. No mind unused to the sea business. The human back can become the seat
would have concluded that the dinghy could of more aches and pains than are registered in
ascend these sheer heights in time. The shore books for the composite anatomy of a regiment.
was still afar. The oiler was a wily26 surfman. It is a limited area, but it can become the theater
“Boys,” he said, swiftly, “she won’t live three of innumerable muscular conflicts, tangles,
minutes more and we’re too far out to swim. wrenches, knots, and other comforts.
Shall I take her to sea again, Captain?” “Did you ever like to row, Billie?” asked the
correspondent.
23. Admonitions are warnings or advice. “No,” said the oiler. “Hang it.”
24. [seven . . . the sea] This description probably refers to the When one exchanged the rowing-seat for a
seven major seas, each at the mercy of a deity.
25. Fate implies a supernatural power guiding one to an
place in the bottom of the boat, he suffered a
inevitable end. In classical mythology, the three Fates were bodily depression that caused him to be care-
portrayed as old women. less of everything save an obligation to wiggle
26. Wily means “cunning” or “sly.” one finger. There was cold seawater swashing
Big Idea Naturalism What might the response of a
to and fro in the boat, and he lay in it. His
Naturalist be to this question? head, pillowed on a thwart, was within an inch
of the swirl of a wave crest, and sometimes a
Literary Element Author’s Purpose Why does Crane
have the narrator attribute this sentiment to the men in the
27. A squall is a short, sudden, strong windstorm, often
boat?
accompanied by rain or snow.

580 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 cern the little black figure. The cap-
tain saw a floating stick and they
rowed to it. A bath-towel was by
some weird chance in the boat, and,
tying this on the stick, the captain
waved it. The oarsman did not dare
turn his head, so he was obliged to
ask questions.
“What’s he doing now?”
“He’s standing still again. He’s look-
ing, I think. . . . There he goes again.
Toward the house. . . . Now he’s
stopped again.”
“Is he waving at us?”
“No, not now! he was, though.”
“Look! There comes another man!”
“He’s running.”
“Look at him go, would you.”
“Why, he’s on a bicycle. Now he’s
met the other man. They’re both wav-
ing at us. Look!”
“There comes something up the
Lord Ullin’s Daughter, before 1907. Albert Pinkham Ryder. Oil on canvas, beach.”
20 / x 18 / in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly.
1
2
3
8 “What the devil is that thing?”
Viewing the Art: How does the painting convey a sense of the power of “Why, it looks like a boat.”
the sea?
“Why, certainly it’s a boat.”
“No, it’s on wheels.”
particularly obstreperous sea came inboard
28 “Yes, so it is. Well, that must be the
and drenched him once more. But these mat- lifeboat. They drag them along shore on a
ters did not annoy him. It is almost certain wagon.”
that if the boat had capsized he would have “That’s the lifeboat, sure.”
tumbled comfortably out upon the ocean as if “No, by——, it’s—it’s an omnibus.”29
he felt sure that it was a great soft mattress. “I tell you it’s a lifeboat.”
“Look! There’s a man on the shore!” “It is not! It’s an omnibus. I can see it plain.
“Where?” See? One of those big hotel omnibuses.”
“There! See ’im? See ’im?” “By thunder, you’re right. It’s an omnibus, sure
“Yes, sure! He’s walking along.” as fate. What do you suppose they are doing with
“Now he’s stopped. Look! He’s facing us!” an omnibus? Maybe they are going around col-
“He’s waving at us!” lecting the lifecrew, hey?”
“So he is! By thunder!” “That’s it, likely. Look! There’s a fellow
“Ah, now, we’re all right! Now we’re all right! waving a little black flag. He’s standing on the
There’ll be a boat out here for us in half an hour.” steps of the omnibus. There come those other
“He’s going on. He’s running. He’s going up to two fellows. Now they’re all talking together.
that house there.” Look at the fellow with the flag. Maybe he
The remote beach seemed lower than the ain’t waving it!”
sea, and it required a searching glance to dis- “That ain’t a flag, is it? That’s his coat. Why,
certainly, that’s his coat.”
28. Obstreperous (əb strep ər əs) means “unruly.”

Reading Strategy Summarizing Summarize this

29. An omnibus, or bus, would have been pulled by horses
paragraph in your own words.
during this time period.

ST EPHEN CRANE 581

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC/Art Resource, NY
 “So it is. It’s his coat. He’s taken it off and is deepened. The wind bore coldness with it, and
waving it around his head. But would you look at the men began to shiver.
him swing it!” “Holy smoke!” said one, allowing his voice to
“Oh, say, there isn’t any lifesaving station express his impious mood, “if we keep on mon-
there. That’s just a winter resort hotel omnibus keying out here! If we’ve got to flounder out here
that has brought over some of the boarders to see all night!”
us drown.” “Oh, we’ll never have to stay here all night!
“What’s that idiot with the coat mean? What’s Don’t you worry. They’ve seen us now, and it
he signaling, anyhow?” won’t be long before they’ll come chasing out
“It looks as if he were trying to tell us to go after us.”
north. There must be a lifesaving station up The shore grew dusky. The man waving a coat
there.” blended gradually into this gloom, and it swal-
“No! He thinks we’re fishing. Just giving us a lowed in the same manner the omnibus and the
merry hand. See? Ah, there, Willie.” group of people. The spray, when it dashed
“Well, I wish I could make something out of uproariously over the side, made the voyagers
those signals. What do you suppose he means?” shrink and swear like men who were being
“He don’t mean anything. He’s just playing.” branded.
“Well, if he’d just signal us to try the surf “I’d like to catch the chump who waved the
again, or to go to sea and wait, or go north, or go coat. I feel like soaking him one, just for luck.”
south, or go to hell—there would be some reason “Why? What did he do?”
in it. But look at him. He just stands there and “Oh, nothing, but then he seemed so damned
keeps his coat revolving like a wheel. The ass!” cheerful.”
“There come more people.” In the meantime the oiler rowed, and then the
“Now there’s quite a mob. Look! Isn’t that a correspondent rowed, and then the oiler rowed.
boat?” Gray-faced and bowed forward, they mechanically,
“Where? Oh, I see where you mean. No, that’s turn by turn, plied the leaden oars. The form of the
no boat.” lighthouse had vanished from the southern horizon,
“That fellow is still waving his coat.” but finally a pale star appeared, just lifting from the
“He must think we like to see him do that. sea. The streaked saffron31 in the west passed before
Why don’t he quit it. It don’t mean anything.” the all-merging darkness, and the sea to the east was
“I don’t know. I think he is trying to make us black. The land had vanished, and was expressed
go north. It must be that there’s a lifesaving sta- only by the low and drear thunder of the surf.
tion there somewhere.” “If I am going to be drowned—if I am
“Say, he ain’t tired yet. Look at ’im wave.” going to be drowned—if I am going to be
“Wonder how long he can keep that up. He’s drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad
been revolving his coat ever since he caught gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come
sight of us. He’s an idiot. Why aren’t they getting thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I
men to bring a boat out. A fishing boat—one of brought here merely to have my nose dragged
those big yawls30— could come out here all right. away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese
Why don’t he do something?” of life?”
“Oh, it’s all right, now.” The patient captain, drooped over the water jar,
“They’ll have a boat out here for us in less was sometimes obliged to speak to the oarsman.
than no time, now that they’ve seen us.” “Keep her head up! Keep her head up!”
A faint yellow tone came into the sky over “‘Keep her head up,’ sir.” The voices were
the low land. The shadows on the sea slowly weary and low.

30. A yawl is a sailboat with two masts, the large mast near
the front of the boat and the smaller one near the back. 31. Here, saffron means “yellow-orange in color.”

Literary Element Author’s Purpose What is the function Literary Element Author’s Purpose Why does Crane
of these lines at this point in the story? repeat this speech verbatim from page 580?

582 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 This was surely a quiet evening. All save the called his name. “Will you spell me for a little
oarsman lay heavily and listlessly in the boat’s while?” he said, meekly.
bottom. As for him, his eyes were just capable “Sure, Billie,” said the correspondent, awaken-
of noting the tall black waves that swept forward ing and dragging himself to a sitting position.
in a most sinister silence, save for an occasional They exchanged places carefully, and the oiler,
subdued growl of a crest. cuddling down in the seawater at the cook’s side,
The cook’s head was on a thwart, and he seemed to go to sleep instantly.
looked without interest at the water under his The particular violence of the sea had ceased.
nose. He was deep in other scenes. Finally he The waves came without snarling. The obliga-
spoke. “Billie,” he murmured, dreamfully, “what tion of the man at the oars was to keep the boat
kind of pie do you like best?” headed so that the tilt of the rollers would not
capsize her, and to preserve her from filling when
V the crests rushed past. The black waves were
silent and hard to be seen in the darkness. Often
“Pie,” said the oiler and the correspondent, agitat- one was almost upon the boat before the oars-
edly. “Don’t talk about those things, blast you!” man was aware.
“Well,” said the cook, “I was just thinking In a low voice the correspondent addressed
about ham sandwiches, and—” the captain. He was not sure that the captain
A night on the sea in an open boat is a long was awake, although this iron man seemed to be
night. As darkness settled finally, the shine of the always awake. “Captain, shall I keep her making
light, lifting from the sea in the south, changed to for that light north, sir?”
full gold. On the northern horizon a new light The same steady voice answered him. “Yes.
appeared, a small bluish gleam on the edge of the Keep it about two points off the port bow.”32
waters. These two lights were the furniture of the The cook had tied a life belt around himself in
world. Otherwise there was nothing but waves. order to get even the warmth which this clumsy
Two men huddled in the stern, and distances cork contrivance could donate, and he seemed
were so magnificent in the dinghy that the rower almost stove-like when a rower, whose teeth
was enabled to keep his feet partly warmed by invariably chattered wildly as soon as he ceased
thrusting them under his companions. Their legs his labor, dropped down to sleep.
indeed extended far under the rowing seat until they The correspondent, as he rowed, looked down
touched the feet of the captain forward. Sometimes, at the two men sleeping under foot. The cook’s
despite the efforts of the tired oarsman, a wave came arm was around the oiler’s shoulders, and, with
piling into the boat, an icy wave of the night, and their fragmentary clothing and haggard faces,
the chilling water soaked them anew. They would they were the babes of the sea, a grotesque ren-
twist their bodies for a moment and groan, and sleep dering of the old babes in the wood.33
the dead sleep once more, while the water in the Later he must have grown stupid at his work,
boat gurgled about them as the craft rocked. for suddenly there was a growling of water, and a
The plan of the oiler and the correspondent crest came with a roar and a swash into the boat,
was for one to row until he lost the ability, and and it was a wonder that it did not set the cook
then arouse the other from his seawater couch afloat in his life belt. The cook continued to
in the bottom of the boat. sleep, but the oiler sat up, blinking his eyes and
The oiler plied the oars until his head drooped shaking with the new cold.
forward, and the overpowering sleep blinded
him. And he rowed yet afterward. Then he 32. The bow is the forward part of a boat or ship. The port
touched a man in the bottom of the boat, and bow, then, would be the left side of the forward part.
33. In the fairytale “Babes in the Wood,” two children are left
after their parents die. An uncle tries to have them killed,
but the children are spared. Alone in the woods, the
children are lulled to sleep by birds.
Big Idea Naturalism From your understanding of
Naturalism, why might discussion of food be dangerous, Reading Strategy Summarizing Summarize this para-
rather than pleasantly distracting, given the circumstances? graph. How have the crew’s challenges changed?

ST EPHEN CRANE 583

 The correspondent looked
over his shoulder at the captain.
His face was hidden, and he
seemed to be asleep. He looked
at the babes of the sea. They
certainly were asleep. So, being
bereft34 of sympathy, he leaned
a little way to one side and
swore softly into the sea.
But the thing did not then
leave the vicinity of the boat.
Ahead or astern, on one side
or the other, at intervals long
or short, fled the long spar-
kling streak, and there was to
be heard the whiroo of the
dark fin. The speed and power
of the thing was greatly to be
admired. It cut the water like
a gigantic and keen projectile.
The presence of this bid-
ing thing did not affect the
Moonlight, 1885. Albert Pinkham Ryder. Oil on canvas, man with the same horror that it would if he
16 x 173/4 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Washington, DC.
had been a picnicker. He simply looked at the
sea dully and swore in an undertone.
“Oh, I’m awful sorry, Billie,” said the corre- Nevertheless, it is true that he did not wish
spondent, contritely. to be alone with the thing. He wished one of
“That’s all right, old boy,” said the oiler, and his companions to awaken by chance and keep
lay down again and was asleep. him company with it. But the captain hung
Presently it seemed that even the captain motionless over the water jar and the oiler and
dozed, and the correspondent thought that he the cook in the bottom of the boat were
was the one man afloat on all the oceans. The plunged in slumber.
wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and
it was sadder than the end. VI
There was a long, loud swishing astern of the
“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to
boat, and a gleaming trail of phosphorescence,
be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why,
like blue flame, was furrowed on the black waters.
in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the
It might have been made by a monstrous knife.
sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contem-
Then there came a stillness, while the corre-
plate sand and trees?”
spondent breathed with the open mouth and
During this dismal night, it may be remarked
looked at the sea.
that a man would conclude that it was really the
Suddenly there was another swish and another
intention of the seven mad gods to drown him,
long flash of bluish light, and this time it was along-
despite the abominable injustice of it. For it was
side the boat, and might almost have been reached
certainly an abominable injustice to drown a
with an oar. The correspondent saw an enormous fin
man who had worked so hard, so hard. The man
speed like a shadow through the water, hurling the
felt it would be a crime most unnatural. Other
crystalline spray and leaving the long glowing trail.

Literary Element Author’s Purpose Why does Crane

have the correspondent react this way to the shark?
34. Bereft means “lacking something needed.”

584 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC/Art Resource, NY
people had drowned at sea since galleys35 schoolfellows had informed him of the soldier’s
swarmed with painted sails, but still— plight, but the dinning40 had naturally ended
When it occurs to a man that nature does by making him perfectly indifferent. He had
not regard him as important, and that she feels never considered it his affair that a soldier of the
she would not maim the universe by disposing Legion lay dying in Algiers, nor had it appeared
of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the to him as a matter for sorrow. It was less to him
temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there than the breaking of a pencil’s point.
are no bricks and no temples. Any visible Now, however, it quaintly came to him as a
expression of nature would surely be pelleted human, living thing. It was no longer merely a
with his jeers. picture of a few throes41 in the breast of a poet,
Then, if there be no tangible thing to hoot meanwhile drinking tea and warming his feet at
he feels, perhaps, the desire to confront a the grate; it was an actuality—stern, mournful,
personification and indulge in pleas, bowed to and fine.
one knee, and with hands supplicant, saying: The correspondent plainly saw the soldier. He
“Yes, but I love myself.” lay on the sand with his feet out straight and
A high cold star on a winter’s night is the still. While his pale left hand was upon his chest
word he feels that she says to him. Thereafter he in an attempt to thwart the going of his life, the
knows the pathos36 of his situation. blood came between his fingers. In the far
The men in the dinghy had not discussed Algerian distance, a city of low square forms was
these matters, but each had, no doubt, set against a sky that was faint with the last sun-
reflected upon them in silence and according set hues. The correspondent, plying the oars and
to his mind. There was seldom any expression dreaming of the slow and slower movements of
upon their faces save the general one of com- the lips of the soldier, was moved by a profound
plete weariness. Speech was devoted to the and perfectly impersonal comprehension. He was
business of the boat. sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying
To chime the notes of his emotion, a verse in Algiers.
mysteriously entered the correspondent’s head. The thing which had followed the boat and
He had even forgotten that he had forgotten waited had evidently grown bored at the delay.
this verse, but it suddenly was in his mind. There was no longer to be heard the slash of the
cut water, and there was no longer the flame of the
A soldier of the Legion37 lay dying in long trail. The light in the north still glimmered,
Algiers,38 but it was apparently no nearer to the boat.
There was lack of woman’s nursing, Sometimes the boom of the surf rang in the corre-
there was dearth of woman’s tears; spondent’s ears, and he turned the craft seaward
But a comrade stood beside him, and he then and rowed harder. Southward, some one had
took that comrade’s hand, evidently built a watch fire on the beach. It was too
And he said: “I never more shall see my low and too far to be seen, but it made a shimmer-
own, my native land.”39 ing, roseate reflection upon the bluff back of it, and
this could be discerned from the boat. The wind
In his childhood, the correspondent had been came stronger, and sometimes a wave suddenly
made acquainted with the fact that a soldier raged out like a mountain cat and there was to be
of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, but he had seen the sheen and sparkle of a broken crest.
never regarded it as important. Myriads of his The captain, in the bow, moved on his water
jar and sat erect. “Pretty long night,” he observed
35. A galley is a medieval ship propelled by sails and a row
(or rows) of oars on either side.
36. Pathos means “deep sadness.” 40. Dinning means “insistent repetition.”
37. Legion refers to the French Foreign Legion, an army 41. Throes are pains.
composed mainly of foreign volunteers.
Reading Strategy Summarizing Summarize this passage.
38. Algiers (al jērz) is the capital of Algeria, a country in
Why has the correspondent’s reaction to the poem changed
northern Africa that was once ruled by France.
since he was a child?
39. This verse compresses the first stanza of “Bingen on the
Rhine” by English poet Caroline E. S. Norton (1808–1877).
ST EPHEN CRANE 585
 to the correspondent. He looked at the shore. As he was rowing, the captain gave him some
“Those lifesaving people take their time.” whiskey and water, and this steadied the chills
“Did you see that shark playing around?” out of him. “If I ever get ashore and anybody
“Yes, I saw him. He was a big fellow, all right.” shows me even a photograph of an oar—”
“Wish I had known you were awake.” At last there was a short conversation.
Later the correspondent spoke into the bot- “Billie . . . Billie, will you spell me?”
tom of the boat. “Sure,” said the oiler.
“Billie!” There was a slow and gradual disen-
tanglement. “Billie, will you spell me?” VII
“Sure,” said the oiler.
When the correspondent again opened his eyes,
As soon as the correspondent touched the
the sea and the sky were each of the gray hue of
cold comfortable seawater in the bottom of the
the dawning. Later, carmine and gold was painted
boat, and had huddled close to the cook’s life
upon the waters. The morning appeared finally, in
belt he was deep in sleep, despite the fact that
its splendor, with a sky of pure blue, and the sun-
his teeth played all the popular airs. This sleep
light flamed on the tips of the waves.
was so good to him that it was but a moment
On the distant dunes were set many little
before he heard a voice call his name in a tone
black cottages, and a tall white windmill reared
that demonstrated the last stages of exhaustion.
above them. No man, nor dog, nor bicycle
“Will you spell me?”
appeared on the beach. The cottages might have
“Sure, Billie.”
formed a deserted village.
The light in the north had mysteriously van-
The voyagers scanned the shore. A conference
ished, but the correspondent took his course
was held in the boat. “Well,” said the captain, “if
from the wide-awake captain.
no help is coming, we might better try a run
Later in the night they took the boat farther
through the surf right away. If we stay out here
out to sea, and the captain directed the cook
much longer we will be too weak to do anything
to take one oar at the stern and keep the boat
for ourselves at all.” The others silently acquiesced
facing the seas. He was to call out if he should
in this reasoning. The boat was headed for the
hear the thunder of the surf. This plan enabled
beach. The correspondent wondered if none ever
the oiler and the correspondent to get respite
ascended the tall wind-tower, and if then they
together. “We’ll give those boys a chance to
never looked seaward. This tower was a giant,
get into shape again,” said the captain. They
standing with its back to the plight of the ants. It
curled down and, after a few preliminary chat-
represented in a degree, to the correspondent, the
terings and trembles, slept once more the dead
serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individ-
sleep. Neither knew they had bequeathed to
ual—nature in the wind, and nature in the vision
the cook the company of another shark, or
of men. She did not seem cruel to him then, nor
perhaps the same shark.
beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise. But she was
As the boat caroused on the waves, spray occa-
indifferent, flatly indifferent. It is, perhaps, plausible
sionally bumped over the side and gave them a
that a man in this situation, impressed with the
fresh soaking, but this had no power to break their
unconcern of the universe, should see the innumer-
repose. The ominous slash of the wind and the
able flaws of his life and have them taste wickedly
water affected them as it would have affected
in his mind and wish for another chance. A dis-
mummies.
tinction between right and wrong seems absurdly
“Boys,” said the cook, with the notes of every
clear to him, then, in this new ignorance of the
reluctance in his voice, “she’s drifted in pretty
grave-edge, and he understands that if he were
close. I guess one of you had better take her to
given another opportunity he would mend his
sea again.” The correspondent, aroused, heard
the crash of the toppled crests.

