This research paper critically claims that contemporary British writer Simon Stephens has successfully brought naturalistic drama back into focus after decades of its decline through his play about the Iraq War, Motortown (2006). Instead of focusing on the war's causes, events, and aftermath, Stephens presents an intense portrayal of the impact of war on soldiers returning to their former societies. The protagonist Danny, a former soldier, comes back from Iraq, showing utter failure to adapt to his British society, which results in deep conflicts with himself and others around him. Through the episodic structure of the play, the different characters' behaviour is shown as determined by their internal predispositions and external surroundings; Danny's conduct, for example, is utterly determined by the war environment and his genetic inclination to violence, whereas others are prey to their contemporary materialistic British setting.
Drawing on Emile Zola's The Experimental Novel, which is the main theoretical cornerstone of naturalism in literature, the paper sets a theoretical framework to critically analyze Motortown from a naturalistic perspective. This framework effectively contributes to understanding characters' behavior as an immediate result of their surroundings and genes rather than of their free will. Against this theoretical background, the characters in the play, with specific regard to the protagonist, can be seen as typically naturalistic figures that best embody Zola's concept of the “natural man" in contrast to the “metaphysical man" of the literature of the previous ages. In other words, the play makes a radical shift from the romanticized, ideal depiction of characters endowed with freedom of choice and full command over their lives to the genuine portrayal of characters bound to absolute determinism by their biological disposition and external circumstances. By situating Motortown within the framework of naturalism, the research aims to unravel the complexities of the characters' behaviors, presenting them as victims rather than victimizers and probing into the underlying reasons for their conflicts despite their shared experiences of victimization. Overall, this research contributes to a better understanding of Motortown, shedding light on the enduring relevance of naturalistic principles in contemporary dramatic literature.