The Blue Hotel

Introduced as “a shaky and quick-eyed Swede” (363), the story’s ultimate murder victim is known throughout as “the Swede,” though the cowboy later notes that this may not actually refer to his country of origin but merely the fact that he is blond and speaks with an accent. This (possible) misidentification of his country of origin—the cowboy theorizes that he may actually be Dutch—contributes to Crane’s exploration of Isolation and Its Impact on the Human Psyche: Alienation seems to inspire the Swede’s fear that he will be killed. Ironically, it is this fear of being killed that leads to the Swede’s ultimate murder, though the cause and effect is not linear. The Swede begins the story frightened and cautious but after being pandered to by Scully (and drinking with him), he becomes brash, rude, and aggressive. The end of the story suggests that remaining cautious would have been better, since the Swede is fatally stabbed when he gets aggressive with the wrong person (the gambler). The Swede is inconsistent and unpredictable in everything from small details (initially cautious around cold water, at the end of the story he brags about the blizzard “suiting” him) to great, sweeping pronouncements, such as his certainty he’s going to be killed and the fervor with which he accuses Johnnie of cheating.