Journal 12: Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane, "The Blue Hotel."

"One morning, when a snow-crusted engine dragged its long string of freight cars and its one passenger coach to the station, Scully performed the marvel of catching three men. One was a shaky and quick-eyed Swede, with a great shining cheap valise; one was a tall bronzed cowboy, who was on his way to a ranch near the Dakota line; one was a little silent man from the East, who didn't look it, and didn't announce it. Scully practically made them prisoners. He was so nimble and merry and kindly that each probably felt it would be the height of brutality to try to escape. They trudged off over the creaking board sidewalks in the wake of the eager little Irishman." He wore a heavy fur cap squeezed tightly down on his head. It caused his two red ears to stick out stiffly, as if they were made of tin" (Crane 928).

I feel this passage is a representation of what the American Dream does to people who emigrate here from other places. Distinct characters act as representations of various ethnic groups and how they are captured and made prisoners by the proprietor Scully. In fact, “he was so nimble and merry and kindly” making he and his hotel that much more appealing. Once they came within reach though, they became prisoners. This image is a sharp contrast from a later image of their comfort and laziness as they become content in their surroundings of the hotel room. In this initial stage, they are met with many challenges and face a reality which is not quite the exciting adventure the blue of the hotel made it out to be.

The portrait of a little Irishman wearing this hat that is two small for him has a specific purpose. He is a preview of the transformation the travelers are about to go through as change begins to foster casually and comfortably within the confines of the four hotel walls. Again, the Irishman is called “little” as the Swede is later called “little.” They are casually marginalized in dialogue. In addition, the Irishman is wearing a fur cap which takes me to a portrait of this Daniel Boone kind of American character (I hope I am thinking of the right person and I hope this is relative to the time; I am not sure where he fits on the timeline). Trying to assimilate, the Irishman forces the cap on to his head, yet it is still very awkward and makes his ears read, looking stiff and unusual. The Irishman is not meant for that cap. Likewise, Crane suggests that not every man is meant for every cap and they are certainly not all meant for the same cap.

I think this initial scene in conjunction with a variety of scenes which follow, take us through this process as it happens in America, of social in-group and out-group relations in addition to the process of assimilation. After all, Crane while electing to spend much of his time living among the bums on the streets, learning to be a skilled observer of psychological and social behavior. Likewise, this story has many dimensions, and this is one of them.