Examples Of Realism In The Call Of The Wild

What is realism? Dictionary.com defines realism as “a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.” Simplified, realism is a way of writing that portrays real life, and not imagination. Some characteristics of realism are: it renders reality in great detail, social class impacts the story, events are plausible, the ending may be unhappy, and diction is in vernacular--sometimes with a satiric or matter-of-fact tone (Campbell). Realist authors also make their works take place in contemporary life to relate to recent events. This is the exact opposite of the movement that took place before Realism.
Good examples of this would be Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Stephen Crane (Examples of Realism in Literature…). Each of these stories is a fictionalized contemporary work from the time period it was written. Call of the Wild was the tragic story of a man and a dog during the discovery of gold in the Yukon Territory in Canada; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a teenage boy helping a runaway slave in the early 1800s (when slavery was still legal) and their many misadventures; and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge takes place during the Civil War at the hanging of a Confederate troop. What all of these have in common is that they all are stories that could happen in real life during the time periods they take place in, and have realistic endings. What makes these stories more effective than other genres is that they are not completely fiction; they are events that could transpire in the real world. Although there is nothing wrong with Romantic writing, Realism is a more authentic style because it is more practical. Although Realism can be onerous to the reader, practicality creates the opportunity for the reader to open their eyes to the deeper aspects of life. To summarize, Realist stories are more effective because they give the reader the opportunity to experience all kinds of
The genre of Realism is excellent at portraying different perspectives that are truthful. Jane Collingwood of Psych Central’s explanation of Realism states:
Unrealistic optimism is defined as believing that you are more likely to experience pleasant events […] and less likely […] to experience negative ones. It can keep you from being able to change direction [...] Pessimists tend to believe that bad situations are their fault […] [and] often think that good situations are not caused by anything they have done […] and will not be repeated. Optimism and pessimism operate on a continuum, of which the midpoint is realism[…] Realistic optimists are cautiously hopeful of favorable outcomes, but they do as much as they can to obtain the desired results.
This is a great way to explain Realism--as a midway point between optimism and pessimism. With the ideals of Realism, one is truthful to themselves; one cannot keep their hopes so high without a being steadfast on working for their goals, and cannot have affectations that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Realism is not only a style of writing, but a genuine art form that can become a lifestyle through its optimistic, yet real, way of