The Symbolic Naturalist of the Blue Hotel This essay considers the perspective of James Trammell Cox as presented in his essay: An Analysis of the Blue Hotel Cox begins his essay by discussing naturalism and Crane's fictional style theories. He suggests that Crane's technique "is that of the symbolist rather than the naturalist in that he carefully selects his details not as pieces of evidence in a one-dimensional report on man but as connotatively associated parts of an elaborately devised symbolic structure." Basically the thrust of Cox's argument centers on the degree to which Crane displays the characteristics of a nature writer. Comment on the complexity of the story and how well Crane weaves together the details and underlying messages that give the story its subtle complexity. Much of Crane's hidden meaning is achieved through image manipulation. Cox focuses on these images and separates them, thus showing themes that are quite central to the ideas behind naturalism. One such idea that runs throughout the story behind the facade of the images is the idea of ​​"man's inner nature [as] self-centered", as detailed by the contrast between the house and the storm in which the storm represents the "fundamental conflict between man and his environment." Inside the house, in the central room is the stove, which is often referred to and can be seen as man's inner nature "burning with elemental aggressions" as the stove is described as "buzzing with a violence divine." addresses the idea of ​​natural symbolism and Crane's use of color to represent feelings and emotions and then subtly carry them through the story. The two most central colors used are red and white, red shown through fire to symbolize anger and white shown through snow to show fear. Cox provides examples of this, such as the Swede who throughout the story displays both extremes of emotion and at one point is described, "on the Swede's deathly pale cheeks were two brightly crimson spots.