Stephen Crane The Red Badge Of Courage

Stephen Crane/ The Red Badge Of Courage Essay, Research Paper

Stephen Crane and Critical Interpretation of The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage is one of the most well known novels in American history. And the author, Stephen Crane, is a prominent writer in history. He lived a short life due to tuberculosis but he still managed to write, what some critics say, is the best personal account of the American Civil War (Wolford 119). Then again, there are others who say that this is a poor reflection of the War Between the States and should not be looked on as an historical book on the War (McClurg 30-31). Nevertheless the book made the man, the author Stephen Crane known around the world. But there are other works that Crane was praised for writing such as his poems and his short stories. Although his writings are pessimistic and brutal, he is idolized for his works, especially The Red Badge of Courage (Encarta ‘95).

Stephen Crane was born the youngest of 14 children. Almost from the beginning he rebelled against the strictness of his upbringing (Katz 418). He never received his degree from college and became a journalist for a couple New York newspapers. Then, he wrote the first of his six novels, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. It’s the story of a young factory girl who is victimized by a slick bartender. The girl is eventually driven to suicide. The book received several rejections from shocked editors. Because of this, Crane published it himself under the name Johnson Smith (Katz 418). Although not many copies were sold, he did win some favorable attention and opportunities from some critics. Then, he wrote his first volume of free verse The Black Riders and Other Lines. In an attempt to make money, Crane decided to write a love story in the time of the Civil War; but instead it turned into The Red Badge of Courage (Bloom, Bloom’s Notes 8). The book made Crane an instant celebrity at the age of 24. Then, he tried to follow it up with the two novels George’s Mother and The Third Violet. Both were poorly received. Part of the reason is that Crane’s reputation had been damaged when newspapers ran a story of a woman who charged Crane with solicitation (Bloom, Bloom’s Notes 9). Later, he went to Florida to report on the war in Cuba. He was aboard the Commodore when it sank. The newspapers reported that Crane had drowned, but he sailed to safety aboard a dinghy. He put this episode of his life in the short story, “The Open Boat.” Later that year he went to report on the Turkish War, which would serve as the setting for the novel Active Service. Finally, he volunteered for military service but was rejected because of signs of tuberculosis, and then he died two years later.

Overall, Crane was one of the first and best naturalistic and realistic writers. Some refer to his ideas as “Darwinnistic.” His naturalistic portrayals are pessimistic and brutal, yet his poetic ability and sympathetic understanding of character relieve the realism (Encarta ‘95). If he had lived longer, perhaps he would have written more and even better works. Crane’s writings were the basis of Ernest Hemingway’s style. Every author after Hemingway either copied his style or wrote completely the opposite of his style. His style is best portrayed in The Red Badge of Courage (Bloom, Intro to The Red Badge 2).

The point of view in The Red Badge of Courage is basically that of limited third person narrator whole access to data is restricted to the mind of the protagonist Henry Fleming. The main conflict here is man versus himself in an internal struggle. The inciting moment comes when the regiment fights its first battle against the Confederate army. The climax comes when Henry finally “fights like a man in battle,” (Katz 419)

The book starts off establishing two central themes. The first is the continual movement and change in the world. The second is the fact that this will be an “initiation story”, a movement towards the fulfillment of a destiny. Henry and the regiment are preparing for battle at any given moment. He thinks about what would happen if he ran away from the fight. We are introduced to other characters such as the “loud soldier” and the “tall soldier,” (Bloom, Bloom’s Notes 11). Chapter two focuses upon Henry’s psychological state as he anticipates battle. He is still considering running from the battlefield. He feels that he is a “mental outcast” and alone in the monotony of his suffering. In chapter three the regiment moves toward battle. The regiment throws away their backpacks and shirts brought from home. This represents another step in this ritual of initiation. It also represents perhaps a transition to manhood (Bloom, Bloom’s Notes 12). Next, the war atmosphere is created and the North and the South battle. Henry is forced to start shooting rebels. When the rebel army retreats and then returns, Henry “runs like a rabbit.” Later he finds that his regiment held their ground. After the struggle he contemplates his guilt. He walks through a “field of corpses” is ashamed of his cowardliness (Bloom, Bloom’s Notes 14). The “tattered soldier” asks Henry where he’s been hit and Henry feels remorseful. He envies the wounded and he wishes that he had the “red badge of courage.” Then, his best friend Jim Conklin dies from the battle. The “tattered soldier continually follows Henry around, asking where Henry’s wound is. Finally, Henry leaves the soldier d