Realism
This story is considered an example of realism in American literature. None of the events or characters in the story are romanticized. It shows the realistic relationships of a protective father and teenage daughter, the conflict that naturally occurs in that relationship. It realistically portrays the naïve girl who is trying to be good and the womanizing boy who is trying to get her to stay the night with him.
The story shows realism by showing how things really are, in an everyday occurrence, not how society wants it to be. Theresa does what she wants, following her desires, not what is expected of her. Roguam is not a perfect father, he shows flaws by not listening to his wife or his daughter, and punishing her harshly, but he reacts as a real father might react.
This story’s dialect contributes to its realism, as Dreiser interweaves German with English. Roguam and his wife, being German immigrants, speak partially in German, especially when emotional.
Read more about this topic: Old Rogaum And His Theresa
Famous quotes containing the word realism:
“I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“The realism of failure, the romance of success.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Art is beauty, and every exposition of art, whether it be music, painting, or the drama, should be subservient to that one great end. As long as nature is a means to the attainment of beauty, so-called realism is necessary and permissable [sic], but it must be realism enhanced by idealism and uplifted by the spirit of an inner life or purpose.”
—Julia Marlowe (1866–1950)