Reading Strategy Big Idea Naturalism How is Naturalism apparent in the

Summarizing What is the main idea
expressed in this paragraph? correspondent’s attitude in this paragraph?

586 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
conduct and his words, and be better and
brighter during an introduction, or at a tea.
“Now, boys,” said the captain, “she is
going to swamp sure. All we can do is to
work her in as far as possible, and then
when she swamps, pile out and scramble
for the beach. Keep cool now, and don’t
jump until she swamps sure.”
The oiler took the oars. Over his shoul-
ders he scanned the surf. “Captain,” he
said, “I think I’d better bring her about, and
keep her head-on to the seas and back her
in.”
“All right, Billie,” said the captain.
“Back her in.” The oiler swung the boat
then and, seated in the stern, the cook
and the correspondent were obliged to
look over their shoulders to contem-
plate the lonely and indifferent shore.
The monstrous inshore rollers heaved
the boat high until the men were again
enabled to see the white sheets of water Veiled Moon, 1995. Jane Wilson. Oil on linen, 18 x 18 in. Fischbach Gallery, NY.
scudding up the slanted beach. “We
42 Viewing the Art: How is nature portrayed in the painting?

won’t get in very close,” said the captain. Each

time a man could wrest his attention from the “Steady now,” said the
rollers, he turned his glance toward the shore, captain. The men were silent. They turned their
and in the expression of the eyes during this con- eyes from the shore to the comber and waited.
templation there was a singular quality. The cor- The boat slid up the incline, leaped at the furi-
respondent, observing the others, knew that they ous top, bounced over it, and swung down the
were not afraid, but the full meaning of their long back of the wave. Some water had been
glances was shrouded. shipped and the cook bailed it out.
As for himself, he was too tired to grapple funda- But the next crest crashed also. The tum-
mentally with the fact. He tried to coerce his mind bling boiling flood of white water caught the
into thinking of it, but the mind was dominated at boat and whirled it almost perpendicular.
this time by the muscles, and the muscles said they Water swarmed in from all sides. The corre-
did not care. It merely occurred to him that if he spondent had his hands on the gunwale at this
should drown it would be a shame. time, and when the water entered at that place
There were no hurried words, no pallor, no 43
he swiftly withdrew his fingers, as if he objected
plain agitation. The men simply looked at the to wetting them.
shore. “Now, remember to get well clear of the The little boat, drunken with this weight of
boat when you jump,” said the captain. water, reeled and snuggled deeper into the sea.
Seaward the crest of a roller suddenly fell with “Bail her out, cook! Bail her out,” said the
a thunderous crash, and the long white comber 44
captain.
came roaring down upon the boat. “All right, Captain,” said the cook.
“Now, boys, the next one will do for us,
42. Scudding means “moving swiftly.”
sure,” said the oiler. “Mind to jump clear of
43. Pallor is paleness or the lack of natural or healthy color. the boat.”
44. A comber is a long, rolling wave that curls over and breaks.

Vocabulary
coerce (kō urs) v. to force

ST EPHEN CRANE 587

DC Moore Gallery, NY
 The third wave moved forward, huge, furious, of current had caught him, but there his prog-
implacable.45 It fairly swallowed the dinghy, and ress ceased. The shore was set before him like
almost simultaneously the men tumbled into the a bit of scenery on a stage, and he looked at it
sea. A piece of lifebelt had lain in the bottom of and understood with his eyes each detail of it.
the boat, and as the correspondent went over- As the cook passed, much farther to the left,
board he held this to his chest with his left hand. the captain was calling to him, “Turn over on
The January water was icy, and he reflected your back, cook! Turn over on your back and
immediately that it was colder than he had use the oar.”
expected to find it off the coast of Florida. “All right, sir.” The cook turned on his back,
This appeared to his dazed mind as a fact and, paddling with an oar, went ahead as if he
important enough to be noted at the time. were a canoe.
The coldness of the water was sad; it was Presently the boat also passed to the left of
tragic. This fact was somehow so mixed and the correspondent with the captain clinging
confused with his opinion of his own situation with one hand to the keel. He would have
that it seemed almost a appeared like a man rais-
proper reason for tears. ing himself to look over
The water was cold. a board fence, if it were
When he came to the Perhaps an not for the extraordinary
surface he was conscious of gymnastics of the boat.
little but the noisy water. individual must The correspondent mar-
Afterward he saw his com- consider his own velled that the captain
panions in the sea. The could still hold to it.
oiler was ahead in the race. death to be the They passed on, nearer
He was swimming strongly to shore—the oiler, the
and rapidly. Off to the cor-
final phenomenon cook, the captain—and
respondent’s left, the of nature. following them went the
cook’s great white and water jar, bouncing gayly
corked back bulged out of over the seas.
the water, and in the rear The correspondent
the captain was hanging with his one good hand remained in the grip of this strange new
to the keel46 of the overturned dinghy. enemy—a current. The shore, with its white
There is a certain immovable quality to a shore, slope of sand and its green bluff, topped with
and the correspondent wondered at it amid the little silent cottages, was spread like a picture
confusion of the sea. before him. It was very near to him then, but
It seemed also very attractive, but the cor- he was impressed as one who in a gallery looks
respondent knew that it was a long journey, at a scene from Brittany47 or Holland.
and he paddled leisurely. The piece of life He thought: “I am going to drown? Can it be
preserver lay under him, and sometimes he possible? Can it be possible? Can it be possible?”
whirled down the incline of a wave as if he Perhaps an individual must consider his own
were on a hand-sled. death to be the final phenomenon of nature.
But finally he arrived at a place in the sea But later a wave perhaps whirled him out of
where travel was beset with difficulty. He did this small deadly current, for he found suddenly
not pause swimming to inquire what manner that he could again make progress toward the
shore. Later still, he was aware that the captain,
clinging with one hand to the keel of the dinghy,
45. Implacable means “unrelenting” or “unyielding.” had his face turned away from the shore and
46. The keel runs along the center of the bottom of a boat. It toward him, and was calling his name. “Come to
supports the boat’s frame and gives the boat stability.
the boat! Come to the boat!”
Literary Element Author’s Purpose Why do you think
Crane chose to narrate this part of the story from the corre-
spondent’s point of view?
47. Brittany is a region in northwestern France.

588 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 In his struggle to reach the captain and the long drag, and a bully heave at the correspon-
boat, he reflected that when one gets properly dent’s hand. The correspondent, schooled in the
wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable minor formulæ, said: “Thanks, old man.” But
arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompa- suddenly the man cried: “What’s that?” He
nied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad pointed a swift finger. The correspondent said:
of it, for the main thing in his mind for some “Go.”
moments had been horror of the temporary In the shallows, face downward, lay the oiler.
agony. He did not wish to be hurt. His forehead touched sand that was periodically,
Presently he saw a man running along the between each wave, clear of the sea.
shore. He was undressing with most remarkable The correspondent did not know all that trans-
speed. Coat, trousers, shirt, everything flew magi- pired afterward. When he achieved safe ground he
cally off him. fell, striking the sand with each particular part of
“Come to the boat,” called the captain. his body. It was as if he had dropped from a roof,
“All right, Captain.” As the correspondent but the thud was grateful to him.
paddled, he saw the captain let himself down to It seems that instantly the beach was populated
bottom and leave the boat. Then the correspon- with men with blankets, clothes, and flasks, and
dent performed his one little marvel of the voy- women with coffeepots and all the remedies sacred
age. A large wave caught him and flung him to their minds. The welcome of the land to the
with ease and supreme speed completely over the men from the sea was warm and generous, but a
boat and far beyond it. It struck him even then still and dripping shape was carried slowly up the
as an event in gymnastics, and a true miracle of beach, and the land’s welcome for it could only be
the sea. An overturned boat in the surf is not a the different and sinister hospitality of the grave.
plaything to a swimming man. When it came night, the white waves paced
The correspondent arrived in water that to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind
reached only to his waist, but his condition brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the
did not enable him to stand for more than a men on shore, and they felt that they could then
moment. Each wave knocked him into a be interpreters. 
heap, and the undertow pulled
at him.
Then he saw the man who
had been running and undress-
ing, and undressing and run-
ning, come bounding into the
water. He dragged ashore the
cook, and then waded toward
the captain, but the captain
waved him away, and sent him
to the correspondent. He was
naked, naked as a tree in win-
ter, but a halo was about his
head, and he shone like a saint.
He gave a strong pull, and a

Moonrise on the Seashore, 1821. Caspar

David Friedrich. Oil on canvas, 221/2 x
281/2 in. Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Reading Strategy Summarizing Summarize this para-

graph and explain how the correspondent’s goals have Big Idea Naturalism What ironic prophecy is fulfilled by
changed. the oiler’s death?

ST EPHEN CRANE 589

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
 A F TE R YO U R E A D

RESP ON DI NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond 6. How does Crane use foreshadowing to help pre-
pare the reader for future events? Give specific
1. How did you react when you realized the corre-
examples.
spondent survives but the oiler does not?
7. Could the emotional effect of this story be con-
Recall and Interpret veyed just as well in the form of a newspaper arti-
2. (a)Summarize the situation in which the four men cle about the shipwreck and the men’s struggle to
find themselves in part I. (b)From the discussion survive? Explain.
that three of the men have at the end of part I,
what might you infer about each man’s character?
Connect
3. (a)How does each man behave during the night at
8. Describe a time when you were part of a group in
sea (parts V and VI)? (b)What can you infer about
a difficult or dangerous situation. How did you feel
their characters from their actions?
about the others in the group as a result of your
4. (a)What is the outcome of the story? (b)How is shared experience?
the outcome ironic, and what might this imply
about nature? 9. Big Idea Naturalism How might being lost at
sea influence the crew’s view of nature in a way
Analyze and Evaluate that a less dangerous accident might not?
5. (a)List several similes and metaphors Crane uses in
the story. (b)What effect do these comparisons
have on the reader?

V I S UA L L I T E R AC Y: Fine Art

T he U nt ouc he d L andsc ap e
Moonlit Shipwreck at Sea was painted in 1901 by 3. (a)From what perspective is the viewer watch-
Thomas Moran, one of several American land- ing this scene? (b)How does this perspective
scape painters known collectively as the Hudson contribute to the mood of the painting?
River school. The Hudson River school artists
were known for their use of light and shadow
and their highly Romantic style. Their paintings
attempted to evoke a specific mood and emo-
tional state, often in order to express the sub-
lime in nature. Rarely were the paintings simple
observations.

Look at Moran’s painting and answer these questions:

1. (a)What is the subject of the painting? (b)How

is the human element treated? (c)How does
this compare to Crane’s story?
2. (a)What is the effect of the light and shadow in
the painting? (b)How is this effect comparable
to Crane’s literary effects in “The Open Boat”?

59 0 U N IT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

Private Collection/Christie’s Images
 L I T E R A RY A N A LYS I S R E A D I N G A N D VO C A B U L A RY

Literary Element Author’s Purpose Reading Strategy Summarizing

An author can have more than one purpose in writing Summarizing Theme As the men become more
a literary work. For example, a short story writer’s main resigned to the reality of their circumstances on the
purpose might be to convey an idea or present a boat, the theme, or central message, of the story
philosophical view of life. In addition, the writer might becomes clear. By analyzing the thoughts and dialogue
have several other purposes, such as to construct a of the crew and the description and events in the story,
suspenseful plot, to create sympathetic characters, you can piece together the author’s message about life.
or to entertain the reader through humor, irony, or
1. Summarize the theme you feel is most important
figurative language.
in the story.
1. (a)What do you think was Crane’s main purpose in
2. What details from the story support your summary
writing “The Open Boat”? (b)Identify at least one
of the theme?
of Crane’s other purposes.
2. On page 578, the narrator says of the crew, “. . .
there was this comradeship that the correspondent, Vocabulary Practice
for instance, who had been taught to be cynical of Practice with Context Clues Read the paragraph
men, knew even at the time was the best experi- below. Use context clues around the boldfaced
ence of his life.” What might Crane’s purpose have vocabulary words to make an informed guess as to
been in having the narrator make this statement? what each word means.

An emphatic crash in the alley jolted Miranda

Review: Conflict
awake. She was usually fearless, but the noise gave
As you learned on page 547, conflict refers to the her an eerie, uncanny feeling. Miranda had to
central struggle between two opposing forces in a coerce herself to take a look. It’s nothing, she
story. External conflict exists when a character strug- thought frankly, growing less afraid. I know it’s
gles against an outside force, such as another person, nothing, she repeated ingenuously. Outside, she
nature, society, or fate. Internal conflict is a struggle shined a flashlight into the alley. A portly raccoon
between two opposing thoughts or desires within the glanced at Miranda from a trashcan and then
mind of a character. impudently went back to work, boldly clanking
Partner Activity With a partner, discuss the conflicts about as if he were all by himself.
that the correspondent faces in “The Open Boat.” Which
type of conflict—internal or external—is more prevalent?
Create a chart like the one below, filled in with textual Academic Vocabulary
evidence. With your partner, discuss whether one type
of conflict is more prevalent or if they are equal. Here are two words from the vocabulary list on
page R86. These words will help you think,
write, and talk about the selection.
External Conflict Internal Conflict
technique (tek nēk) n. the method or manner
in which something is treated
create (krē āt) v. to bring into existence or being

Practice and Apply

1. Give an example of a technique Crane uses to
show internal conflict.
2. What mood does he create by describing the
birds on page 576?

