Three characteristics of American Literature that can be seen clearly through Stephen Crane and Jack London are 1) a focus on the psychology of the main characters, 2) a pessimistic, naturalistic conclusion to the conflict, and 3) a direct, straight-foward style of writing.

Stephen Crane and Jack London show these characteristics in their writing. Stephen Crane's poetry is very short and direct, mostly showing that man can do something to stand against the forces of nature at work around him. Jack London usually uses nature as the opposing force in his work, such as in "To Build a Fire", in which the snow storm eventually kills the main character. Both of these authors write in fairly easy to understand language, very bluntly telling what is happening. Also, both of these authors show what is going on inside the characters' heads, giving motives and consequences for decisions, as seen in "To Build a Fire" and "The Open Boat."