What is the tradition?

A short story in Anderson’s 1933 collection, Death in the Woods is told in first person perspective by an unreliable narrator and emphasizes form over traditional linear structure. From a literary standpoint, though it employs many elements of realism in its choice of simple language and verisimilitude in depiction of character and setting, the story’s psychological aspects and subject matter make it more naturalistic than realistic.
In naturalism, which focuses on an accurate, dispassionate, scientific depiction of reality, people are viewed as being no different from animals, although they occupy a much higher position in the animal kingdom hierarchy. As such, instinct, environment, and circumstance all act as determinants to their outcomes, individual or collective, rather than principles of morality or spirituality. In the naturalist view, nature is an indifferent force that often crushes individuality and personal freedom. Mrs. Grimes, who freezes to death in the forest after struggling to procure food, one of the most essential needs, is reduced to the status of a lower animal and epitomizes the naturalistic view.