ST EPHEN CRANE 591

 WR LITE AN DANALYS
GARY
ITI N R I SI N G
EXTE N D N G MAR
G RIAM
R EAD ST U
VODCAB
AN D AN L ARY
YLE

Writing About Literature Crane’s Language and Style

Evaluate Author’s Craft Throughout “The Open Boat,” Varying Sentence Length Note the effect of Crane’s
Crane uses figures of speech—such as metaphors, simi- varied sentence lengths in the passage below:
les, personification, and symbols—to help readers visual-
The January water was icy, and he reflected
ize and gain a deeper understanding of what he
immediately that it was colder than he had expected
describes. Choose examples of figurative language from
to find it off the coast of Florida. This appeared to
the text and determine what overall effect is created by
his dazed mind as a fact important enough to be
Crane’s use of these devices. Then write a short essay in
noted at the time. The coldness of the water was
which you evaluate the author’s craft, analyzing how he
sad; it was tragic. This fact was somehow so mixed
uses figurative language to enhance the story and evalu-
and confused with his opinion of his own situation
ating how successful he is. Use a graphic organizer like
that it seemed almost a proper reason for tears. The
the one below to help you organize your thoughts.
water was cold.
—from “The Open Boat,” page 588
figure
of speech Note how Crane uses short, direct sentences within
figure figure the lengthier description of the correspondent’s reac-
of speech of speech tion to the water. These short, abrupt sentences evoke
the shock of the cold water.
Effect:
To make your writing interesting, vary sentence length.
figure figure Too many short sentences can make your writing
of speech of speech choppy, whereas too many long, complicated sen-
figure tences may be confusing. Think about the effect you
of speech are trying to create with your writing and how the flow
or rhythm of your sentences can enhance that effect.
After you complete your draft, exchange it with a part- • Shorter, simple sentences can have a fast-paced,
ner to evaluate each other’s work and suggest revi- abrupt effect.
sions. Make sure the examples of figurative language • Compound and compound-complex sentences are
support the writer’s evaluation of the author’s craft. usually longer than simple sentences and have a
Then proofread and edit your draft for errors in spell- slow, meandering quality.
ing, grammar, and punctuation.
Activity With a partner, scan the story for other exam-
ples of varied sentence length and determine how
Interdisciplinary Activity: Film they contribute to the story’s tone and mood.

Outlining a Screenplay “The Open Boat” is separated

into seven parts. Create an outline for a screenplay by Revising Check
dividing the parts of the story into scenes of the movie, Sentence Length Work with a partner to review and
noting which parts you might cut and which you might revise the variety of sentence length in your essay for
focus on. The middle of the story has little action; think “The Open Boat.”
about how you might use other techniques, such as
narration, to evoke the changing feelings of the charac-
ters. Compare your outline with a classmate’s to see
whether you focused on similar aspects of the story.

Web Activities For eFlashcards,

Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

592 U N IT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

 B EF O R E YO U R E A D

To Build a Fire
M E E T JAC K LON DO N livelihood. In 1903, London published The Call
of the Wild, the novel that firmly established his

I
reputation. Before long, he became the country’s
n 1897 Jack London left college and went to
highest-paid author—a stunning reversal of fortune
the Yukon to join the Klondike gold rush. He
for the once-impoverished writer.
never found gold, but he did find something
that proved more precious to him: a wealth of raw
Struggle to Make Ends Meet Throughout his
material for the stories that eventually made him
life, London worked under pressure to support
famous.
not only himself but also numerous family members
and friends. He set himself the task of writing at
least a thousand
“I would rather be ashes than dust!” publishable words
every day, and he
—Jack London rarely deviated
from that schedule.
But despite pub-
An Adventurous Life Born in 1876 in San lishing more than
Francisco to an unstable mother and a father who fifty books and
refused to claim him, London was raised mainly by becoming the
a family friend and a stepsister. From the age of country’s first mil-
eleven, he worked to earn money to help put food lionaire author,
on his family’s table. London loved the sea, so he London habitually
hung around the harbor, doing odd jobs and learn- spent more money
ing to be an expert sailor. While still in his teens, than he earned, and
he signed on to a schooner sailing to Siberia. From he often wrote stories
that adventure came his first published story. in order to pay off
urgent debts.
At eighteen, London set off to ride the rails,
living the life of a drifter as he traveled across In the last years of
the country on freight trains. This journey his life, London
became a turning point in his life as he saw up bought a ranch
close the raw, painful lives of men and women who in northern
did not seem to belong anywhere in society. As a California and
result of the conditions he saw, London vowed to began building his
educate himself so he could survive by his mental dream house, Wolf
powers rather than by his physical strength. House, on it. In
After completing high school in just one year, 1913, shortly before he was to move into the
London attended the University of California at newly completed house, it burned down. The
Berkeley for a semester before rushing off to the fire devastated London both emotionally and
Klondike. He failed to strike it rich, however, financially. He continued to live on the ranch
so he came home and turned to writing for his but never rebuilt the house. Three years later,
plagued by severe health problems and financial
difficulties, London died. He was only forty
years old.
Author Search For more about Author Search For more about
Jack London, go to www.glencoe.com. Jackauthor,
this London was
go to born in 1876 and died in 1916.
www.literature.glencoe.com.

JAC K LONDON 593

Underwood & Underwood/CORBIS
 L I T E R AT U R E P R E V I E W READI NG PREVI EW

Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and-

In “To Build a Fire,” a lone man is pitted against a Effect Relationships
relentless Yukon winter. As you read the story, think Cause and effect refers to a relationship in which one
about the following questions: event brings about a second event. The second event
• When have you experienced extreme weather? occurs not only after the first event but as a conse-
• How did it affect you physically and mentally? quence of it. A cause may have several effects, and an
effect may, in turn, cause other events to happen. In
Building Background “To Build a Fire,” cause-and-effect relationships are
On July 17, 1897, sixty-eight miners arrived in Seattle on essential to the plot.
the steamship Portland, carrying boxes, suitcases, and
gunnysacks filled with more than two tons of gold. Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a map to record
Thousands of prospectors soon poured into the Klondike cause-and-effect relationships in the story.
region of Canada, where gold had been discovered in
the sands of Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike
Cause Effect
River. Many of the prospectors were unprepared for the
brutal conditions in the north, where temperatures could The temperature The man’s spittle
sink below minus fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
The Klondike River is a tributary of the Yukon River, which
is colder than
fifty below zero. ➧ crackles in the
air before falling
to the snow.
is about 1,875 miles long and has a drainage basin of
330,000 square miles in the Yukon Territory in Canada
and in the eastern and central parts of Alaska. The Yukon
and its tributaries flow across Alaska’s interior plateau, Vocabulary
which comprises millions of acres of subarctic forest.
intangible (in tan jə bəl) adj. not easily defined
Setting Purposes for Reading or evaluated by the mind; p. 595 Volunteer work
brings not money but intangible benefits.
Big Idea Naturalism
A battle with nature is a common conflict in literature, immortality (im or tal ə tē) n. the condition of
particularly in Naturalist literature. As you read “To Build a having eternal life; p. 596 Unlike mortals, who
Fire,” consider whether humans ever win such a battle. live and then die, the gods in Greek myths enjoyed
immortality.
Literary Element Setting compel (kəm pel ) n. to force; p. 598 His
tardiness and lack of hustle compelled the coach to
The setting is the time and place in which the events of a
bench him.
literary work occur. Naturalist writers generally emphasize
the setting, focusing on the importance of the environ- intervene (in´ tər və̄n ) v. to come or lie between;
ment in defining human character. As you read, note how p. 598 He decided to intervene to prevent the quarrel
London uses the setting to develop plot and character. between the angry motorists from escalating.
apathetically (ap´ə thet i kal ē) adv. in a
• See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R16. manner showing little interest or concern;
p. 603 Apathetically, she cast her vote, not
really caring who would win or lose.
Interactive Literary Elements
Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements,
go to www.glencoe.com.

OB J EC TIVES
In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • evaluating cause-and-effect relationships
• analyzing characteristics of Naturalism • analyzing setting

59 4 U N IT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

 D ay had broken cold and gray, exceedingly
cold and gray, when the man turned aside from
the main Yukon1 trail and climbed the high
earth-bank, where a dim and little-traveled trail
led eastward through the fat spruce timberland.
It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at
the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at
his watch. It was nine o’clock. There was no sun
nor hint of sun, though there was not a cloud in
the sky. It was a clear day, and yet there seemed
an intangible pall over the face of things, a sub-
tle gloom that made the day dark, and that was
due to the absence of sun.
This fact did not worry the man. He was used
to the lack of sun. It had been days since he had
seen the sun, and he knew that a few more days
must pass before that cheerful orb, due south,
would just peep above the skyline and dip imme-
diately from view.

Jack London
1. Here, Yukon refers to the Yukon River. The river was a major
route to the Klondike gold fields.

Literary Element Setting What mood do these details

create?

Vocabulary
intangible (in tan jə bəl) adj. not easily defined or eval-
uated by the mind

JAC K LONDON 595

The Cavalry Club/E.T.Archives/SuperStock
 The man flung a look back along the way he had place in the universe. Fifty degrees below zero stood
come. The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded
three feet of ice. On top of this ice were as many against by the use of mittens, earflaps, warm mocca-
feet of snow. It was all pure white, rolling in gentle sins, and thick socks. Fifty degrees below zero was to
undulations2 where the ice jams of the freeze up had him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That
formed. North and south, as far as his eye could see, there should be anything more to it than that was a
it was unbroken white save for a dark hairline that thought that never entered his head.
curved and twisted from around the spruce-covered As he turned to go on, he spat speculatively.
island to the south, and that curved and twisted There was a sharp, explosive crackle that startled
away into the north, where it disappeared behind him. He spat again. And again, in the air, before
another spruce-covered island. This dark hairline it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled. He
was the trail—the main trail—that led south five knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the
hundred miles to the Chilkoot Pass, Dyea, and snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air.
saltwater; and that led north seventy miles to Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how
Dawson, and still on to the north a thousand miles much colder he did not know. But the tempera-
to Nulato,3 and finally to St. Michael on Bering ture did not matter. He was bound for the old
Sea, a thousand miles and half a thousand more. claim6 on the left fork of Henderson Creek,
But all this—the mysterious, far-reaching hairline where the boys were already. They had come over
trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremen- across the divide7 from the Indian Creek country,
dous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it while he had come the roundabout way to take a
all—made no impression on the man. It was not look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the
because he was long used to it. He was a newcomer spring from the islands in the Yukon. He would
in the land, a chechaquo,4 and this was his first win- be in to camp by six o’clock; a bit after dark, it
ter. The trouble with him was that he was without was true, but the boys would be there, a fire
imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of would be going, and a hot supper would be ready.
life, but only in the things, and not in the signifi- As for lunch, he pressed his hand against the pro-
cances. Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd truding bundle under his jacket. It was also under
degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being his shirt, wrapped up in a handkerchief and lying
cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not against the naked skin. It was the only way to
lead him to meditate upon his frailty in general, keep the biscuits from freezing. He smiled agree-
able only to live within certain narrow limits of heat ably to himself as he thought of those biscuits,
and cold; and from there on it did not lead him to each cut open and sopped in bacon grease, and
the conjectural5 field of immortality and man’s each enclosing a generous slice of fried bacon.
He plunged in among the big spruce trees.
2. Undulations are rippling or wavelike forms or outlines. The trail was faint. A foot of snow had fallen
3. Dyea (d̄ ā) was a mining village in Alaska at the beginning since the last sled had passed over, and he was
of the route to the gold fields. The trail led through the glad he was without sled, traveling light. In fact,
Chilkoot Pass and to northern gold-mining centers in the
he carried nothing but the lunch wrapped in the
Yukon such as Dawson and Nulato (n oo ¯¯¯ la tō).
4. In the language of the Chinook, Native Americans of the
handkerchief. He was surprised, however, at the
Pacific Northwest, a chechaquo (chē cha kō) is a cold. It certainly was cold, he concluded, as he
“newcomer” or a “tenderfoot.” rubbed his numb nose and cheekbones with his
5. Conjectural means “based on guesswork or indefinite evidence.” mittened hand. He was a warm-whiskered man,
Literary Element Setting Why does the author include but the hair on his face did not protect the high
these details? cheekbones and the eager nose that thrust itself
aggressively into the frosty air.
Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why is a good At the man’s heel trotted a dog, a big native
imagination especially important in this environment? husky, the proper wolf dog, gray-coated and without

Vocabulary
6. A claim is a piece of land registered for mining rights.
immortality (im´ o r tal ə tē) n. the condition of having
7. A divide is a ridge of land that separates two river drainage
eternal life
systems.

596 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
any visible or temperamental difference from its country, and he had been out before in two cold
brother, the wild wolf. The animal was depressed by snaps. They had not been so cold as this, he knew,
the tremendous cold. It knew that it was no time but by the spirit thermometer10 at Sixty Mile he
for traveling. Its instinct told a truer tale than was knew they had been registered at fifty below and at
told to the man by the man’s judgment. In reality, it fifty-five.
was not merely colder than fifty below zero; it was He held on through the level stretch of woods for
colder than sixty below, than seventy below. It was several miles and dropped down a bank to the fro-
seventy-five below zero. Since zen bed of a small stream. This
the freezing point is thirty-two was Henderson Creek, and he
above zero, it meant that one knew he was ten miles from the
hundred and seven degrees of forks. He looked at his watch. It
frost obtained. The dog did The dog had was ten o’clock. He was making
not know anything about ther- four miles an hour, and he cal-
mometers. Possibly in its brain learned fire, and culated that he would arrive at
there was no sharp conscious- the forks at half-past twelve. He
ness of a condition of very cold it wanted fire, or decided to celebrate that event
such as was in the man’s brain.
But the brute had its instinct.
else to burrow by eating his lunch there.
The dog dropped in again
It experienced a vague but
menacing apprehension that
under the snow at his heels, with a tail droop-
ing discouragement, as the
subdued it and made it slink and cuddle its man swung along the creek
along at the man’s heels, and bed. The furrow11 of the old
that made it question eagerly warmth away from sled trail was plainly visible,
every unwonted8 movement of but a dozen inches of snow
the man as if expecting him to the air. covered the marks of the last
go into camp or to seek shelter runners. In a month no man
somewhere and build a fire. had come up or down that
The dog had learned fire, and silent creek. The man held
it wanted fire, or else to burrow under the snow steadily on. He was not much given to thinking,
and cuddle its warmth away from the air. and just then particularly he had nothing to think
The frozen moisture of its breathing had settled about save that he would eat lunch at the forks
on its fur in a fine powder of frost, and especially and that at six o’clock he would be in camp with
were its jowls, muzzle, and eyelashes whitened by its the boys. There was nobody to talk to; and, had
crystalled breath. The man’s red beard and mus- there been, speech would have been impossible
tache were likewise frosted, but more solidly, the because of the ice muzzle on his mouth. So he
deposit taking the form of ice and increasing with continued monotonously to chew tobacco and to
every warm, moist breath he exhaled. Also, the increase the length of his amber beard.
man was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice Once in a while the thought reiterated12 itself
held his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear that it was very cold and that he had never experi-
his chin when he expelled the juice. The result was enced such cold. As he walked along he rubbed his
that a crystal beard of the color and solidity of cheekbones and nose with the back of his mittened
amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he hand. He did this automatically, now and again
fell down it would shatter itself, like glass, into brit- changing hands. But rub as he would, the instant he
tle fragments. But he did not mind the appendage.9
It was the penalty all tobacco-chewers paid in that 10. A spirit thermometer is an alcohol thermometer. It is used
in areas of extreme cold, where the more common
mercury thermometer would freeze.
8. Unwonted means “unusual.” 11. A furrow is a long, narrow groove or depression.
9. An appendage is something that is added on or attached. 12. Reiterated means “repeated.”

Big Idea Naturalism Why does the man still chew Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why doesn’t the
tobacco even after ice forms on his chin? man seek shelter and build a fire?

