A Critique Of Stephen Crane's Use Of Symbolism In Red Badge Of Courage And An Episode Of War

First, Stephen Crane develops emotional connections with the readers by using irony to comfort the families. He does so by repeating “war is kind” when in fact it is not. He is convincing

War changes people in many ways, especially the lives of the soldiers in the army. The changes that the soldiers go through are told in many novels, such as The Red Badge of Courage. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a coming-of-age novel because Henry Fleming changes from an immature adolescent to a mature man by the end of the novel.

Stephen Crane was born on November 1st, 1871. He wrote several books such as Maggie and Georges Mother, but The Red Badge of Courage was by far his best work and biggest seller. In 1900 he became ill and was nearly broke so he couldn’t afford his multiple health treatments. On June 5th, 1900 he died and left his belongings to Cora Taylor, a close friend.

The story ‘’The Red Badge of Courage’’ written by Stephen Crane published in 1895 and second novel and one of his most famous works.The Red Badge of Courage is a historical fiction about a boy named Henry ,a teenager who enlists with the Union Army in the hopes of fulfilling his dreams of glory.later Henry went into war, and at the end the war finally end and it's back to peace.Although the character may not be real, but the events reflect to the time period, which is during the Civil War.

Over the history of human existence, people have been at war for different reasons. Usually war is understood to be between two countries. Yet the American Civil War was not entirely this. This war was between a country that was divided in its self. This caused for many different literary themes. A common theme of this time was the actual war. The Red Badge Of Courage shows that a man's actions in war are not truly his own, he does what war makes him do.

Soldier’s Heart and The Red Badge of Courage are both astonishing books about the Civil War. Soldier’s Heart is about a young man named Charley, who enlists on the war and is very eager to be there. The Red Badge of Courage is about a young man named Henry who enlists in the war, but doesn’t want to fight in combat. Both young men enlisted into the war on the north side and had to battle to protect themselves from the opponent. They are both outstanding stories and they show how combat can affect your life.

Written by Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage is a novel filled with irony. This story is written in the point of view of the main character, Henry Fleming, and tells about his maturation through the war. Including the title, from the beginning to the end of the book there is irony present. The use of irony by Crane helps create a lot of discussion for critics. Henry’s internal debate is a main source of irony in this novel. Also, his fantasy of how he thought war was going to be and how it turned out is ironic.

In Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage is a great example of realistic literature. Within the story we are introduced to a youth named Henry who loved the idea of being a hero in war, but didn't understand the severity of battle. The emotions he feels and what he sees and imagines is what makes it realistic. What happens in this novel is common as to what would happen to any youth that was ignorant about war. The Red Badge of Courage is considered realistic literature, because of the normal human emotions Henry feels before the fighting and before signing up to join.

The Red Badge of Courage was a significant novel in the way that the characters were portrayed. Crane hardly ever used the actual names of the soldiers. He simply described them as the loud soldier, the tall soldier, the cheery soldier, and the tattered soldier. Crane made the characters stand out in the use of describing them and promoting their relationship with Henry and his struggle during the battles. Crane did a fantastic job with relating the different characters with different roles that Henry was involved in. The loud soldier, tall soldier, cheery soldier, and tattered soldier all have a significant part in creating the novel. The characters in the book are

     Stephen Crane's purpose in writing The Red Badge of Courage was to dictate the pressures faced by the prototypical American soldier in the Civil War.  His intent was accomplished by making known the horrors and atrocities seen by Unionist Henry Fleming during the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the conflicts within himself.

1) There are many things that are fresh in the “Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane. Personally, one of the most unique things about the book is that it was quite different from what has been written before. War stories are known to be written with a neutral storyline, whereas in this story, the reader gets the detailed view of the heroic soldier. He has fantasized about going to war, and eventually puts his life on the line.

In Crane’s novel, flags not only symbolize different armies, but they also represent faith and sacrifice. Flags are most often associated with the representation of a country or state. Similarly, Crane uses flags to stand for each the armies that fight during the war in the novel. However, Crane’s flags also represent abstract concepts.

People tend to be greatly influenced by stories, news, and other contemporary sources of knowledge, which ultimately affects the impact they have on the world. Stephen Crane was greatly impacted by the time period in which he lived. One such influence was the popular literary style of Realism. Realism is the trend in which literature is based on the true nature of everyday occurrences devoid of any fantasy or romance. It is the raw depiction of what life and society is actually like. This literary style can be found in many of Stephen Crane’s novels. Religion also had a significant impact on the way Stephen Crane wrote his novels. He was an atheist which brought about the idea that humans are just part of nature and must solve their own problems without the intervention of a higher being. This notion is evident with the protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage. Henry Fleming, a young union soldier in the Civil War, must overcome the fear of putting his life at risk to achieve what he wants most which is honor. Honor comes from actively participating in battle and sacrificing his life for the cause. Honor is physically represented from a wound noted as the “Red Badge”. In the end Henry doesn’t consult in a higher being and achieves what he wants most by overcoming the mental obstacles and ultimately finding the strength within to realize what courage actually is. Accompanied by the literary movements and his religion, his time period was heavily influenced by the

The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephan Crane in 1895 gives a detailed, yet, fictional account of Henry Fleming, a farm boy who joins the Union Army in the American Civil War. Before Henry is battle-tested, he ponders his courage and questions whether he will be able to fight the urge to flee from battle. Henry does indeed end up deserting his comrades however he ultimately overcomes his guilt and becomes one of the best fighters in his regiment. In order to depict a realistic and relatable war scene, Crane includes Henry’s realistic thought-process and emotion in his struggles to maintain courage. The narrative simply revealed war in a manner that was divergent to all prior forms of literature in the 19th century. Previous novels predominately entailed the glorious and romantic aspects of war rather than the tedious, gritty, and gruesome details of close combat. Instead, Crane broke the barriers of literary norms in war-related literature; the novel depicted a pragmatic experience of combat from the eyes of an inexperienced and frightened youth. In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephan Crane primarily uses religious and gory imagery as well as symbolism to contrast the romantic conceptions of war versus the reality of experiencing battle.

Stephen Crane wrote during the Romantic era in when there was a literary and intellectual movement concentrating on a more idealistic theme. In his novel, The Red Badge of Courage