Stephen Crane's

The Red Badge of Courage

Josh Nicolay

12/2/98

English 10 Grade

Tell me what you think of this essay if

you use it Email me at nicolay@nac.net

The Red Badge of Courage

"A brilliant work of the imagination that will endure for centuries." The Red

Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a piece of literature excellence and

accomplishment by one of the most skilled impressionistic writers of today.

The Red Badge of Courage was written during the changing world of the turn

of the century. The middle years of the 1890's had been a period of business

depression but conditions began to improve in 1897 and most Americans were

optimistic. The Civil War had been over for nearly thirty-five years. The veterans of

the war, who had been young men in 1865, were now the middle-aged leaders of

business and politics.

The country was still very rural and old-fashioned in spirit, even though there

were many signs of change. Independence Day was celebrated with fireworks and

parades in every small town. Most houses were still light by gas and refrigeration

was achieved with the aid of the iceman and large cakes of ice. Horses were

everywhere pulling all kinds of carriages and wagons, but there were 14,000 auto¬

mobiles and the number was growing (Felding,Frank pg.2).

The frontier had all but vanished by 1890, which had been moving steadily

westward for generations. Industry, for the first time became more important then

agriculture. By 1900 there were 185 large industrial combinations with total capi¬

talization of $3,000,000,000 and represent one-third of the nation's enterprises

(Felding,Frank pg.3).

Great athletes such as Jim Thorpe, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and

Babe Ruth would all play their part in shaping the modern world. The U.S. greeted

the 20th century with confidence. Watching its territory expand coast to coast and

beyond. The population had reached 70,000,000 in 1900 double what it had been in

1870(Felding, Frank pg.1).

Stephen Crane was born on November 1, 1871 in Newark, NJ the fourteenth

child of a mother who was a journalist and an activist and his father a Methodist

minister(s.crane). During Crane's childhood he battled with poor health, but he was

usually high - spirited, good - natured, and fond of adventure.

Crane attend several schools, including the Hudson River Institute, an

undistinguished military academy at Claverack, NY Never a good student in high

school, Crane was more interested in learning unusual words, especially swear

words, drinking beer, and playing poker and baseball. He was accepted into college,

but spent most of his time reading books that weren't related to his courses.

After flunking out of two colleges, Crane worked in NYC, in a business

office, he was quickly dissatisfied and quit to become a reporter turning out large

numbers of articles. Crane's brother Townley was so impressed he urged his boss at

the tribune to read some. The editor impressed printed a total of 10 articles " The

Sullivan County Sketches."

When Crane began writing he became a literary rebel - rebelling against lit¬

erature that sentimentalized and idealized people and his ideas. He preferred a

literature of passion to one of sentiment; he wanted to write, stories and novels that

contained a multitude of extremely realistic details. He wanted to give readers " a

slice of real life." His first significant writing was Maggie: A Girl of the

Streets(1893). A year later, in 1894, still living at the Arts Students League he

finished the novel The Red Badge of Courage(Stephen,Crane). It is said that Crane

wrote the novel originally in a 50,000-word draft in only ten days. The novel

reduced by Crane to 18,000 first appeared as a serial in a Philadelphia

newspaper(s.crane). It was finally published in book form in the fall of 1895.

Critics and readers alike in the U.S. and England praised the physical and

emotional realism of the novel, and hardly anyone could believe that the 24 year old

had never been in combat Crane's imaginative genius is responsible for what is

regarded today as an American masterpiece of writing and psychology.

Crane was so overcome with the price of fame he left home to cover rebel¬

lions and wars around the world. On one of his trips he wrote one of his best short

stories The Open Boat based on actual experience of being shipwrecked off the

Florida coast en route to Cuba(s.crane).

When Crane returned to the U.S.; in Jacksonville he met and fell in love with

Cora Taylor, blue eyed, strawberry blond, twice married women who's current

husband refused a divorce. But she left and settled down with Crane in England.

On February 15, 1898 the Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor, and in

April the U.S. was at war with Spain. During these months Crane had finished a

writing project and headed for the U.S. to enlist in the Navy. He was rejected

because it was found he had tuberculosis(Stephen,Crane).

In December 1899, Crane felt weak and looked fragile, but he and Cora

hosted an elaborate Christmas and New Years celebration party for around forty

friends. The party was a grand success and afterward in the first hours of New

Years morning one guest who lingered downstairs discovered Crane sitting alone,

faintly plucking a guitar just before collapsing. A few hours later, he began hemor¬

rhaging from the mouth. In April while Cora was in Paris he suffered 2 more severe

hemorrhages. When Cora returned they left for the dry climate of Germany's Black

Forest. In hopes he would gain weight but his body was to worn. He died with Cora

at his side of tuberculosis complicated by malaria on June 5, 1900; he was only

28(s.crane).