JAC K LONDON 597

 stopped his cheekbones went numb, and the follow- he had a close call; and once, suspecting danger,
ing instant the end of his nose went numb. He was he compelled the dog to go on in front. The dog
sure to frost his cheeks; he knew that, and experi- did not want to go. It hung back until the man
enced a pang of regret that he had not devised a shoved it forward, and then it went quickly across
nose strap of the sort Bud wore in cold snaps. Such the white, unbroken surface. Suddenly it broke
a strap passed across the cheeks, as well, and saved through, floundered to one side, and got away to
them. But it didn’t matter much, after all. What firmer footing. It had wet its forefeet and legs, and
were frosted cheeks? A bit painful, that was all; they almost immediately the water that clung to it
were never serious. turned to ice. It made quick efforts to lick the ice
Empty as the man’s mind was of thoughts, he was off its legs, then dropped down in the snow and
keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the began to bite out the ice that had formed between
creek, the curves and bends and timber jams, and the toes. This was a matter of instinct. To permit
always he sharply noted where he placed his feet. the ice to remain would mean sore feet. It did not
Once, coming around the bend, he shied13 abruptly, know this. It merely obeyed the mysterious
like a startled horse, curved away from the place prompting that arose from the deep crypts14 of its
where he had been walking, and retreated several being. But the man knew, having achieved a judg-
paces back along the trail. The creek he knew was ment on the subject, and he removed the mitten
frozen clear to the bottom—no creek could contain from his right hand and helped tear out the ice
water in that arctic winter—but he knew also that particles. He did not expose his fingers more than
there were springs that bubbled out from the hill- a minute, and was astonished at the swift numb-
sides and ran along under the snow and on top the ness that smote15 them. It certainly was cold. He
ice of the creek. He knew that the coldest snaps pulled on the mitten hastily, and beat the hand
never froze these springs, and he knew likewise their savagely across his chest.
danger. They were traps. They hid pools of water At twelve o’clock the day was at its brightest.
under the snow that might be three inches deep, or Yet the sun was too far south on its winter jour-
three feet. Sometimes a skin of ice half an inch ney to clear the horizon. The bulge of the earth
thick covered them, and in turn was covered by the intervened between it and Henderson Creek,
snow. Sometimes they were alternate layers of water where the man walked under a clear sky at noon
and ice skin, so that when one broke through he and cast no shadow. At half-past twelve, to the
kept on breaking through for a while, sometimes minute, he arrived at the forks of the creek. He
wetting himself to the waist. was pleased at the speed he had made. If he
That was why he had shied in such panic. He kept it up, he would certainly be with the boys
had felt the give under his feet and heard the by six. He unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and
crackle of a snow-hidden ice skin. And to get his drew forth his lunch. The action consumed no
feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble and more than a quarter of a minute, yet in that
danger. At the very least it meant delay, for he brief moment the numbness laid hold of the
would be forced to stop and build a fire, and under exposed fingers. He did not put the mitten on,
its protection to bare his feet while he dried his but, instead, struck the fingers a dozen sharp
socks and moccasins. He stood and studied the smashes against his leg. Then he sat down on a
creek bed and its banks, and decided that the flow snow-covered log to eat. The sting that followed
of water came from the right. He reflected awhile, upon the striking of his fingers against his leg
rubbing his nose and cheeks, then skirted to the left,
stepping gingerly and testing the footing for each 14. Here, crypts means “hidden recesses.”
step. Once clear of the danger, he took a fresh chew 15. Smote (past tense of smite) means “afflicted” or “attacked.”
of tobacco and swung along at his four-mile gait.
Literary Element Setting What do these details suggest
In the course of the next two hours he came
about the relationship of the man and the environment?
upon similar traps. Usually the snow above the
hidden pools had a sunken, candied appearance Vocabulary
that advertised the danger. Once again, however,
compel (kəm pel) v. to force
intervene (in´ tər vēn) v. to come or lie between
13. Shied means “moved suddenly, as in fear.”

598 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Viewing the Photograph: As you look at this photograph, jot down the first five words that
come to mind. Which of these words seems most applicable to the story? Explain.

ceased so quickly that he was startled. He had stamping his feet and threshing his arms, until
had no chance to take a bite of biscuit. He struck reassured by the returning warmth. Then he got
the fingers repeatedly and returned them to the out matches and proceeded to make a fire. From
mitten, baring the other hand for the purpose of the undergrowth, where high water of the previ-
eating. He tried to take a mouthful, but the ice ous spring had lodged a supply of seasoned twigs,
muzzle prevented. He had forgotten to build a fire he got his firewood. Working carefully from a
and thaw out. He chuckled at his foolishness, and small beginning, he soon had a roaring fire, over
as he chuckled he noted the numbness creeping which he thawed the ice from his face and in the
into his exposed fingers. Also, he noted that the protection of which he ate his biscuits. For the
stinging which had first come to his toes when he moment the cold of space was outwitted. The dog
sat down was already passing away. He wondered took satisfaction in the fire, stretching out close
whether the toes were warm or numb. He moved enough for warmth and far enough away to
them inside the moccasins and decided that they escape being singed.
were numb. When the man had finished, he filled his pipe
He pulled the mitten on hurriedly and stood and took his comfortable time over a smoke.
up. He was a bit frightened. He stamped up and Then he pulled on his mittens, settled the earflaps
down until the sting returned into the feet. It cer- of his cap firmly about his ears, and took the creek
tainly was cold, was his thought. That man from trail up the left fork. The dog was disappointed
Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling and yearned back toward the fire. This man did
how cold it sometimes got in the country. And he not know cold. Possibly all the generations of his
had laughed at him at the time! That showed one ancestry had been ignorant of cold, of real cold, of
must not be too sure of things. There was no mis- cold one hundred and seven degrees below freez-
take about it, it was cold. He strode up and down, ing point. But the dog knew; all its ancestry knew,
and it had inherited the knowledge. And it knew
that it was not good to walk abroad in such fearful
Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why does the man cold. It was the time to lie snug in a hole in the
suddenly recall the man from Sulphur Creek?
snow and wait for a curtain of cloud to be drawn

JAC K LONDON 599

Berhard Otto/FPG
 across the face of outer space whence this cold He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware
came. On the other hand, there was no keen inti- of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stron-
macy between the dog and the man. The one was ger, he increased the size of the twigs with which
the toil slave of the other, and the only caresses it he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the
had ever received were the caresses of the whip- twigs out from their entanglement in the brush
lash and of harsh and menacing throat sounds and feeding directly to the flame. He knew there
that threatened the whiplash. So the dog made must be no failure. When it is seventy-five below
no effort to communicate its apprehension to the zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to
man. It was not concerned in the welfare of the build a fire—that is, if his feet are wet. If his feet
man; it was for its own sake that it yearned back are dry, and he fails, he can run along the trail
toward the fire. But the man whistled, and spoke for half a mile and restore his circulation. But
to it with the sound of whiplashes, and the dog the circulation of wet and freezing feet cannot be
swung in at the man’s heels and followed after. restored by running when it is seventy-five
The man took a chew of tobacco and pro- below. No matter how fast he runs, the wet feet
ceeded to start a new amber beard. Also, his will freeze the harder.
moist breath quickly powdered with white his All this the man knew. The old-timer on
mustache, eyebrows, and lashes. There did not Sulphur Creek had told him about it the previous
seem to be so many springs on the left fork of the fall, and now he was appreciating the advice.
Henderson, and for half an hour the man saw no Already all sensation had gone out of his feet. To
signs of any. And then it happened. At a place build the fire he had been forced to remove his
where there were no signs, where the soft, unbro- mittens, and the fingers had quickly gone numb.
ken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, His pace of four miles an hour had kept his heart
the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet pumping blood to the surface of his body and to all
himself to the knees before he floundered out to the extremities. But the instant he stopped, the
the firm crust. action of the pump eased down. The cold of space
He was angry, and cursed his luck aloud. He smote the unprotected tip of the planet, and he,
had hoped to get into camp with the boys at six being on that unprotected tip, received the full
o’clock, and this would delay him an hour, for he force of the blow. The blood of his body recoiled
would have to build a fire and dry out his foot before it. The blood was alive, like the dog, and
gear. This was imperative16 at that low tempera- like the dog it wanted to hide away and cover itself
ture—he knew that much; and he turned aside up from the fearful cold. So long as he walked four
to the bank, which he climbed. On top, tangled miles an hour, he pumped that blood, willy-nilly,17
in the underbrush about the trunks of several to the surface; but now it ebbed18 away and sank
small spruce trees, was a high-water deposit of down into the recesses of his body. The extremities
dry firewood—sticks and twigs, principally, but were the first to feel its absence. His wet feet froze
also larger portions of seasoned branches and the faster, and his exposed fingers numbed the
fine, dry, last-year’s grasses. He threw down sev- faster, though they had not yet begun to freeze.
eral large pieces on top of the snow. This served Nose and cheeks were already freezing, while the
for a foundation and prevented the young flame skin of all his body chilled as it lost its blood.
from drowning itself in the snow it otherwise But he was safe. Toes and nose and cheeks
would melt. The flame he got by touching a would be only touched by the frost, for the fire
match to a small shred of birch bark that he took was beginning to burn with strength. He was feed-
from his pocket. This burned even more readily ing it with twigs the size of his finger. In another
than paper. Placing it on the foundation, he fed minute he would be able to feed it with branches
the young flame with wisps of dry grass and with the size of his wrist, and then he could remove his
the tiniest dry twigs. wet foot gear, and, while it dried, he could keep
his naked feet warm by the fire, rubbing them at
16. Imperative means “absolutely necessary.”
first, of course, with snow. The fire was a success.

Big Idea Naturalism What view of nature is suggested

by this passage? 17. Willy-nilly means “without choice.”
18. Ebbed means “flowed back” or “receded.”

600 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
He was safe. He remembered the advice of the out and involving the whole tree. It grew like an
old-timer on Sulphur Creek, and smiled. The avalanche, and it descended without warning upon
old-timer had been very serious in laying down the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out!
the law that no man must travel alone in the Where it had burned was a mantle of fresh and dis-
Klondike after fifty below. Well, here he was; he ordered snow.
had had the accident; he was alone; and he had The man was shocked. It was as though he
saved himself. Those old-timers were rather wom- had just heard his own sentence of death. For a
anish, some of them, he thought. All a man had moment he sat and stared at the spot where the
to do was to keep his head, and he was all right. fire had been. Then he grew very calm. Perhaps
Any man who was a man could travel alone. But the old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right. If he
it was surprising, the rapidity with which his had only had a trail mate he would have been
cheeks and nose were freez- in no danger now. The trail
ing. And he had not thought mate could have built the
his fingers could go lifeless in fire. Well, it was up to him
so short a time. Lifeless they to build the fire over again,
were, for he could scarcely There was the and this second time there
make them move together to must be no failure. Even if
grip a twig, and they seemed fire, snapping he succeeded, he would
remote from his body and most likely lose some toes.
from him. When he touched and crackling and His feet must be badly fro-
a twig, he had to look and see
whether or not he had hold
promising life with zen by now, and there would
be some time before the sec-
of it. The wires were pretty
well down between him and
every dancing ond fire was ready.
Such were his thoughts,
his finger-ends. flame. but he did not sit and think
All of which counted for lit- them. He was busy all the
tle. There was the fire, snap- time they were passing
ping and crackling and through his mind. He made
promising life with every danc- a new foundation for a fire,
ing flame. He started to untie his moccasins. They this time in the open, where no treacherous tree
were coated with ice; the thick German socks were could blot it out. Next, he gathered dry grasses
like sheaths of iron halfway to the knees; and the and tiny twigs from the high-water flotsam.19 He
moccasin strings were like rods of steel all twisted could not bring his fingers together to pull them
and knotted as by some conflagration. For a out, but he was able to gather them by the
moment he tugged with his numb fingers, then, handful. In this way he got many rotten twigs
realizing the folly of it, he drew his sheath-knife. and bits of green moss that were undesirable, but
But before he could cut the strings, it happened. it was the best he could do. He worked methodi-
It was his own fault or, rather, his mistake. He cally, even collecting an armful of the larger
should not have built the fire under the spruce tree. branches to be used later when the fire gathered
He should have built it in the open. But it had been strength. And all the while the dog sat and
easier to pull twigs from the brush and drop them watched him, a certain yearning wistfulness20 in
directly on the fire. Now the tree under which he its eyes, for it looked upon him as the fire pro-
had done this carried a weight of snow on its vider, and the fire was slow in coming.
boughs. No wind had blown for weeks, and each
bough was fully freighted. Each time he had pulled a
twig he had communicated a slight agitation to the 19. Flotsam (flot səm) is floating debris, here left behind by a
river or stream in the spring when the water rises with the
tree—an imperceptible agitation, so far as he was runoff from melting snow and ice.
concerned, but an agitation sufficient to bring about 20. Wistfulness means “thoughtful sadness.”
the disaster. High up in the tree one bough capsized
Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why does the man
its load of snow. This fell on the boughs beneath,
make a crucial mistake when his life is on the line?
capsizing them. This process continued, spreading

JAC K LONDON 601

 When all was ready, the man reached in his bunch of matches, along with much snow, into
pocket for a second piece of birch bark. He knew his lap. Yet he was no better off.
the bark was there, and, though he could not feel After some manipulation he managed to get
it with his fingers, he could hear its crisp rustling the bunch between the heels of his mittened
as he fumbled for it. Try as he would, he could not hands. In this fashion he carried it to his mouth.
clutch hold of it. And all the time, in his con- The ice crackled and snapped when by a violent
sciousness, was the knowledge that each instant effort he opened his mouth. He drew the lower
his feet were freezing. This thought tended to put jaw in, curled the upper lip out of the way, and
him in a panic, but he fought against it and kept scraped the bunch with his upper teeth in order
calm. He pulled on his mittens with his teeth, and to separate a match. He succeeded in getting
threshed his arms back and forth, beating his one, which he dropped on his lap. He was no
hands with all his might against his sides. He did better off. He could not pick it up. Then he
this sitting down, and he stood up to do it; and all devised a way. He picked it up in his teeth and
the while the dog sat in the snow, its wolf brush scratched it on his leg. Twenty times he scratched
of a tail curled around warmly over its forefeet, before he succeeded in lighting it. As it flamed
its sharp wolf ears pricked forward intently as it he held it with his teeth to the birch bark. But
watched the man. And the man, as he beat and the burning brimstone21 went up his nostrils
threshed with his arms and hands, felt a great and into his lungs, causing him to cough
surge of envy as he regarded the creature that spasmodically.22 The match fell into the snow
was warm and secure in its natural covering. and went out.
After a time he was aware of the first faraway The old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right,
signals of sensation in his beaten fingers. The he thought in the moment of controlled
faint tingling grew stronger till it evolved into a despair that ensued;23 after fifty below, a man
stinging ache that was excruciating, but which should travel with a partner. He beat his hands,
the man hailed with satisfaction. He stripped the but failed in exciting any sensation. Suddenly
mitten from his right hand and fetched forth the he bared both hands, removing his mittens with
birch bark. The exposed fingers were quickly his teeth. He caught the whole bunch between
going numb again. Next he brought out his the heels of his hands. His arm muscles not
bunch of sulphur matches. But the tremendous being frozen enabled him to press the hand
cold had already driven the life out of his fingers. heels tightly against the matches. Then he
In his effort to separate one match from the oth- scratched the bunch along his leg. It flared into
ers, the whole bunch fell in the snow. He tried to flame, seventy sulphur matches at once! There
pick it out of the snow, but failed. The dead fin- was no wind to blow them out. He kept his
gers could neither touch nor clutch. He was very head to one side to escape the strangling fumes,
careful. He drove the thought of his freezing feet, and held the blazing bunch to the birch bark.
and nose, and cheeks, out of his mind, devoting As he so held it, he became aware of sensation
his whole soul to the matches. He watched, in his hand. His flesh was burning. He could
using the sense of vision in place of that of smell it. Deep down below the surface he could
touch, and when he saw his fingers on each side feel it. The sensation developed into pain that
of the bunch, he closed them—that is, he willed grew acute. And still he endured it, holding
to close them, for the wires were down, and the the flame of the matches clumsily to the bark
fingers did not obey. He pulled the mitten on the that would not light readily because his own
right hand, and beat it fiercely against his knee.
Then, with both mittened hands, he scooped the
21. Brimstone is sulfur.
22. Spasmodically means “in a sudden, violent manner” or
Big Idea “convulsively.”
Naturalism Why is the dog better adapted to
23. Ensued means “happened afterward” or “followed.”
survive in this environment? Explain.
Reading Strategy Cause and Effect What will be the
Big Idea Naturalism Why does the author use the likely consequences of the man’s failure to build a fire a
phrase the wires were down? second time?

602 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
burning hands were in the
way, absorbing most of the
flame.
At last, when he could
endure no more, he jerked
his hands apart. The blaz-
ing matches fell sizzling
into the snow, but the
birch bark was alight. He
began laying dry grasses
and the tiniest twigs on the
flame. He could not pick
and choose, for he had to
lift the fuel between the
heels of his hands. Small
pieces of rotten wood and
green moss clung to the
twigs, and he bit them off
as well as he could with his
teeth. He cherished the
flame carefully and awk-
wardly. It meant life, and it
must not perish. The with-
drawal of blood from the Timber wolf in snowstorm.
surface of his body now made
him begin to shiver, and he
grew more awkward. A large piece of green The sight of the dog put a wild idea into his
moss fell squarely on the little fire. He tried to head. He remembered the tale of the man,
poke it out with his fingers, but his shivering caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and
frame made him poke too far, and he disrupted crawled inside the carcass, and so was saved.
the nucleus of the little fire, the burning He would kill the dog and bury his hands in
grasses and tiny twigs separating and scattering. the warm body until the numbness went out
He tried to poke them together again, but in of them. Then he could build another fire. He
spite of the tenseness of the effort, his shiver- spoke to the dog, calling it to him; but in his
ing got away with him, and the twigs were voice was a strange note of fear that frightened
the animal, who had never known the man to
hopelessly scattered. Each twig gushed a puff of
speak in such way before. Something was the
smoke and went out. The fire provider had matter, and its suspicious nature sensed danger—
failed. As he looked apathetically about him, it knew not what danger, but somewhere, some-
his eyes chanced on the dog, sitting across the how, in its brain arose an apprehension of the
ruins of the fire from him, in the snow, making man. It flattened its ears down at the sound of
restless, hunching movements, slightly lifting the man’s voice, and its restless, hunching move-
one forefoot and then the other, shifting its ments and the liftings and shiftings of its forefeet
weight back and forth on them with wistful became more pronounced; but it would not come
eagerness. to the man. He got on his hands and knees and
crawled toward the dog. This unusual posture
Literary Element Setting What does this detail tell you again excited suspicion, and the animal sidled
about the setting? mincingly24 away.
The man sat up in the snow for a moment
Vocabulary and struggled for calmness. Then he pulled on
apathetically (ap´ ə theti kal ē) adv. in a manner show-
ing little interest or concern 24. Sidled mincingly means “moved sideways in a careful
manner.”

