Jack London to build a fire
Which one of these endings do you think more clearly meets the conventions of naturalism? Be sure to consider the concept of determinism as you list your reasons.

Question

Jack London to build a fire
Which one of these endings do you think more clearly meets the conventions of naturalism? Be sure to consider the concept of determinism as you list your reasons.

anonymous · Answer

Nether story really has anything to do with naturalism. The first has an aspect of determinism in that fate plays an unpleasant part in the man's death; however it is not fatalism in that the man made several bad choices (despite better advice) which led to his demise making it an act of Free Will rather than destiny. The second version has that fatalist element removed becoming a more standard case of causal determinism; that choices have consequences.