The Red Badge of Courage (Enriched Classics (Pocket)) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Mark LA-7

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a very interesting and well-written novel that I enjoyed reading. It is about a boy's physical and mental journey during the Civil War. The boy, Henry Fleming, starts out as a cowardly child who wants to join the war and turns into a courageous man. There are many things that happen to him that cause this change.

The book begins with Henry already in the army reminiscing about enlisting against his mother's will. After he does, she supports him, even though she did not agree with his decision. Henry, along with the other men in his regiment, is anxious for his first battle. He and the others are talking about if they would run away from a fight. Henry is unsure of his ability to fight the battle and not run away. He fights well for the beginning of his first battle, but when his regiment returns to the fight, he runs away. Scared, he meets many things that eventually make him decide to go back to the fight.

Over the course of the rest of the book, Henry sees many things that begin to make him stronger and more courageous. Throughout his journey, other soldiers help Henry. As he interacts with them, you can see the development and change of his character. The rest of his journey consists not only of physical, but also mental battles. Though the story takes place in the Civil War, most of the book is about the main character fighting himself.

One conflict in this story is the internal conflict Henry has throughout the book. He is constantly fighting himself over what he should do because for most of the book he is frightened. This is resolved as he gains courage and confidence. You should be able to see this at the end of the story.

I liked this book because it was very descriptive and its story was exciting. It had some themes that were very well portrayed in the book, such as courage. The plot was very interesting and the characters were described very well.

I read this book in school as a kid and I recently picked it up and read it again. It is a short work and only takes a few hours to read through. The style is definitely of the 19th century and you need to read it slowly and carefully to understand the nuances of the description and inner dialogs. Taking the time to do so is vastly rewarding-this is truly a great psycho-historical novel.

The setting is never explicitly stated by the author but historians agree it was during the disastrous Union campaign in Virginia during the battle of Chancellorsville. The protagonist is a young boy who joined the Union Army against his mother's will and he is intoxicated with visions of the nobility of the soldier's life. The novel admirably describes the boredom that the youth feels as he awaits his first battle, camped across the river (the Potomac) from the confederate Army and constantly moving around, marching and drilling, waiting and imagining his first battle where he hopes to become a hero.

When his regiment finally moves to the front line and comes under fire the boy drops his weapon and runs from the battle field scared out of his wits. He is not the only who acts cowardly but he rationalizes within his mind that the situation was hopeless and he is saving himself for the good of the army. So begins the inner conflict which drives the story line. While returning to the battlefield the youth encounters a huge group of Union Army soldiers running scared from the battle lines and confronts one of them, mired in self-contradiction and receives a minor head wound. This becomes his Red Badge of Courage as he later rejoins his unit and lies about his wounds, stating he'd received them from the enemy in battle.

On the second day of battle the boy becomes a war hero when he returns to the front and fights with a savage intensity. The author's description of the battle field and the blood and gore are realistic, especially within the historical context of the novel which is only a few decades removed from the conflict. The boy fights with courage and his regiment fights admirably but is driven back. As they retreat they are accused of being cowards as a group. They reply with curses and urges to join in fist-a-cuffs with their fellow soldiers who are mocking them. They are later chastised by the general to which they utter curses under their collective breaths.

During the battle, the boy becomes the flag bearer, wrestling the flag away from the original flag bearer who dies on the battle field with a death grip on the pole. He loses his fear which is replaced by an animal like savagery. Death becomes trivial, seconds seem like hours and the battlefield is covered with a smoky and deadly haze. The flag becomes the symbol of the boys patriotism but also causes him to be a bystander in the fight where he sees the conflict from a detached point of view. All the while the author paints the mental landscape of the heavy contradictions and inner turmoil that haunt the protagonist, who flips back in forth between coward and hero.

The men constantly cuss the generals and their plight, feeling they gave it hell but were powerless in front of fate. This is one of the central themes. The courage the boy gains is almost an insane one-completely detached from the death and destruction going on around him as he advances carrying the Union flag. The novel ends with the Union army retreating back across the river as the boy, now a war hero, continues to struggle with his inner turmoils and almost savage animal nature, wanting to forget and return to his old life, though his innocence is forever lost.

This is a very short novel but there is a lot going on. Although the author wasn't in the civil war, he interviewed many veterans and tried to make it as realistic as possible. He did a great job depicting the horrors and confusion of war, contrasting it constantly with the sublime. The true achievement and what makes this a great American novel is the incredible way in which the author describes the inner conflict going on in young Henry's head, as his youth is forever lost on the battlefield. There is a good reason why this is often required reading for historical fiction-a great read for all ages-especially sobering for those who would glorify war.

The story centers on a Henry Fleming, the protagonist, who matures from the inexperienced soldier, to the more quiet mature man. Initially, Fleming believes war to be glorious and honorable -the perfect test for courage, and thus enlists for the Union army. However, after fleeing from his first battle, Fleming realizes his own cowardice. He encounters a tattered man, whom he abandons eventually and even witnesses his friend's death. Walking further, he notices a regiment after fighting, each having gone through the battle experience, and Fleming both admires and envies them. Guilty from avoiding fighting, Fleming arrives back at his camp with a gash in his head he receives accidentally from another Union soldier. As he is cared for among the other soldiers, his wound mistaken for a battle scar and ironically earns a reputation. In later battles, Fleming even becomes the flag bearer and leads his regiment in battles. Finally understanding that war is not all glory, he matures into the experienced veteran.

With a relatively simple plot to follow, Crane explores more in depth with Fleming's thoughts throughout the novel. From the initial desire for recognition to the final reverence of war, Crane masterfully details Fleming's emotions. Although Crane did not introduce, in detail, other characters, his focus on one character -Fleming - allows him to portray the thoughts of only one. This style is Impressionism, where Crane writes in third person limited perspective, following only the thoughts of one character. Through this character, Crane's own opinion about war shines through Fleming's discovery and realization about war.

With the animalistic imagery and descriptions with color, Crane's style perfectly matches Fleming's emotions at all times. In battle, Fleming is described as barbaric, a beast fighting for its survival. Crane uses this comparison to show his own opinion on war -that war only brings out the worst in men. Also, the usage of color to describe Fleming's current emotion is also prevalent throughout the story. For example, while Fleming is in battle, he is overcome with a "red rage" to destroy his opponent. While rage already demonstrates a fierce fury, red only emphasizes its passionate nature. The colors add on to the detail and intensity of each description, vitalizing each aspect of setting.

Although Crane never clearly defines the setting, other than that of a battlefield, the story is assumed to be set during the Civil War, and Fleming contributes to the Union Army. Crane himself had never fought in a battle, nor ever witnessed one, yet his amazing descriptions of the war scenery almost proves otherwise. Without ever experiencing a soldier's familiarity in an army, Crane is still able to capture the emotions of a young soldier so well. For this, Crane's style has often been commended.

Overall, The Red Badge of Courage depicts the story of a man, eager to participate in battles to prove his bravery and earn a reputation. Upon actually encountering warfare, however, the man learns his insignificance in the world, and a soldier's actual purpose -to defend his beliefs and country. Killing is not the actual courage but willing to die for the protection of others is the true courage. Crane develops Fleming's character gradually, and the reader fully experiences Fleming's transformation from innocence to the experienced.