JAC K LONDON 603

Lynn Stone/Animals Animals - Earth Scenes
 his mittens, by means of his teeth, and got upon A certain fear of death, dull and oppressive,
his feet. He glanced down at first in order to came to him. This fear quickly became poi-
assure himself that he was really standing up, for gnant26 as he realized that it was no longer a
the absence of sensation in his feet left him mere matter of freezing his fingers and toes, or
unrelated to the earth. His erect position in itself of losing his hands and feet, but that it was a
started to drive the webs of suspicion from the matter of life and death with the chances
dog’s mind; and when he spoke peremptorily,25 against him. This threw him into a panic, and
with the sound of whiplashes in his voice, the he turned and ran up the creek bed along the
dog rendered its customary allegiance and came old, dim trail. The dog joined in behind and
to him. As it came within reaching distance, the kept up with him. He ran blindly, without
man lost his control. His arms flashed out to the intention, in fear such as he had never known
dog, and he experienced genuine surprise when in his life. Slowly, as he ploughed and floun-
he discovered that his hands could not clutch, dered through the snow, he began to see things
that there was neither bend nor feeling in the again—the banks of the creek, the old timber
fingers. He had forgotten for the moment that jams, the leafless aspens, and the sky. The run-
they were frozen and that they were freezing ning made him feel better. He did not shiver.
more and more. All this happened quickly, and Maybe, if he ran on, his feet would thaw out;
before the animal could get away, he encircled its and, anyway, if he ran far enough, he would
body with his arms. He sat down in the snow, reach camp and the boys. Without doubt he
and in this fashion held the dog, while it snarled would lose some fingers and toes and some of
and whined and struggled. his face; but the boys would take care of him,
But it was all he could do, hold its body and save the rest of him when he got there.
encircled in his arms and sit there. He realized And at the same time there was another
that he could not kill the dog. There was no thought in his mind that said he would never
way to do it. With his helpless hands he could get to the camp and the boys; that it was too
neither draw nor hold his sheath knife nor many miles away, that the freezing had too
throttle the animal. He released it, and it great a start on him, and that he would soon
plunged wildly away, with tail between its be stiff and dead. This thought he kept in
legs, and still snarling. It halted forty feet the background and refused to consider.
away and surveyed him cautiously, with ears Sometimes it pushed itself forward and
sharply pricked forward. The man looked demanded to be heard, but
down at his hands in order to locate them, he thrust it back and strove
and found them hanging on the ends of his to think of other things.
arms. It struck him as curious that one should It struck him as curious
have to use his eyes in order to find out where that he could run at all
his hands were. He began threshing his arms on feet so frozen that he
back and forth, beating the mittened hands could not feel them when
against his sides. He did this for five minutes, they struck the earth and Visual
violently, and his heart pumped enough blood took the weight of his Vocabulary
In Roman mythol-
up to the surface to put a stop to his shiver- body. He seemed to him- ogy, Mercury is
ing. But no sensation was aroused in the self to skim along above the messenger of
hands. He had an impression that they hung the surface, and to have no the gods. He is
like weights on the ends of his arms, but when connection with the earth. portrayed wearing
a winged hat and
he tried to run the impression down, he could Somewhere he had once winged sandals.
not find it. seen a winged Mercury,

25. Peremptorily (pə remp tə rə lē) means “authoritatively” or 26. Poignant (poin yənt) means “sharply felt” or “intensely
“dictatorially.” distressing.”

Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why does the man Reading Strategy Cause and Effect Why does the man
forget that his hands are frozen? try to repress thoughts of his impending death?

604 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Giraudon/Art Resource, NY
and he wondered if Mercury felt as he felt bound to freeze anyway, and he might as well take it
when skimming over the earth. decently. With this newfound peace of mind came
His theory of running until he reached camp the first glimmerings of drowsiness. A good idea, he
and the boys had one flaw in it: he lacked the thought, to sleep off to death. It was like taking
endurance. Several times he stumbled, and an anaesthetic.27 Freezing was not so bad as peo-
finally he tottered, crumpled up, and fell. When ple thought. There were lots worse ways to die.
he tried to rise, he failed. He must sit and rest, He pictured the boys finding his body next
he decided, and next time he would merely walk day. Suddenly he found himself with them, com-
and keep on going. As he sat and regained his ing along the trail and looking for himself. And,
breath, he noted that he was feeling quite warm still with them, he came around a turn in the
and comfortable. He was not shivering, and it trail and found himself lying in the snow. He did
even seemed that a warm glow had come to his not belong with himself any more, for even then
chest and trunk. And yet, when he touched his he was out of himself, standing with the boys
nose or cheeks, there was no sensation. Running and looking at himself in the snow. It certainly
would not thaw them out. Nor would it thaw out was cold, was his thought. When he got back to
his hands and feet. Then the thought came to the States he could tell the folks what real cold
him that the frozen portions of his body must be was. He drifted on from this to a vision of the
extending. He tried to keep this thought down, old-timer on Sulphur Creek. He could see him
to forget it, to think of something else; he was quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smok-
aware of the panicky feeling that it caused, and ing a pipe.
he was afraid of the panic. But the thought “You were right, old hoss; you were right,” the
asserted itself, and persisted, until it produced a man mumbled to the old-timer on Sulphur Creek.
vision of his body totally frozen. This was too Then the man drowsed off into what
much, and he made another wild run along the seemed to him the most comfortable and satis-
trail. Once he slowed down to a walk, but the fying sleep he had ever known. The dog sat
thought of the freezing extending itself made facing him and waiting. The brief day drew to
him run again. a close in a long, slow twilight. There were no
And all the time the dog ran with him, at his signs of a fire to be made, and, besides, never
heels. When he fell down a second time, it in the dog’s experience had it known a man to
curled its tail over its forefeet and sat in front of sit like that in the snow and make no fire. As
him, facing him, curiously eager and intent. The the twilight drew on, its eager yearning for
warmth and security of the animal angered him, the fire mastered it, and with a great lifting
and he cursed it till it flattened down its ears and shifting of its forefeet, it whined softly,
appeasingly. This time the shivering came more then flattened its ears down in anticipation of
quickly upon the man. He was losing in his bat- being chidden28 by the man. But the man
tle with the frost. It was creeping into his body remained silent. Later, the dog whined loudly.
from all sides. The thought of it drove him on, And still later it crept close to the man and
but he ran no more than a hundred feet, when caught the scent of death. This made the ani-
he staggered and pitched headlong. It was his mal bristle and back away. A little longer it
last panic. When he had recovered his breath delayed, howling under the stars that leaped
and control, he sat up and entertained in his and danced and shone brightly in the cold
mind the conception of meeting death with dig- sky. Then it turned and trotted up the trail in
nity. However, the conception did not come to the direction of the camp it knew, where were
him in such terms. His idea of it was that he had the other food providers and fire providers. 
been making a fool of himself, running around
like a chicken with its head cut off—such was
27. An anaesthetic is something that produces a loss of
the simile that occurred to him. Well, he was
sensation.
28. Chidden (past participle of chide) means “scolded.”

Big Idea Naturalism What do these thoughts tell us Literary Element Setting Why does the author describe
about the man as he faces this hostile environment? the stars as leaping and dancing?

J ACK L O N D O N 605
 A F T E R YO U R E A D

R ESP ON D I NG A N D T H I N K I NG C R I T IC A LLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. Which images from the story do you find the most 6. (a)Explain how the mood, or atmosphere, changes
vivid and memorable? as the story develops. (b)How are the events of
the story reflected in the change of mood?
Recall and Interpret
7. (a)What are two contrasting qualities of the dog
2. (a)Where is the man going and what is his atti-
and of the man? (b)What does the ending suggest
tude toward his journey? (b)What can you infer
about London’s view of these qualities and their
about the man’s personality and character based
relationship to survival in the natural world?
on the first five paragraphs?
8. Is the dog merely a foil, or a character used to con-
3. (a)Describe how the man’s dog behaves. (b)What
trast with another character, or is it an important
event does the dog’s behavior foreshadow?
character in its own right? Support your answer.
4. (a)What mishap occurs shortly after the man eats
lunch and resumes his journey? (b)What external Connect
and internal forces must the man struggle against? 9. Big Idea Naturalism (a)What elements of
5. (a)What happens to the man at the end of the story? Naturalism does the story contain? (b)How might
What happens to his dog? (b)What lesson or lessons the story have been different if it had been written
might be learned from reading this story? by a Romantic writer?

LI TE R A RY A N A LYS I S

Literary Element Setting Review: Suspense

“To Build a Fire” is set in a specific historical time and Suspense is a feeling of curiosity, anticipation, or even
place. The setting of London’s story is well-defined dread about what is going to happen next. Writers can
and essential; without the setting, this particular story increase the level of suspense in a story by creating a
could not have been written. threat to the central character, or protagonist, and by
giving readers clues as to what might happen.
1. (a)How does the setting of the story establish
the central conflict? (b)How does it influence the Group Activity With a small group of classmates, dis-
resolution, or final outcome, of this conflict? cuss how London builds suspense in “To Build a Fire.” Fill
in a flow chart like the one below, showing how each
2. How does London reveal the man’s character through
event builds suspense, ultimately leading to the final scene.
his interactions with the physical environment? Give
specific examples.
3. How would you describe the relationship between There was no sun, but the man
decides to hike to camp anyway.
humans and the environment in this story?
➧ ➧

606 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 R E AD I N G A N D VO CA B U L A RY W R I T I N G A N D E XT E N D I N G

Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and- Writing About Literature

Effect Relationships Evaluate Author’s Craft At crucial points in “To Build
In “To Build a Fire,” each event moves the plot forward, a Fire,” the traveler recalls the old-timer from Sulphur
setting up a chain reaction of events. Review the Creek. Though this character appears only in the travel-
cause-and-effect map you created on page 594 and er’s thoughts, he is still important. Write a brief essay
then consider the following questions: exploring why London includes this character in the story.
Use evidence from the story to support your views.
1. What events do you feel had the greatest effect on
the outcome of the story? As you draft, follow the plan shown here to develop
your ideas.
2. What different decisions do you think the man
could have made in order to survive? START
Introduce the topic and state

▲
Beginning your thesis, the opinion you
Vocabulary Practice intend to defend.

➧ ➧
Practice with Word Origins Dictionary entries
often include the etymology, which tells the origin
Middle

▲
Support your opinion with
of the word. For example: evidence.
im·mor·tal·ity Latin immortalis, deathless,
mors, death Close your essay with a parting
End

▲
thought about this character’s
This entry shows that the word immortality derives function and importance.
from the Latin word mors, which means “death.”
F INISH
Match each vocabulary word with its corresponding
Latin source. Use a dictionary for assistance. When you have finished, exchange your draft with a
1. intangible a. pellere, meaning “to drive” peer reviewer to evaluate each other’s work and to
suggest revisions. Then proofread and edit your draft
2. compel b. pathein, meaning “to suffer”
for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
3. intervene c. tangere, meaning “to touch”
4. apathetically d. venire, meaning “to come”

Academic Vocabulary
Here are two words from the vocabulary list
on page R86.

interval (intər vəl) n. intervening time and

space; a temporary stop or break in an action
sole (sōl) adj. being the only one; single;
individual

Practice and Apply

1. In what interval of time did the man expect to
return to his camp?
2. What does the sole survivor of the expedition
Web Activities For eFlashcards,
suggest about the value of instincts?
Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

JAC K LONDON 607

Lynn Stone/Animals Animals - Earth Scenes
 GEOGR AP H IC P ER SP ECTIVE on To Build a Fire
Informational Text

Barry Lopez
National Book Award Winner

Building Background
Writer and photographer Barry Lopez finds many of the
subjects for his writing in nature and the environment.
W e left our camp on Pingok Island1 one
morning knowing a storm was moving
in from the southwest, but we were not
worried. We were planning to work in open water
He is often drawn to extreme locales, describing his
own experiences in those harsh regions. In the follow- between the beach and the edge of the pack ice,2
ing passage from Arctic Dreams, Lopez describes his only a few miles out, making bottom trawls3 from
experiences working with scientists in the Arctic Ocean. an open 20-foot boat. The four of us were dressed,
as usual, in heavy clothes and foul-weather gear.
Set a Purpose for Reading You accept the possibility of death in such situ-
Read to learn about survival in the Arctic and what ations, prepare for it, and then forget about it. We
may compel a person to take on such an adventure. carried emergency and survival equipment in
addition to all our scientific gear—signal flares,
Reading Strategy survival suits, a tent, and each of us had a pack
Analyzing Relevance of Setting with extra clothing, a sleeping bag, and a week’s
worth of food. Each morning we completed a
Analyzing the relevance of setting involves gathering
checklist of the boat and radioed a distant base
information about the importance of time and place
camp with our day plan. When we departed, we
in a literary work. Remember that setting is not lim-
left a handwritten note on the table in our cabin,
ited to the characters’ physical surroundings. As you
read, take notes about the setting of both Arctic
saying what time we left, the compass bearing we
Dreams and “To Build a Fire.” Use a two-column
were taking, and when we expected to return.
chart like the one below.

Setting of “To Setting of Arctic 1. Pingok Island lies in the Beaufort Sea, which is a part of
Build a Fire” Dreams the Arctic Ocean.
2. Pack ice is ice formed in the sea from the crashing together
of floes and other ice masses.
3. Trawls are large nets that are dragged along the bottom of
a body of water to gather marine life.

608 U N IT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

Frank Krahme/Masterfile
 Informational Text
My companions, all scientists, were serious under, or they could force it out of the water
about this, but not solemn or tedious. They fore- where we would have it for shelter.
stalled trouble by preparing for it, and were We took advantage of any momentary opening
guided, not deterred, by the danger inherent in in the ice to move toward open water, widening
their work. It is a pleasure to travel with such the channels with ice chisels, pushing with the
people. As in other walks of life, the person who twin 90-horsepower engines, the four of us heaving
feels compelled to dramatize the risks or is either at the stern and gunnels.6 We were angling for a
smugly complacent or eager to demonstrate his small patch of water within the pack. From there,
survival skills is someone you hope not to meet. it seemed, after a quick reconnoiter7 ahead on
Our camaraderie came from our enthusiasm for foot, we might be able to get out to the open sea.
the work and from exhilaration with the landscape, Thirty feet shy of our patch of water, we doubted
the daily contact with seabirds, seals, and fish. We the wisdom of taking ice chisels to one particular
rarely voiced these things to each other; they sur- chunk of weathered pressure ice that blocked our
faced in a word of encouragement or understanding path. Fractured the wrong way, its center of gravity
around rough work done in unending dampness would shift and the roll could take the boat under.
and cold. Our mutual regard was founded in the The only way around it was to pull the boat,
accomplishment of our tasks and was as important which weighed 3000 pounds, completely out of the
to our survival as the emergency gear stowed in a water. With an improvised system of ice anchors,
blue box forward of the steering console. lines, and block and tackle,8 and out of the terrific
We worked through the morning, sorting the desire to get free, we set to. We got the boat up on
contents of bottom trawls and vertical plankton the floe, across it, and back into the water.
tows.4 Around noon we shut the engines off and Had that been open water, we would have
drifted under overcast skies, eating our lunch. cheered. As it was, we exchanged quick glances
The seas were beginning to slap at the hull, but of justifiable but not foolish hope. While we had
we had another couple of hours before they built been winching the boat over the ice toward it, this
up to three or four feet—our match, comfortably. patch of water had been closing up. And another
We decided, then, to search for seals in the ice large floe still separated us from the ocean. Where
front before heading in. An hour later, by a the surf broke against it, it fell a sheer four feet to
movement of the ice so imperceptible it was fin- the sea. Even if we got the boat over that ice, we
ished before we realized it, we were cut off from could never launch it from such a precipice.
the sea. The wind, compacting the ice, was clos- Two stayed in the boat. I and one other went
ing off the channels of calm water where we had in opposite directions along the floe. Several
been cruising. We were suddenly 200 yards from hundred yards to the east I found a channel.
open water, and a large floe, turning off the wind I looked it over quickly and then signaled with
and folding in from the west, threatened to close the upraised shaft of my ice chisel for the others.
us off even deeper in the pack. Already we had It was barely negotiable to begin with, and in the
lost steerageway5—the boat was pinned at that few minutes it took to get the boat there, the
moment on all four sides. channel closed. We put the prow9 of the boat
In those first hours we worked wordlessly against the seaward floe and brought both
and diligently. We all knew what we faced. engines up to full power, trying to hold it against
Even if someone heard our distress call over the wind. The ice beside it continued to move
the radio, we could not tell him precisely east. The channel started to open. With the
where we were, and we were in pack ice mov- engines roaring, the gap opened to six feet. With
ing east. A three-day storm was coming on. a silent, implicit understanding each of us acted
The floes might crush the boat and drive it
6. The stern is the rear of a boat. The gunnel, or gunwale, is
4. Vertical plankton tows are funnel-shaped nets that are the upper edge of the side of a ship.
dropped into the water and lifted straight up to collect 7. Reconnoiter means “to survey.”
samples, such as plankton, from the water. 8. A block and tackle is a series of pulleys used to pull or lift a
5. Steerageway is the minimum rate of movement needed to heavy object.
make a boat respond to its rudder. 9. The prow, or bow, is the front of a boat.