He is now buried in his family plot at Evergreen Cemetery on Broad Street in

Hillside, NJ. He was so young yet his collected works published in 1925-26 consist

of twelve volumes, a significant literary achievement(Stephen,Crane).

The Red Badge of Courage is one of the most important books in the history

of American literature. Henry Fleming is a young man who joins the Union Army

dreaming of the heroic deeds that he will perform. During the war, he discovers that

the kind of romantic warfare he imagined does not exist. He confronts his cowardice

and gains a new, realistic sense of duty and responsibility.

Henry's mother is a hard-working, uneducated farm woman who is reluctant

to see her son leave home and go south to do battle against the Confederate Army.

She knows that war is not an exciting adventure filled with glory, heroism, and

celebration.

Wilson a soldier who fights along side Henry, he was very optimistic and

mouthed the younger soldiers on however, he realizes that he may be killed at any

moment. As the battle, progresses he fights bravely and well.

The tattered soldier told valiant stories about war. His wounds, which Henry

envies, are serious. He is a sympathetic character, talking about he beloved children

and wishing for a clean bed and some pea soup.

The Red Badge of Courage is two days out of the life of Henry Fleming, a

boy when the novel begins and a man at its end. Against his mothers wishes Henry

enlists in the 304th Regiment of the New York Volunteers. He spends boring

months on training and inaction, and looks forward to taking part in a real Civil War

battle.

Although the Civil War is taking place during this novel that conflict takes a

back seat to what Henry faces with himself and his stages that take him from

adolescence to manhood in 2 days.

The opposing armies meet in several skirmishes, and Henry finally gets a

taste of war. Feeling that he is faced with imminent death during the battle, Henry,

along with others in his regiment, throws down his rifle and flees during the second

skirmish of the first day's battle. He becomes increasingly ashamed of himself;

while wandering in the rear of the fighting, he witnesses the bizarre death of his

close friend Jim Conklin, and, as a result, he deserts Jimmie Rogers another friend

who was thrashing in bloody grass, rather than watch yet another comrade die an

agonizing death.

Henry's desire for a wound of his own is unexpectedly granted when he is

struck on the head by a rifle in the hands of a panic stricken deserter. A soldier finds

Henry and helps him return to his regiment. There his friend Wilson, who he lies to

and says that he was wounded in battle, gives him aid.

The next day he returns to the front. During, this battle he distinguishes

himself. Henry retrieves his army's colors from the dying Union flag bearer, urges

his comrades on, and is proclaimed a hero by officers and enlisted men.

The Red Badge of Courage is felt to be a brilliant work of the imagination. It

will endure as what Crane had intend it to be "a psychological portrayal of fear."

H.G. Wells Crane's friend liked the book as a whole, he commented on

"those chromatic splashes that as times deafen and confuse in The R.B.C. those

images that astonish rather than enlighten(RBC,pg461)."

Crane's impressionistic writing and his use of imagery and symbols were

thought to be outstanding. Edward Garnett in 1898 called Crane "chief impressionist

of our day" and praised his "wonderful fervour and freshness of style." Joseph

Conrad an impressionist himself was struck by Crane's "genuine verbal felicity,

welding analysis and description in a continuous fascination of individual

style(Magill,Frank,pg434).

Judging by the continuing popularity of the novel most people are not repelled

by Crane's repeated use of color or by his use of images. One American critic in

1898 described The R.B.C. as "a mere riot of words" and condemned "the violent

straining after effect" and the "absurd similes." Only in a few passages does Crane

indulge in "arty" writing or drop into the pathetic fallacy(Magill,Frank,pg.434).

Whether The Red Badge of Courage is seen as a masterpiece by one and a

jungle of words by another. One thing is for sure, Stephen Crane's novel will endure

for generations to become a classic piece of literature.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Crane, Stephen

The Red Badge of Courage

Washington, DC : W.W. Norton & Comp. Inc. copyright 1982

"Stephen Crane"

Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia

Microsoft Corporation. copyright 1993-1996

"s.crane"

http:\www.Nvelnet.com/3431.html

From M.S.N.

"Stephen Crane"

Comptons Encyclopedia

Compton Inc. copyright 1995-1997

Felding, Frank

Turn of the Century

San Francisco: Dovin Inc., copyright 1989

Magill, Frank N.

"The Red Badge of Courage"

Magill's Survey of American Lit., copyright 1991

Volume 2, page# 424

"The Red Badge of Courage"

Masterpieces of American Literature, copyright 1993

page # 461