Skip over navigation  A Death in the Woods  Sherwood Anderson
Realism and Naturalism  Themes, Motifs, and Symbols  Form Versus
Plot  Although Anderson wrote “A Death in the Woods” decades
after the high point of American realism (generally traced from
the Civil War through the turn of the century), the story
demonstrates several hallmarks of the movement, whose goal is to
faithfully and accurately represent reality. Its characters are
ordinary people engaged in plausible activities; the language is
common and vernacular, rather than heightened or poetic; and
character and psychology are emphasized over plot and action.
However, certain elements of “A Death in the Woods” depart from
the realist model. Though none of the events are fantastical or
supernatural, a strong current of mysticism runs throughout the
story, as the narrator attempts to understand how an ordinary
event—the sight of an old woman’s corpse—could become such an
influential experience. This attempt leads him to imagine a
surreal scene: a pac