BAR RY LOPEZ 609

 Informational Text
decisively. The man at the helm reversed the
engines, heeled the boat around, and burst up
the channel. We made 20 quick feet, careened
the boat over on its port10 gunnel, and pivoted
through a 120° turn. One ran ahead, chopping
swift and hard at the closing ice with a chisel.
Two of us heaved, jumping in and out of the
boat, stabbing at chunks of ice closing on the
props.11 One man remained at the throttles.
Suddenly he lunged away, yanking the star-
board12 engine clear of fouling ice. The man
ahead threw his ice chisel into the boat and
jumped across to help lift at the port gunnel. We
could feel how close. The starboard side of the
boat slid off the ice, into the water. The bow east, we would be able to run up on a leeward17
lifted on the open sea. There was nothing more shore somewhere and wait out the storm.
for our legs to strain against. We pulled ourselves We plowed ahead. Three of us stood hunched
over the gunnel and fell into the boat, limp as backward to the weather.
feed sacks. Exhausted. We were out. I began to recognize in the enduring steadiness
We were out, and the seas were running six another kind of calmness, or relief. The distance
feet. And we were miles now from a shore that we between my body and my thoughts slowly became
could not see. In the hours we had been in the elongated, and muffled like a dark, carpeted corri-
ice, the storm had built considerably, and we had dor. I realized I was cold, that I was shivering. I
been carried we did not know how far east. The sensed the dry pits of warmth under my clothes
seas were as much as the boat could handle, and and, against this, an opening and closing over my
too big to quarter13—we had to take them nearly chest, like cold breath. I realized with dreamlike
bow-on. The brief views from wave crests showed stillness that the whole upper right side of my body
us nothing. We could not see far enough through was soaked. The shoulder seams of my foul-weather
the driving sleet and spray, and the arctic coast gear were torn open.
here lies too low, anyway. We could only hope we I knew I had to get to dry clothes, to get them on.
were east of Pingok, the westernmost of the bar- But desire could not move my legs or arms. They
rier islands, and not to the west, headed down were too far away. I was staring at someone, then
into Harrison Bay,14 where the wind has a greater moving; the soaked clothes were coming off. I could
fetch15 and the shore is much farther on. not make a word in my mouth. I felt suspended in a
We took water over the bow and shouted shaft in the earth, and then imagined I was sitting
strategy to each other over the wind and the on a bare earthen floor somewhere within myself.
sound of engines screaming as the props came The knowledge that I was being slammed around
out of the water. We erected a canvas shelter for- like a wooden box in the bottom of the boat was like
ward to break the force of the sea and shed something I had walked away from.
water. We got all the weight we could out of the In dry wool and protected by a tarp from the seas,
bow. A resolute steadiness came over us. We I understood that I was safe; but I could not under-
were making headway. We were secure. If we did stand the duration of time. I could not locate any
not broach16 and if we were far enough to the visual image outside myself. I concentrated on try-
ing to gain a sense of the boat; and then on a rhyth-
mic tensing and loosening of my muscles. I kept at
10. Port is a ship’s left side. it and at it; then I knew time was passing. There
11. Here, props means “propellers.”
was a flow of time again. I heard a shout. I tried to
12. Starboard is a ship’s right side.
13. Here, quarter means “to travel in a crisscross manner.”
14. Harrison Bay is a shallow inlet of the Beaufort Sea.
15. Here, fetch means “intensity.” 17. Leeward, or the lee side, means “facing the same direction
16. Here, broach means “to be turned broadside into the wind.” toward which the wind is blowing.”

610 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Robert van der Hilst/CORBIS
 Informational Text
My God, what had driven them? All we know
is what we have deduced from the records of
early historians. And the deference those men
showed to their classical predecessors, to
Ptolemy, Solinus, and Isidore,19 their own
nationalism and religious convictions, their
vanity, and the shape of the ideas of their
age—all this affected what they expressed.
And when it was translated, or when they
themselves translated from others, interpola-
tions, adaptation, and plain error colored the
historical record further. So the early record of
arctic exploration is open to interpretation.
Small boat by iceberg in Disko Bay, Greenland. And this refined history is less real, less har-
rowing than what had happened to us in the
shout myself, and when I heard an answer I knew boat. It is events mulled and adjudicated.20
that I was at the edge of time again, and could just I wanted to walk the length of the seaside
step into it. I realized I was sitting up, that I was beach on Pingok, knowing the storm was dying
bracing myself against heavy seas. away. I brooded over the fates of those early
The shouts were for the coast. We had found immigrants, people whose names no one
Pingok. knows, who sailed in ships of which there are
We anchored the boat under the lee shore and neither descriptions nor drawings, through ice
went into the cabin and changed clothes and fixed and storms like this one—but so much farther
dinner. Our sense of relief came out in a patter of from a shore, with intentions and dreams I
jokes at each other’s expense. We ate quietly and could only imagine.
went to bed and slept like bears in winter. The earliest arctic voyages are recorded in
the Icelandic sagas and Irish imramha. But
The storm blew for two days. We nearly lost they were written down hundreds of years after
the boat when an anchor line parted, and got the fact by people who did not make the jour-
wet and cold again trying to secure it; but that neys, who only heard about them. The Norse
seemed no more than what we had chosen by Eddas21 and Icelandic sagas, wrote the arctic
coming here. I went for a long walk on the explorer and historian Fridtjof Nansen, are
afternoon of the second day, after the storm had “narratives somewhat in the light of historical
become only fretful gusts and sunlight threat- romances, founded upon legend and more or
ened to break through the low clouds. less uncertain traditions.” The same can be
I still felt a twinge of embarrassment at hav- said of the imramha and the records of Saint
ing been reduced from a state of strength to Brendan’s voyage,22 though in tone and inci-
such an impassive weight, to a state of disasso- dent these latter are different from the sagas.
ciation, so quickly. But I did not dwell on it In the following ages, beginning in a time
long. And we would go out again, when the before the sagas, the notion of a road to Cathay, a
seas dropped. We would go into the ice again.
We would watch more closely; but nothing,
19. Ptolemy (c. 85–c. 165 B.C.) was an Egyptian geographer and
really, had changed.
astronomer; Gaius Julius Solinus (third century A.D.) was a
With the experience so fresh in my mind, Latin grammarian who wrote a book titled The Wonders of
I began thinking of frail and exposed craft the World; Saint Isidore of Seville (560–636 A.D.) was a
as I walked down the beach, of the Irish car- Spanish theologian and historian.
raughs and Norse knarrs18 that brought people 20. Adjudicated means “settled” or “judged.”
21. The sagas, imramha, and Eddas are all tales of sea voyages.
across the Atlantic, bucking pack ice streaming 22. Saint Brendan (c. 484–c. 578 A.D.) was an Irish monk who
southward on the East Greenland Current. is said to have gone on a seven-year sea voyage in search
of the Garden of Eden. Some believe he found North
18. Carraughs and knarrs are both types of ships. America during this voyage.

BARRY LOPEZ 611

 Visions of achievement drove them
on. In the worst moments they were
held together by regard for each
other, by invincible bearing, or by
stern naval discipline. Whether one
finds such resourceful courage
among a group of young monks on
a spiritual voyage in a carraugh, or
among worldly sailors with John
Davis in the sixteenth century, or in
William Parry’s25 snug winter quar-
ters on Melville Island in 1819–20,
it is a sterling human quality.
In the journals and histories I
read of these journeys I was drawn
on by a sharp leaning in the
Tourist on Ellesmere Island. human spirit: pure desire—the
complexities of human passion and cupidity.
Northwest Passage,23 emerges. The quest for such
Someone, for example, had to pay for these trips;
a corridor, a path to wealth that had to be fol-
and whoever paid was looking for a way to be paid
lowed through a perilous landscape, gathers the
back. Rarely was the goal anything as selfless as an
dreams of several ages. Rooted in this search is one
increase in mankind’s geographical knowledge. An
of the oldest of all human yearnings—finding the
arctic voyage in quest of unknown riches, or of a
material fortune that lies beyond human struggle,
new passage to known riches, could mean tangible
and the peace that lies on the other side of hope.
wealth for investors, and it could mean fame and
I should emphasize two points. Few original doc-
social position for a captain or pilot. For a com-
uments point up the unadorned character, the
mon seaman the reward might only mean some
undisguised sensibilities, of the participants in these
slip of the exotic, or a chance at the riches him-
dramas. And the most common simile of compari-
self—at the very least a good story, probably some-
son for these journeys—the exploits of astronauts—
thing astounding. Enough, certainly, to sign on.
falls short. The astronaut is suitably dressed for his
As I read, I tried to imagine the singular hunger
work, professionally trained, assiduously looked
for such things, how desire alone might convey a
after en route, and nationally regarded. He possesses
group of people into those fearsome seas. The
superb tools of navigation and observation. The
achievement of one’s desires may reveal what one
people who first came into the Arctic had no pho-
considers moral; but it also reveals the aspiration
tograph of the far shore before they left. They sailed
and tack of an individual life, and the tenor of an
in crude ships with cruder tools of navigation, and
age. In this light, one can better understand fail-
with maps that had no foundation or geographic
ures of nerve in the Arctic, such as Bering’s in the
authority. They shipwrecked so often that it is dif-
Chukchi Sea in 1728—he simply did not have
ficult to find records of their deaths, because ship-
Peter the Great’s26 burning desire to define eastern
wreck and death were unremarkable at the time.
Russia. And one can better understand figures in
They received, for the most part, no support—pop-
arctic exploration so obsessed with their own
ular or financial. They suffered brutally and fatally
from the weather and from scurvy,24 starvation,
Eskimo hostility, and thirst. Their courage and 25. Sir William Parry (1790–1855), a British explorer, discovered
and named several islands in the Arctic, including the
determination in some instances were so extreme as inhospitable Melville Island, where he and his group were
to seem eerie and peculiar rather than heroic. forced to spend a winter because of sea ice.
26. Vitus Bering (1681–1741) was a Danish-born Russian
23. Cathay is an old name for China; the Northwest Passage is explorer. The Russian tsar Peter the Great chose Bering to
a route through the Arctic that passes from the Atlantic discover whether Asia and North America were connected.
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Heavy fog caused Bering to return to Russia, where he was
24. Scurvy is a disease brought on by lack of vitamin C. criticized for not actually seeing the American coast.

612 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M

Brian A. Vikander/CORBIS
 Informational Text
achievement that they found it irksome to acknowl- naval officers, behind the self-conscious prose
edge the Eskimos, unnamed companions, and inde- of dashing explorers, were the lives of coura-
fatigable dogs who helped them. geous, bewildered, and dreaming people. Some
Arctic history became for me, then, a legacy reports suggest that heroic passage took place
of desire—the desire of individual men to achieve for many just offstage. They make clear that
their goals. But it was also the legacy of a kind of others struggled mightily to find some meaning
desire that transcends heroics and which was pri- in what they were doing in those regions, for
vately known to many—the desire for a safe and the very act of exploration seemed to them at
honorable passage through the world. times completely mad. They wanted to feel that
As I walked the beach I stopped now and then what they were doing was necessary, if not for
to pick over something on the storm-hardened themselves then for the nation, for mankind.
shore—bits of whale vertebrae, waterlogged The literature of arctic exploration is fre-
feathers, the odd but ubiquitous piece of plastic, quently offered as a record of resolute will
a strict reminder against romance. before the menacing fortifications of the land-
The narratives I carried in my head that scape. It is more profitable I think to disregard
afternoon fascinated me, but not for what they this notion—that the land is an adversary bent
recorded of geographic accomplishment or for on human defeat, that the people who came
how they might be used in support of one side and went were heroes or failures in this. It is
or another of a controversy, such as whether better to contemplate the record of human
Frederick Cook or Robert Peary27 got to the longing to achieve something significant, to be
Pole first. They held the mind because of what free of some of the grim weight of life. That
they said about human endeavor. Behind the weight was ignorance, poverty of spirit, indo-
polite and abstemious journal entries of British lence, and the threat of anonymity and desti-
tution. This harsh landscape became the focus
of a desire to separate oneself from those
27. Frederick Cook (1865–1940) and Robert Peary (1856–1920)
were both American explorers. While Peary is usually listed
things and to overcome them. In these arctic
as the first person to reach the North Pole (in April 1909), narratives, then, are the threads of dreams that
Cook claimed to have reached it in 1908. serve us all.

R ES P O N D I N G AN D TH I N K I N G C R ITI CALLY
Respond Analyze and Evaluate
1. What part of this narrative did you find the most 4. How do Lopez’s descriptions at the end of this
engaging? Explain. excerpt compare with Jack London’s descriptions at
the end of “To Build a Fire”?
Recall and Interpret
5. Lopez recounts the stories of earlier arctic explorers.
2. (a)How does Lopez feel about the scientists with Do you agree that in these stories are “the threads
whom he worked? (b)Why is the quality of their of dreams that serve us all”? Why or why not?
relationships important?
3. (a)How does the boat become stuck in the ice? Connect
(b)What does this incident suggest about the arctic 6. Briefly describe some of the differences and similari-
environment? (c)What does it suggest about the ties in the settings of Arctic Dreams and “To Build a
expedition? Fire.” How do these settings affect the events of each?

O B J EC TIVES
• Read to enhance understanding of geography and American • Analyze the relevance of setting to a text’s meaning.
culture.

BARRY LOPEZ 613

 Writing Workshop
Literary Analysis

The Writing Process

➥ Analyzing a Short Story
In this workshop, you will “The difference between the almost right word and the right
follow the stages of the writing
word is the difference between the lightning-bug and the
process. At any stage, you may
think of new ideas to include lightning.”
and better ways to express —Mark Twain, from “William Dean Howells”
them. Feel free to return to
earlier stages as you write.

Prewriting Connecting to Literature Mark Twain’s quotation analyzes the importance of

precise word choice in writing. This comment is a kind of literary analysis—a
Drafting close-up view of a literary work. When writing a literary analysis of a short story,
Revising
first consider your immediate impression of the story. Then as you reread the
story, you can look for themes and techniques that contributed to your impres-
➥ Focus Lesson: Improving
Sentence Variety and Style
sion. By analyzing these elements, you will clarify the deeper meanings and
understand how they are revealed in the story. Study the rubric below to learn
the goals and strategies for writing a successful literary analysis.
Editing & Proofreading

➥ Focus Lesson: Subject-Verb

Agreement
Rubric: Features of Literary Analysis Essays
Goals Strategies
Presenting
Analyze important and original ✓ Show how language, imagery, themes,
aspects of the story and original aspects of the text contribute
to the story’s meaning as a whole

Write a concise thesis statement ✓ Begin with your thesis, or your

interpretation of the story you will
analyze
Writing Models For models ✓ In the conclusion, restate your thesis
and other writing activities, go to
www.glencoe.com. and summarize your analysis

Support your analysis with ✓ Use evidence from the story to support
evidence and develop your analysis
✓ Use secondary sources such as
OB J EC TIVES dictionaries and literary criticism, if
• Write a literary analysis essay
applicable, as further support
to demonstrate an under-
standing of the author’s style
and an appreciation of the Organize your main points in a ✓ Organize your major points in
effects created. logical, effective order chronological order or in order of
• Advance a judgment of the
importance
text supported by evidence.

614 UNIT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

 Exposition

º Assignment Real-World Connection

Write a literary analysis essay about a story from the unit that shows how You analyze all the time,
the author’s language, characters, plot, setting, themes, and other elements particularly when making
of the text contribute to the story’s meaning. As you move through the important decisions. If you
stages of the writing process, keep your audience and purpose in mind. were choosing which col-
lege to go to, for example,
you might consider sev-
Audience: peers, classmates, and teachers who are familiar with the story
eral separate angles first:
Purpose: to demonstrate an understanding of the author’s style and whether you liked the
appreciation of the effects created programs offered, the size
of the school, and the
location. Then, you could
determine whether the
Analyzing a Professional Model
complete package made
In her literary analysis essay, Bettina L. Knapp analyzes the effects of terror on the sense for you.
crew in Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat.” As you read the following passage,
note how Knapp uses direct evidence from the story and explains the significance
of that evidence. Pay close attention to the comments in the margin. They point
out features that you may want to include in your own literary analysis.

From Stephen Crane: Tales of Adventure

by Bettina L. Knapp

“None of them knew the color of the sky,” is perhaps one of the most cele-
brated opening lines of any short story. The opening line conveys the fierce
struggle between finite man and the infinitude that engulfs him—as in
Melville’s Moby-Dick. The sea for Crane, as it is for Melville, is “the image Thesis
of the ungraspable phantom of life.” Make a concise judgment
that analyzes a literary
The men’s agony at not knowing their fate is underscored by the power of
element, such as theme,
those surging waters—waves that could sweep the men under at any moment. throughout the story.
“The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, at all times its edge
Major Points
was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks.” Make sure that your major
Man, like the helpless survivors in the boat, is thrust here and there and points support your thesis.

floats about in utter helplessness. No matter how hard people try to fix and
direct themselves, they are castaways. Salvation—if there is one—lies in the
bonds between men that assuage their implacable solitude.

The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave
came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence out-
rageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water
is a mystic thing, and moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these

WRIT ING WO RKSHOP 615

 problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each
wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air.

