Realism, as well as romanticism and foundationalism played a key role in the development of American Literature. Realism was created into an era of exposure; social issues such as the industrial expansion and poor working conditions were brought to light. Realism grew and into a new way of living and expressing the issues that were happening in America, and tried to portray American for the reality as it is. It embodies settlers traveling west, the danger of prosperity, and how reforms changed society.

After the country rapidly grew industrially, the new status and wealth brought unsettling social problems. In attempt to improve american politics, the Progressive Movement emerged.  They emphasized the ideas of embracing social and political reform, and shining light on on characters and events seeking to reflect life as it really was. Settlers began to move westward after the Civil War, and led to the confinement of Native Americans on reservations. Writers began to turn from  Romanticism to Realism. Writer Upton Sinclair’s novel,  The Jungle revealed the unsanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry, and the fingers and bodily fluids that carelessly went in. This disgusted and enraged many people, and was of the  responsible for the shift in reforms, as well as the way people thought.

The struggle for prosperity became a prevalent movement in the literary stance, as well as a political stance. Pioneers who journeyed west are a perfect example of the hardships life arose at the time. Although resources were abundant, supplied with endless workers, American realist goal was to depict ordinary life accurately. Some writers even began to portray human behavior and psychology. Authors such as Willa Cather wrote novels exposing the frontier life, and false precedents on its success. Her novel,  O’ Pioneers  creates characters to symbolize the everyday life and struggle that expanding west brought.

Social reforms began to change society in reaction to the issues with industrialization. Representing the efforts to make the government more responsive and the businesses more ethical, the Progressive Movement began to view social problems as a result of biological forces that control human life. Some writers were influenced by Charles Darwin and Freud, who reflected in the literary movement known as naturalism.