Final answer:
In naturalistic literature, nature is presented as indifferent and often brutal, with characters depicted as insignificant and at the mercy of unavoidable environmental and hereditary forces.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic of naturalism seen in the novel is that nature is presented as indifferent and brutal. In naturalistic works, nature is often depicted as hostile or at the very least, indifferent to human beings. The characters are depicted as victims of their environment, ruled by their hereditary traits and influenced heavily by the socio-economic circumstances they find themselves in. Literary naturalism portrays a deterministic view of humanity, where free will is a mere illusion and characters are often helpless against the powerful and impersonal forces of nature.
They are trapped by circumstances, their own vices, weaknesses, and hereditary traits, and the grim social or natural environments that shape their lives. This approach is heavily influenced by the ideas of Emile Zola and Charles Darwin, who placed humans at the mercy of larger, largely uncontrollable environmental forces.