Crane’s use of changing rhythms throughout the tale points up the terror
Analysis of Literary Element
of the dinghy’s passengers and exemplifies the utter senselessness of exis-
Analyze language, set-
ting, character, and tence itself.
unique aspects of the Crane suggests that if an observer were to look upon the events objec-
text to show how these
tively, viewing them “from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtless have
elements contribute to
the story’s meaning as a been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and
whole.
even if they had had leisure, there were other things to occupy their minds.”
Primary Source Values of virtue, bravery, integrity were once of importance, but now are
Support your analysis meaningless in a godless universe where nature observes impassively human
with direct evidence
despair and frustration. Yet, the harrowing sea journey creates a new moral-
from the story.
ity, which gives fresh meaning to life: “the brotherhood of men . . . was
Explanation of Evidence
established on the seas. No one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But
Draw connections
between your evidence it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him.” Comfort and feelings of
and your thesis, and well-being emerge as each helps the other assuage his growing terror.
explain the significance
to your reader.
In the midst of fear and harrowing terror, there is also irony and humor:

If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am

going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule
the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?
Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about
to nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-
woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the
management of men’s fortunes. She is an old hen who knows not her
intention. If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it in the
beginning and save me all this trouble. The whole affair is absurd. . . .
But, no, she cannot mean to drown me. Not after all this work.

A mystical relationship exists between the men in the dinghy—and the

sea and heavens. Crane feels compelled to point out man’s smallness, to set
him back into nature and reduce him to size.
Explanation of Conversations between the oiler and the cook, seemingly trivial, since they
Ambiguities
revolve around food—“What kind of pie do you like best?”—serve in reality
Identify and explain
ambiguities, complexi- to point out the absurdity of humankind’s preoccupations. They also act as
ties, and nuances in the a way of dispelling progressive terror. As for the captain, he is ridiculed; the
text to reveal additional
men laugh at him, again distracting themselves from their great fear of death.
layers of meaning.
The sight of a shark heightens the men’s dreadful tension. Crane does not
mention the shark by name, but the reader can almost hear the shark’s fin cut

616 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A ND RE AL IS M

 Exposition
the water’s surface and see its phosphorescent gleaming body. Like the
survivors of “Raft of the Medusa,” whose harrowing episode is famous
in French maritime history, the men in the dinghy do not know there is a
lifesaving station twenty miles away.
Organization
When the ordeal is over, the men, safely on land, look back at the water:
Order your analysis in a
“white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the logical, effective way, such
sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they as by chronological order.

could then be interpreters.” The narrator’s voice withdraws, as it were, from

the chaotic drama, introducing a sense of spatial and temporal distance. Explanation of Evidence

Comfortable on land, the narrator can indulge in the luxury of waxing poetic Draw your own conclu-
sions about your evi-
and thus transform subjective emotions into a work of art. dence, making sure to
Its poetry and rhythmic schemes make “The Open Boat” the match of connect it to your thesis.

Melville’s “White Jacket” and the best of Jack London and Joseph Conrad.
This tale’s unusually punctuated sentences of contrasting length simulate the
Conclusion
heart beat of a man under extreme stress, producing an incantatory quality.
Summarize your thesis
Crane’s sensual images of man struggling against the sea remain vivid long and major points, and
after the reading of “The Open Boat.” The salt spray and deafening roar of leave your reader with
something to think about.
the waves pounding against the dinghy can almost be tasted and heard.

Reading-Writing Connection Think about the writing techniques that you

just encountered and try them out in your own expository literary analysis.

Prewriting
Choose a Story to Analyze First decide which story in the unit to analyze.
It need not be the story you liked best or the one you understood the best. In
fact, the best essays often analyze challenging stories that initially leave the
reader with mixed feelings or unanswered questions. Choose a story that left
you with a strong impression and will give you enough to talk about in your
analysis.

Explore Your Story Once you select your story, review it to gain a com-
prehensive understanding of the text. Remember that analyzing a text means
looking at its separate parts individually and then determining how the parts
work together as a whole. Focus on a literary element—such as character,
setting, plot, theme, point of view, or style—to examine significant ideas
apparent throughout the text. For example, think about how a character
changes or how the setting or point of view influences the meaning of the
story. As you explore your story, look for patterns and recurring themes that
contribute to its overall meaning.

WRIT ING WO RKSHOP 617

Brand X Pictures
 Test Prep
The Duchess: Her Mother Shipton:
Usually you cannot refer selflessness and Her compassion and
to notes or texts during concern for Piney sacrifice for others
essay tests. To prepare are revealed. are revealed.
for a literary analysis
essay test, make sure
that you are familiar Uncle Billy: He Piney Woods: She
with the details of the
remains a thief. remains innocent,
plot, the themes, and
optimistic, and obedient.
the characters in the Mr. Oakhurst: His
story. Although you ability to lead, Tom Simson: He
will not be expected to honor, and respect remains innocent,
quote from the text, try others, as well as a cheerful, and
to memorize one or two possible cowardice, obedient.
short, significant quota- are revealed.
tions to bolster your
argument. Analysis: The devastating storm reveals
the true nature of each character.

Clarify Your Thesis In a literary analysis essay, your thesis should be a concise
judgment that interprets, analyzes, and evaluates a specific element throughout
Multiple Interpretations the entire story. Your one- to two-sentence thesis statement should include the
element you will analyze and the conclusion you reached about the story.
Keep in mind that great
stories usually have
Gather Evidence As you develop your major points, remember to support your
many valid interpreta-
ideas and viewpoints with evidence—accurate, detailed references to the story.
tions. In your literary
The story will be your primary source, but you can use secondary sources such
analysis, briefly address
as dictionaries and literary criticism to reinforce your claims. A strong argument
other interpretations
depends on the ability to make clear to the reader connections between such
or counterarguments
evidence and the thesis. After giving evidence, explain its significance to your
but keep your analysis
argument, noting other possible interpretations.
focused. Use words
such as suggests in your
Organize Your Major Points In the body of your essay, organize your major
analysis to acknowledge
points in an effective, logical order. If you are analyzing a change that occurs in
that there may be other
the story, use chronological order. In other analyses, you may prefer to use order
valid interpretations.
of importance. Adjust the order to maximize the impact of your points.

Drafting
Present and Expand Your Points Present your major points in a straightforward,
logical way and back them up with direct evidence from the story. Maintain the pres-
ent tense throughout your literary analysis. Use direct quotations where appropriate,
especially to emphasize a point. As you discuss more complex interpretations and
connections, explain the significance of your evidence to the reader and clarify how
it supports your thesis. Using your thesis as a guide, revise your writing as necessary.

618 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A ND RE AL IS M

 Exposition

Analyzing a Workshop Model

Here is a final draft of a literary analysis essay. Read the essay and answer the
questions in the margin. Use the answers to these questions to guide you as
you write your own essay.

In Search of Character: Defying

Reputation in “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”
In many works of literature, an outside event affects the lives of char-
acters and the community in which they live. Often this outside event
functions as a turning point, after which characters reveal their true
natures and behave accordingly. Ultimately, their actions change not
only the way others think, but also the course of events. In Bret Harte’s Author and Title
story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” a group of “improper persons” is Why is this information
necessary?
banished from Poker Flat and becomes trapped in a mountain cabin
during a snowstorm. The behavior resulting from the storm and sub- Element to Analyze
sequent entrapment reveals the true character of these outcasts, often How does stating this
belying or complicating their earlier reputations. information strengthen
the analysis?
The outcasts include Mr. Oakhurst, a gambler; Mother Shipton, a vul-
Thesis
gar, malevolent woman; the Duchess, a self-absorbed, wanton woman; What is the author’s con-
and Uncle Billy, a thief—all of whom have questionable backgrounds clusion about the story?

and reputations. Had the outcasts left Poker Flat and crossed over the Background

mountains, they would most likely have reached Sand Bar and continued Why is this information
important to the analysis?
to live as they had previously in Poker Flat. However, Mother Shipton,
the Duchess, and Billy become intoxicated along the way, and the group
is forced to stop for the night.
While the other members of the group act as might be expected of out-
Major Point
casts, Mr. Oakhurst shows signs of good judgment and concern for others.
How does this point help
He does not drink, and he remains cool and impassive during the journey.
develop the analysis?
While the others are forced to rest because of their drunken stupor, Mr.
Oakhurst contemplates “the loneliness begotten of his pariah trade, his habits
of life, his very vices,” and for the first time in his life, his behavior bothers Primary Source
him (508). Although he yearns for excitement, he does not desert “his weaker How do these quotations
contribute to the analysis?
and more pitiable companions” (508). The diction suggests that Mr. Oakhurst
sympathizes with the group, even as their irresponsibility puts his own life at
risk. Later, the narrator suggests that the gambler has “cachéd” his cards, and

WRIT ING WO RKSHOP 619

 Mother Shipton notes that he “didn’t say ‘cards’ once” (512). Despite his own
yearnings, Mr. Oakhurst focuses on others instead of himself.
With the arrival of Tom Simson and Piney Wood, a young couple eloping
to Poker Flat, the group’s fate is sealed. The snowstorm that traps them in
the cabin reveals their true characters. At the first sign of snow, Uncle Billy
reveals his cowardice and selfishness. During the night, he runs away with
the group’s mules, suggesting that in his case, his reputation is accurate.
Billy is the same selfish thief on the inside that everyone saw on the outside.
Conversely, Mr. Oakhurst takes charge of the group and establishes a tone
that the others adopt. Unable to “bring himself to disclose Uncle Billy’s ras-
cality,” Mr. Oakhurst implies that Billy left to get provisions for the group,
and that letting the animals escape was accidental (511). Mr. Oakhurst’s
concerns are mostly for Piney, and he tries not to let anyone frighten her. He
warns the older women, “They’ll find out the truth about us all when they
find out anything . . . and there’s no good frightening them now” (511). The
two older women follow his understated yet commanding lead, and eventu-
ally their concern for Piney overshadows their concern for themselves.
Tom, nicknamed “The Innocent,” encourages an atmosphere of gaiety
Sentence Variety and Style during the snowstorm. Singing and laughing, he and Piney remain unaware
Improvement
of the impending danger. Mr. Oakhurst does nothing to diminish their enjoy-
How does the author
make this paragraph ment, even as he fears what may lie ahead, and Mother Shipton and the
fluid and interesting? Duchess follow his example.
Organization
The characters most fully reveal their true selves as the gravity of the situa-
How is the analysis
tion becomes apparent. The storm stops, but it is still too cold for the group to
organized, and why is
this organization logical? risk leaving the cabin. The music and storytelling can no longer substitute for
physical necessities, as food and fuel supplies run dangerously low by the end
of the week. Despite the gravity of the situation, the Duchess is “more cheer-
ful than she had been” and assumes the care of Piney (513). Mother Shipton,
once the strongest of the group, grows noticeably ill. Her true character is
revealed when she shows Mr. Oakhurst the reason for her failing health: she
has been setting aside her food rations for Piney instead of eating them herself.
She asks Mr. Oakhurst not to “say anything about it. Don’t waken the kids”
(513). Beneath her hard exterior is compassion that induces Mother Shipton,
without fanfare, to sacrifice her life for another. After Mr. Oakhurst sends Tom
to Poker Flat for supplies, Mr. Oakhurst decides to leave the cabin as well.
Gradually the Duchess realizes that he will not make it back. She shields Piney
from the sad news, and continues to protect Piney as best as she can. When the

620 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A ND RE AL IS M

Digital Vision/PunchStock
 Exposition
two die together peacefully in each other’s arms, the Duchess’s nobility in
the final days of her life becomes apparent. The narrator notes the towns-
people’s reaction to the women’s embrace: “you could scarcely have told
from the equal peace that dwelt upon them which was she that had sinned”
(514). This suggests that in the eyes of the now “pitying” townspeople, the Explanation of Evidence
Duchess’s reputation has been restored. They leave the women’s bodies How does this sentence
strengthen the analysis?
untouched.
Although the character of Mr. Oakhurst changes during the event, his is
the most ambiguous characterization of the group. Although Uncle Billy,
Piney, and Tom remain unchanged throughout the event, and Mother Shipton
and the Duchess reveal a strength of character diametrically opposed to
Explanation of Ambiguity
what is expected, Mr. Oakhurst is “at once the strongest and yet the weakest
What does identifying and
of the outcasts” (514). Some may interpret his suicide as cowardice, as he explaining ambiguities
chooses to kill himself, ending his own suffering and shielding himself from add to the analysis?

the agony of others’ suffering. This final unspoken sacrifice, however, has
much in common with Mother Shipton’s sacrifice. Mr. Oakhurst leaves extra Counterargument
Why might the author
fuel for the others and spares the women from perceiving the grim reality
include a point that under-
of his mission. Assuming death to be inevitable, he confronts it calmly and mines his or her thesis?
directly, on his own terms. The tone of Mr. Oakhurst’s suicide note reflects
the attitude he adheres to before and throughout the snowstorm—namely,
that he is “too much of a gambler not to accept fate. With him life was at best
an uncertain game, and he recognized the usual percentage in favor of the
dealer” (507). The fact that Mr. Oakhurst recognized his “streak of bad luck”
and was able to accept his fate and “[hand] in his checks” suggests that sui-
cide, for him, was the most honest and honorable option (514).
Thus, the snowstorm and its aftermath, in “The Outcasts of Poker Restatement of Thesis
Flat,” reveal the true depth and complexity of the characters. The fatal Why might the author
restate the thesis in the
event shows that Billy’s weak character confirms his bad reputation,
conclusion of the analysis?
whereas the stronger characters of Mother Shipton and the Duchess belie
their reputations. Although he gives up playing cards and shows concern
for others over himself, Mr. Oakhurst retains the discretion, calm, and
Final Insight
acceptance of a gambler until his death. His reputation as a gambler is
How can adding a final
not so much contradicted as it is redefined. insight make an analysis
more compelling?

WRIT ING WO RKSHOP 621

 Revising
Peer Review After you complete your literary analysis, exchange drafts with a
partner to help you identify areas of your essay that can be improved. Check to
Traits of Strong Writing confirm that the organization is logical and that the ideas are clear and support
Ideas message or the thesis. Remember to refer to the traits of strong writing.
theme and the details
that develop it
Use the rubric below to evaluate your writing.

Organization arrange- Rubric: Writing an Effective Literary Analysis

ment of main ideas and
✓ Do you examine important aspects of the text separately to determine how they
supporting details
contribute to the story’s meaning as a whole?
Voice writer’s unique ✓ Do you state your conclusions about the story in a concise thesis in your intro-
way of using tone and duction?
style
✓ Do you use direct evidence from the story to support and develop your analysis?
Word Choice vocabulary
a writer uses to convey
✓ Do you identify and explain complexities, ambiguities, and nuances?
meaning ✓ Do you organize your main points in a logical, effective order?
Sentence Fluency
rhythm and flow of º Focus Lesson
sentences

Conventions correct
Improving Sentence Variety and Style
spelling, grammar, As you revise, note the style and variety of your sentences. Do your sentences
usage, and mechanics flow smoothly from one idea to the next, or do they sound choppy? Combine
sentences and vary sentence structure to achieve more fluid, rhythmic sentences.
Presentation the way
words and design ele- Draft:
ments look on a page

For more information Billy is the same selfish thief that everyone thought he was. Mr. Oakhurst
on using the Traits of
is different. He takes charge of the group. He sets a tone that the others
Strong Writing, see
pages R33-R34 of the follow. He does not even “disclose Uncle Billy’s rascality” (511). Mr.
Writing Handbook. Oakhurst implies that Billy left to get provisions for the group. Letting the
animals escape was accidental.

Revision:

Billy is the same selfish thief on the inside that everyone saw on the
outside.1 Conversely,2 Mr. Oakhurst takes charge of the group and sets a
tone that the others adopt. Unable to “bring himself to disclose Uncle Billy’s
rascality,” Mr. Oakhurst implies that Billy left to get provisions for the group
and that letting the animals escape was accidental (511).3
1: Use parallelism to emphasize the relationship between ideas.
2: Use sentence openers on occasion to add stylistic interest.
3: Vary the length and structure of sentences by combining related sentences.

622 UNIT 4 REG I O N A L I S M A ND RE AL IS M

 Exposition

Editing and Proofreading

Get It Right When you have completed the final draft of your essay, proofread
for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Refer to the Language
Handbook, pages R53–R60, as a guide.

º Focus Lesson

Subject-Verb Agreement E-mail Exchange

The form of a verb must agree in person and number with its subject. It can Create an electronic
be difficult to identify the subject, however, when the subject is a collective word document of your
noun (a noun that names a group as a whole). A collective noun is usually essay and e-mail it to
considered singular. Note the examples. a peer reviewer. Ask
him or her to edit and
proofread the essay and
Problem: Incorrect identification of a collective noun as subject return the corrected
version to you.
While some of the group acts as might be expected of outcasts, Mr.
Oakhurst shows signs of good judgment and concern for others.

Solution: The plural indefinite pronoun some, not the singular collective
noun group, is the subject here and therefore requires a plural verb.

While some of the group act as might be expected of outcasts, Mr.

Oakhurst shows signs of good judgment and concern for others.

Problem: Incorrect identification of a collective noun as plural

However, Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and Billy become intoxicated
along the way, and the group are forced to stop for the night.

Solution: When a collective noun refers to a group as a whole, it is

considered singular and therefore requires a singular verb.

However, Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and Billy become intoxicated

along the way, and the group is forced to stop for the night.

Presenting
Writer’s Portfolio
The Right Look Before you turn in your paper, make sure that it is neat and
presentable. Papers should be typed (double-spaced) and should have appropriate Place a copy of your
margins. Be sure to include an interesting title that catches your reader’s attention literary analysis in
from the start. Check with your teacher for additional presentation guidelines. your portfolio to
review later.

