Stephen Crane's A Mystery of Heroism Essay

Stephen Crane is a Naturalist. Naturalists believe an individual’s life is determined by environment, chance, and heredity. They also believe that free will is an illusion and that people should endure their suffering with quiet dignity. Lastly, Naturalists believe survival of the fittest and natural selection govern people as well as nature, and people resort to the animal during a crisis. Crane uses literary elements to create Naturalist themes in “A Mystery of Heroism” and “An Episode of War.” Although both of the stories have Naturalist themes, Crane uses different elements to create them.

In the novel ‘Heroes’ by Robert Cormier, a young war veteran returns to his hometown, Frenchtown, and seeks out revenge on the man who mentally scarred both him and the girl he loved when they were young. In the novel, Francis Cassavant is the main protagonist who returns from war with horrific wounds and scars. Also, Francis can be described as a character with deeply rooted issues as when he was young he heard the girl he loved get raped by the man who he believed to be a hero. The theme of heroism is something widely discussed in the novel, Francis’ image of heroes have been distorted from seeing all the terrible and cowardly things he, and other people who were referred to as heroes, did. He struggles to see himself as a hero, despite having saved many lives, as he viewed the actions he took to be a so-called hero as cowardly and unworthy of gaining this title.

Beginning in the early years of Stephen Crane’s life, he was the last son of thirteen other siblings. Being raised by a Methodist family on both sides, Stephan’s parents focused a lot of their time writing religious articles. He also had two brother’s that were journalist, one working as a reporter. Growing up with several

In the novel Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, true heroism is shown throughout many events in the story. One of the many characters in the book, Lt. Carroll, was said to show heroism before the main character, Richie Perry, came to the war. Another example of heroism by Lt. Carroll is when he was trying to lead his squad to safety but ended up getting hit himself. The third way Myers showed heroism is when Monaco, one of the squad members, was captured by the enemy and Richie and Peewee, another one of the squad members, saved him.

      In The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane explores the theme of courage and heroism in depth. He develops these themes through the main character, Henry Fleming. Henry is a naïve young man faced with the harsh realities of war, in this book, some argue that Henry is transformed into a heroic "quiet manhood" while others see Henry as the same young man who ran from battle in the beginning of the book. I think Henry doesn't change, his heroic status acquired at the end of the book isn't truly him, instead he merely is motivated by fear of dying and being rejected by his fellow soldiers.

Ordinary courage is a book that tells the story of an ordinary man who is inlisted in the continental army in the revolutionary war. Joseph Plumb Martin is the young man fighting in this war, at the time he entered he was just a mere 16 year old kid but by the time his time in the continental army was up he became a man. This is a first person memoir of what it was like for a regular person living in a war zone, and dealing with the everyday fears of food shortage, low morale, and danger of attack. This is something that many people in todays world could not handle because even some of the old guys in the

Heroes have achieved many feats that support the belief of a greater good and expressing valor and selflessness through the ages. There are fictional or real life accounts that have recognized these men and women for their vigor and marked them as heroes due to their events of success and motives of committing the heroic deeds. Yet there are copious amounts of people who have sacrifice themselves for a greater good but they have been lost through time even if their actions were prosperous or doomed in the end with a valiant purpose. They are unsung heroes who committed the actions based on their inner fire of what is right or honorable or rather than the fame they hope to achieve from those acts. The world or a populous may not know of their actions, but the actions and beliefs of an individual or group can entitle them of being hero-like without the necessity of recognition and success. They have lost their lives or a part of themselves to a cause based on righteousness rather than self-gain. They presented selfless heroism rather than the the intention to receive praise from the victories. Sacrifice contributes more to Heroism because the individual invested his or her own determination, valor and accepting the opportunity to risk their self-health (physical or psychological) based on great intentions rather than reaping the accolades of committing good deeds.

There are two different types of courage, physical and moral. Physical courage is facing fear using force or other physical means, while moral courage is defending what is right, even in the face of popular opinion. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, moral courage is a significant theme. Atticus Finch teaches his children, Jem and Scout, the importance of moral courage. Throughout the novel each character discovers courage in their unique experiences. By the end of the story, Jem and Scout’s idea of courage shifts and they learn the importance of moral bravery. Atticus, Jem, and Scout all learn or demonstrate the meaning of moral courage throughout the novel.

In ‘A Mystery of Heroism,” Stephen Crane opens his story with specific details of a war scene. He writes, “He could now be seen lying face downward with a stirruped foot stretched across the body of his dead horse” and “around this motionless pair the shells still howled.” This scene describes how there are dead soldiers and horses just lying around in the middle of the turmoil. That man is just another dead body to everyone else. This shows the reality of war, violent and deadly and definitely not the pretty picture some paint it to be. Later on in the story, Crane also writes “a lieutenant of the battery rode down and passed them, holding his right arm carefully in his left hand. And it was as if his arm was not at all part of him, but belonged

In the chapter “Notes”, Tim O’Brien explains where his inspiration for the previous chapter, “Speaking of Courage”, comes from. He received a letter from his old friend Norman Bowker talking about how he lacks purpose in life after the war, how nothing seems real or worthwhile to him anymore. He explains how he read O’Brien’s other book and asks him to write a chapter about a war veteran in his own situation. Eventually, O’Brien writes the chapter to fit into his current narrative. He sends the published chapter to Norman and he says that it’s alright, but it’s missing key points; it’s missing the whole point. Later on, Norman hangs himself and O’Brien rewrites the chapter the way it was meant to be and puts it into his new book, The Things They Carried.

   Stephen Crane's literary technique has long been a matter of analysis and speculation. In The Red Badge of Courage Crane takes us into the life of a young man named Henry Fleming, who wants to enlist in the Army and fight in the war against the South. By using irony, similes, and symbols, Crane "paints" a vivid picture of what life was like for the fragile Henry Fleming. He opens our eyes to the vast reasons of separation for Fleming, and why he lived his life so independently. The precarious, vulnerable, and insecure Henry Fleming was isolated from more than just his family and his regiment; he was isolated from himself.

There are many facets that can either make or break someone as a “hero”. In literature, a hero does not necessarily have to be a knight in shining armor, a caped crusader, or an exact replica of the archetype but, there are certain qualities and expectations that determine what makes a hero. A typical hero has strength, appeal, courage, righteousness, and success, meaning that they have the physical and mental capabilities that can lead them to eventually achieve their goals. In most cases, the protagonist of a story is the hero, but this is not true in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Set in Sleepy Hollow, the story chronicles schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane’s, time and sudden disappearance from the “haunted” town.

War forces young soldiers to grow up quickly. In Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is no exception. He is faced with the hard reality of war and this forces him to readjust his romantic beliefs about war. Through the novel, the reader can trace the growth and development of Henry through these four stages: (1) romanticizing war and the heroic role each soldier plays, (2) facing the realities of war, (3) lying to himself to maintain his self-importance, and (4) realistic awareness of his abilities and place in life. Through Henry’s experiences in his path to self-discovery, he is strongly affected by events that help shape his ideology of war, death,

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

Stephen Crane was one of America’s most influential nineteenth century writers of realism. He was credited for being a novelist, short-story-writer, poet, and journalist. He was born on November 1, 1871, in Newark, New Jersey, as Stephen Townley Crane. Stephen was the youngest sibling of fourteen children (“Stephen Crane Biography”). His writing inspiration came from his family. His mother dedicated her life to social concerns, while his father was a Methodist minister. Two of Crane’s brothers were journalists so it was destined for Stephen Crane to become a writer. His passion came from his parents and the insights from his family life. He attended preparatory school at Claverack College, where he developed a better concept of the Civil