It is not surprising for an author’s background and surroundings to profoundly affect his writing. Having come from a Methodist lineage and living at a time when the church was still an influential facet in people’s daily lives, Stephen Crane was deeply instilled with religious dogmas. However, fear of retribution soon turned to cynicism and criticism of his idealistic parents’ God, "the wrathful Jehovah of the Old Testament" (Stallman 16), as he was confronted …showed first 75 words of 797 total…

…showed last 75 words of 797 total…seen that -- through the exploration of responsibility, guilt, betrayal, and repentance -- Stephen Crane develops the theme that man is alone in a hostile society and nature. The virtuous religious dogmas cannot always explain and help make sense of the cruel realities that each of us faces. Thus, it is only through trusting "the God of [one’s] inner thoughts" (Stallman 16) that one can hope to cope with and survive in this brutal world.