WRIT ING WO RKSHOP 623

 Speaking, Listening,
and Viewing Workshop
Delivering an Oral Response to
Literature

Connecting to Literature After reading thought-provoking literature such as

“To Build a Fire,” readers often enjoy expressing their opinions and interpretations.
Participating in group discussion is a useful way for people to express their
responses to literature and enhance their understanding of a piece of writing.
Discussion helps people solve problems, explore ideas, and exchange information.

Assignment
▲

Working in groups, discuss and respond to the major

themes in “To Build a Fire” or another literary work.

Setting Time Limits Organizing a Discussion Group

Set time limits for your
group to ensure that When you wrote your expository literary analysis, you were addressing an
enough time is allowed for audience of readers. When you participate in a group discussion, each member
discussion of each idea or contributes ideas. Assign roles, such as facilitator and recorder, to members of
topic. your group. Each group member is to be equally responsible for discussion.

This chart will help you understand these roles.

Facilitator
✓ Introduces the discussion topic ✓ Keeps track of the time
✓ Invites each participant to speak ✓ Helps participants arrive at a
✓ Keeps the discussion focused consensus
and interactive
Group Participants (All)
✓ Form ideas and questions about ✓ Support any opinions with facts
the literature before discussion ✓ Listen carefully to other group
✓ Contribute throughout the members
discussion ✓ Evaluate and respect the
✓ Avoid repeating what has been opinions of others
said earlier
Recorder
✓ Helps the group leader form ✓ Keeps track of the most
conclusions based on the important points
discussion ✓ Helps summarize the discussion

624 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
Thinking About Your Topic
Let your mind play with the images of the story. What impressions do the images
spark in you? Begin with one particular event or image and let your responses branch
out from it. Use these responses to help you brainstorm about ideas for discussion. Show Respect
Group members will probably
Making a web diagram can be helpful in preparing your oral response to have different opinions about
literature. Below is the beginning of a web diagram for a scene from Jack elements of a text. However, it
London’s “To Build a Fire.” is important to let each person
have a turn to speak and to
1,000 feeling respect his or her views.
miles to go of isolation

Behind the man Ask Questions

are only snow and a
distant trail line. Respond to your classmates;
don’t just listen. Ask group
members to elaborate on
their ideas or to clarify their
comments. Group discussion
should be interactive.
Preparing for Discussion
Think about some ideas and responses you would like to share with your group.
Use the following questions to guide you as you prepare and deliver your oral
response to the literature:

• Have I thought about questions and ideas for discussion?

• Am I prepared to contribute throughout the entire discussion?
• Am I clearly stating my views when responding?
• Am I supporting my views with text evidence and background information?
• Are my ideas presented in a logical order?

Rubric: Techniques for Delivering an Oral Response to Literature

✓ Pacing Allow each group ✓ Listening Remain quiet until it
member time to voice his or is your turn to speak.
her opinion.
✓ Discussion Ask open-ended ✓ Focus Direct your attention on
questions to promote the group member who is
discussion. speaking. O B J ECTIV ES

✓ Delivery Encourage more ✓ Poise Use nonverbal communi-

• Orally express and explain
ideas about literature.
reserved group members to cation to show you understand • Encourage group members
to contribute ideas and
voice their opinions. what the speaker is saying.
express their points of view.
✓ Evaluation Set aside some ✓ Gestures Avoid nervous habits
time after discussion to and other movements that may
evaluate the group’s ability to distract the speaker.
work together.

SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING WO RKSHOP 6 25

 L ITER ATU R E OF TH E TI M E

For Independent Reading

T
HE LATE 1800S AND EARLY 1900S SAW GREAT DEVELOPMENTS IN
technology, industry, and science. As the world changed, novelists found inspira-
tion in various places. Some, like Henry James, turned inward. These writers
used insights from the developing field of psychology and focused on the thoughts and
perceptions of their characters. Other writers, like Frank Norris, were struck by the tur-
moil of rapid industrialization and portrayed the vast, impersonal economic forces that
were overwhelming individuals. Still others, such as Mark Twain, focused on reflecting
the regional lifestyles in the United States, using humor and satire to portray greater
truths about human nature and U.S. culture.

The Octopus
Frank Norris (1901)
Frank Norris was the first notable Naturalist
writer in the United States. The Octopus was
the opening novel in an unfinished trilogy—he
died before the final book was written—that
examines the social forces that drive agriculture
and industry. In The Octopus, Norris describes
the struggle between the railroad companies and
California wheat farmers, exposing the dangers
of concentrated economic power. The railroads
have become a multi-tentacled monster,
dominating every aspect of life, from the state
legislature to the very land the farmers work.
Farmers fight back, only to learn that the
railroads have become the masters of those
The Ambassadors they were intended to serve.

Henry James (1903)

In The Ambassadors, James explores the
collision of American and European culture
through the story of Louis Lambert Strether, a
middle-aged American sent to Paris to coerce
a young American, Chadwick Newsome, to
return home. However, the task proves harder
than expected for Strether, especially as he
finds himself becoming increasingly enamored
with Europe. Notably, James considered this
novel to be his best work.

626 UNIT 4 R EG I O N A L I S M A N D RE AL IS M
 CRITICS’ CORNER

“The Concord, Mass. Public Library committee has decided to exclude

Mark Twain’s latest book from the library. One member of the committee
says that, while he does not wish to call it immoral, he thinks [it] contains
but little humor, and that of a very coarse type. He regards it as the veriest
trash. The librarian and the other members of the committee entertain
similar views, characterizing it as rough, coarse and inelegant, dealing with
a series of experiences not elevating, the whole book being more suited to
the slums than to intelligent, respectable people.”
—The Boston Transcript, March 17, 1885

From the Glencoe Literature Library

The Red Badge

of Courage
Stephen Crane
A young Civil War recruit
contemplates the meaning
of courage as he faces battle.

The Jungle
Upton Sinclair
This shocking story of
The Adventures of an immigrant family
Huckleberry Finn working in Chicago’s
meatpacking industry led
Mark Twain (1885) to the establishment of
In his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry the Food and Drug
Finn, Mark Twain describes the travels of the Administration.
runaway orphan Huck and his new friend Jim,
an African American fleeing slavery and the
South. Huck’s reflections on various aspects Heart of Darkness
of life in the prewar South are delivered in a Joseph Conrad
slangy, colloquial voice that will serve as a
model for later writers. The episodic story In this symbolic tale, a
moves between satire, slapstick, and touching man describes a dark and
portrayals of the relationship between Huck dangerous trip he took to
and Jim. investigate a Belgian trader
in the Congo.

LITERATUR E OF T HE TIME 627

 Test Preparation and Practice
English Language Arts

Reading: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Image

Carefully read the following two passages. Use context clues to help you define any words with
which you are unfamiliar. In each selection, pay close attention to the author’s purpose, main
idea, and use of literary or rhetorical devices. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, answer the
questions on pages 631–633.

from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

line
When he opened his eyes again it was to the
clanging of the bell of an ambulance. He was lying in
it, covered by a blanket, and it was threading its way
slowly through the holiday-shopping crowds. They took
5 him to the county hospital, where a young surgeon set
his arm; then he was washed and laid upon a bed in
a ward with a score or two more of maimed and
mangled men.
Jurgis spent his Christmas in this hospital,
10 and it was the pleasantest Christmas he had had
in America. Every year there were scandals and
investigations in this institution, the newspapers
charging that doctors were allowed to try fantastic
experiments upon the patients; but Jurgis knew
15 nothing of this—his only complaint was that they
used to feed him upon tinned meat, which no man
who had ever worked in Packingtown would feed
to his dog. Jurgis had often wondered just who ate
the canned corned beef and “roast beef” of the
20 stockyards; now he began to understand—that it was
what you might call “graft meat,” put up to be sold to
public officials and contractors, and eaten by soldiers
and sailors, prisoners and inmates of institutions,
“shantymen” and gangs of railroad laborers.
25 Jurgis was ready to leave the hospital at the
end of two weeks. This did not mean that his arm
was strong and that he was able to go back to work,
but simply that he could get along without further

628 UNIT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

 attention, and that his place was needed for some
30 one worse off than he. That he was utterly helpless,
and had no means of keeping himself alive in the
meantime, was something which did not concern
the hospital authorities, nor any one else in the city.
As it chanced, he had been hurt on a
35 Monday, and had just paid for his last week’s board
and his room rent, and spent nearly all the balance
of his Saturday’s pay. He had less than seventy-five
cents in his pockets, and a dollar and a half due him
for the day’s work he had done before he was hurt.
40 He might possibly have sued the company, and got
some damages for his injuries, but he did not know
this, and it was not the company’s business to tell
him. He went and got his pay and his tools, which
he left in a pawnshop for fifty cents. Then he went
45 to his landlady, who had rented his place and had no
other for him; and then to his boardinghouse keeper,
who looked him over and questioned him. As he
must certainly be helpless for a couple of months,
and had boarded there only six weeks, she decided
50 very quickly that it would not be worth the risk to
keep him on trust.
So Jurgis went out into the streets, in a most
dreadful plight. It was bitterly cold, and a heavy
snow was falling, beating into his face. He had no
55 overcoat, and no place to go, and two dollars and
sixty-five cents in his pocket, with the certainty that
he could not earn another cent for months.

from How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis

line
The twenty-five cent lodging-house keeps
up the pretence of a bedroom, though the head-high
partition enclosing a space just large enough to hold
a cot and a chair and allow the man room to pull off
5 his clothes is the shallowest of all pretences. The
fifteen-cent bed stands boldly forth without screen
in a room full of bunks with sheets as yellow and
blankets as foul. At the ten-cent level the locker for
the sleeper’s clothes disappears. There is no longer
10 need of it. The tramp limit is reached, and there is
nothing to lock up save, on general principles, the
lodger. Usually the ten- and seven-cent lodgings are

TE S T P RE PA RATIO N A N D P RACTICE 6 29
 different grades of the same abomination. Some sort
of an apology for a bed, with mattress and blanket,
15 represents the aristocratic purchase of the tramp
who, by a lucky stroke of beggary, has exchanged
the chance of an empty box or ash-barrel for shelter
on the quality floor of one of these “hotels.” A strip
of canvas, strung between rough timbers, without
20 covering of any kind, does for the couch of the seven-
cent lodger who prefers the questionable comfort of a
red-hot stove close to his elbow. . . . On cold winter
nights, when every bunk had its tenant, I have stood in
such a lodging-room more than once, and listening to
25 the snoring of the sleepers like the regular strokes of
an engine, and the slow creaking of the beams under
their restless weight, imagined myself on shipboard
and experienced the very real nausea of sea-sickness.
The one thing that did not favor the deception was
30 the air; its character could not be mistaken.
The proprietor of one of these seven-cent
houses was known to me as a man of reputed wealth
and respectability. He “ran” three such establishments
and made, it was said, $8,000 a year clear profit on
35 his investment. He lived in a handsome house quite
near to the stylish precincts of Murray Hill, where the
nature of his occupation was not suspected. A notice
that was posted on the wall of the lodgers’ room
suggested at least an effort to maintain his up-town
40 standing in the slums. It read: “No swearing or loud
talking after nine o’clock.” Before nine no exceptions
were taken to the natural vulgarity of the place; but
that was the limit.
There are no licensed lodging-houses known to
45 me which charge less than seven cents for even such
a bed as this canvas strip, though there are unlicensed
ones enough where one may sleep on the floor for
five cents a spot, or squat in a sheltered hallway for
three. The police station lodging-house, where the soft
50 side of a plank is the regulation couch, is next in order.
The manner in which this police bed is “made up” is
interesting in its simplicity. The loose planks that make
the platform are simply turned over, and the job is done,
with an occasional coat of whitewash thrown in to
55 sweeten things.

630 UNIT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

Bettmann/CORBIS
Use the passage from The Jungle (pages 628–629) to 7. What is the central conflict presented in this
help you answer questions 1–10. passage?
1. In the context of line 3, what does the word A. man versus nature
threading mean? B. man versus man
A. sewing C. man versus fate
B. winding D. man versus society
C. whirling
D. racing 8. In this passage, how does Sinclair reveal the
personality of Jurgis?
2. What can you infer about Jurgis from the sentence A. direct characterization
that begins the second paragraph? B. indirect characterization
A. He does not enjoy Christmas. C. metaphor
B. He is a new arrival to the United States. D. symbol
C. He has never celebrated Christmas.
D. He is surprised to learn that Christmas is 9. From what point of view is this passage written?
celebrated in the United States. A. first person
B. second person
3. In the context of line 13, what does the word C. third-person omniscient
fantastic mean? D. third-person limited
A. wonderful
B. amazing 10. What is the overall tone of this passage?
C. zealous A. reportorial
D. strange B. comic
C. ironic
4. What is Jurgis’s only complaint about the hospital? D. angry
A. The quality of the tinned meat is poor.
B. The doctors perform experiments. Use the passage from How the Other Half Lives
C. Scandals are reported. (pages 629–630) to help you answer questions 11–20.
D. The young doctor is a poor surgeon.
11. According to Riis, why does the locker disappear
at the ten-cent level?
5. Why does Jurgis leave the hospital after two A. There is no room for it.
weeks? B. There is no desire for it.
A. He is completely healed. C. There is no need for it.
B. He is eager to return to his work. D. It is what the proprietor wants.
C. He can get along without further attention.
D. He needs to speak with the boardinghouse
12. From the context, what do you conclude that
keeper.
the word save in line 11 means?
A. rescue
6. Which of the following is an effect of Jurgis’s B. protect
injury? C. collect
A. He loses his ability to work. D. except
B. He is released too soon from the hospital.
C. He sues the company.
13. Where does Riis say the seven-cent lodger
D. He spends all his Saturday pay.
sleeps?
A. in an empty box
B. on a strip of canvas
C. on a mattress
D. behind a partition

TE S T P RE PA RATIO N A N D P RACTICE 6 31
 14. What literary device is Riis using when he 20. In this passage, which of the following do you
compares the snoring to the “strokes of an think best describes the main idea of How the
engine” in lines 25–26? Other Half Lives?
A. simile A. The slums are a terrible place, and the poor
B. metaphor are often mistreated.
C. allusion B. People choose to live in the slums, because
D. personification the slums offer a carefree lifestyle.
C. Although poverty is terrible, there is little
15. In the context of line 30, what does the word that anyone can do to prevent it.
character mean? D. The evils of poverty are often exaggerated.
A. personality
B. person Use the passages from The Jungle and How the Other
C. quality Half Lives to help you answer questions 21 and 22.
D. reputation
21. What do the passages from The Jungle and How
the Other Half Lives most strongly suggest?
16. What can you infer about Riis’s feelings toward A. Industrialization had overwhelmingly positive
the wealthy proprietor? results.
A. He finds him humorous. B. If the slums were destroyed, poverty would be
B. He thinks that the proprietor is a swindler. reduced.
C. He respects his position of authority. C. Poverty is entirely the fault of the poor.
D. He is envious of his wealth. D. The city is often brutal and unforgiving.

17. What is the tone of the sentence Before nine no 22. According to these passages, what did both Riis
exceptions were taken to the natural vulgarity of the and Sinclair hope to accomplish with How the
place; but that was the limit in lines 41–43? Other Half Lives and The Jungle?
A. reportorial A. to improve the living conditions of the poor
B. comic B. to increase the number of people migrating
C. ironic to the cities
D. angry C. to change people’s attitudes about the
meatpacking industry
18. What is the overall tone of this passage? D. to decrease the number of working people
A. reportorial
B. comic Use the visual representation (on page 630) to help
C. ironic you answer questions 23–25.
D. angry
23. Which of the following best describes Riis’s
purpose for taking this photograph?
19. In this passage, which of the following do you A. to illustrate the conditions of the poor
think best describes the author’s purpose in How B. to anger the wealthy
the Other Half Lives? C. to rouse public sentiment to help the poor
A. to entertain D. to educate the public about the dangers of
B. to persuade the city
C. to describe
D. to explain
24. What can you infer about the man in this
photograph?
A. He is happy with his surroundings.
B. He has injured himself and cannot work.
C. He is employed by the meatpacking industry.
D. He can afford only the worst type of lodging.

632 UNIT 4 REGIONALISM AND REALISM

25. What does this photograph suggest about the
poor in the 1800s?
A. They were often degraded and unhappy.
B. They rarely put forward any effort to
find work.
C. They were taken care of by charitable
agencies.
D. Their lives could be bad but were mostly
tolerable.

26. In this passage from The Jungle, how does the

setting influence the characters and the plot?
Support your answer with evidence from the
selection. Write your answer on your paper and
use no more than five lines.

27. In this passage from How the Other Half Lives, in

what ways does Riis use figurative and
connotative language to support his argument?
Do you find his argument convincing? Explain.
Write your answer on your paper and use no
more than five lines.

28. In what ways do these two passages from The

Jungle and How the Other Half Lives share
common themes and purposes? How do they
differ? Be sure to present evidence from both
selections to support your argument. Write your
answer on your paper and use no more than
eight lines.

Essay
Write an essay explaining what it means to struggle against injustice. As you write, keep in
mind that your essay will be checked for ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence
fluency, conventions, and presentation.

Unit Assessment To prepare for

the unit test, go to www.glencoe.com.
TEST PREPARATION AND PRACTICE 633