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Thus, the town symbolizes the death of the Old West and the birth of a more civilized society.
Along with the symbols in the story, Crane uses a central them to tie the work together. One literary critic notes, "The central movement of 'The Blue Hotel' traces the development and eventual outcome of the Swede's isolation from other men, his retreat away from the world into a world of his own making" (Gibson 113). Another critic believes woven into this theme is the idea of alienation and solitude (Dooley 14). The town is a solitary sentinel on the prairie, and the Swede feels alienated from the other characters in the story, because he does not understand them and makes them into something they are not. The Swede is afraid, but he cannot confront his fear effectively. Instead, he isolates himself from men who have nothing against him, and turns them against him. This isolation is a condition of humanity according to Crane, and this story symbolizes how man is always alienated from humanity because of his own misdeeds and miscommunications.
At the end of the story, the...
The Easterner believes it was all the Swede's fault, but in reality, each man could have stepped in and stopped the events before they unfolded. The cowboy says, "Every sin is the result of a collaboration. We, five of us, have collaborated in the murder of this Swede" (Crane). He is right, and he symbolizes the voice of reason at the end of the story. He was caught up in the excitement of the action, and urged Johnnie to "Kill him!" (Crane), but he recognizes that was an unwise decision.
Ultimately, the story symbolizes humanity and change. The West is changing, and some of humanity is unable to accept the change or change along with it. The Swede is one of those men.
References
Crane, Stephen. "The Blue Hotel." University of Virginia. 1999. 30 April 2007.
Dooley, Patrick K. "The Humanism of Stephen Crane." The Humanist Jan.-Feb. 1996: 14+.
Gibson, Donald B. The Fiction of Stephen Crane. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1968.
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