The True Nature of War

The novel, “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, is about a young recruit in the American Civil War and depicts the many obstacles and cruelties of war and how the soldiers experience battle firsthand therefore creating a sense of realism. The characters themselves also go through great change in the story and you learn more about them as the chapters go on. The author uses many techniques to spread his ideas and does so by connecting the reader with war and what it is and how it feels to be in it. Crane also uses descriptive writing and figurative language to make the story more interesting and realistic and to pull more attention to the plot. The title itself just happens to be an example of the author’s use of metaphors and symbolism.

In “The Red Badge of the Courage”, Crane penetrates the emotions that lie beneath the outer fact and shows his fascination with the “immense and terrible machine” of battle. Crane’s novel was entirely of his own imagination and he uses his imagination to describe all the battles that place in the Civil War. His technique of storytelling delivers a sense of shocking imagery and allows the reader to connect with the story and what’s going on as if he or she was actually there to see it. He talks about the explosions going off, the smoke covering the open battlefield, the bullets flying, and the soldiers getting hit and falling on their knees and screaming in agony bring forth feelings of pain and fear and absolute destruction.

Henry Flemming, the main character of the story, is a young private who joins the army in hopes of becoming a hero. In the beginning of the story, he often thought that it was possible to achieve the same glory that the ancient Greek war heroes did. He believed that battle was the only way he can ever become a man and get the fame and recognition he deserves and that it’s all fun and games. However later on, Henry discovers the cruelties and injustices of war as he saw his comrades die beside him”. Crane focuses on the main character’s development rather than the story itself and shows Henry as he grows up from becoming a weakling to a fully fledged soldier.
The theme of the story is about courage, manhood, self-acknowledgement, and coming of age. Throughout the book, Henry Flemming tries to prove himself worthy by doing his best in battle and to find out the true meaning of courage. As Henry goes on, he struggles to preserve his manhood because he’s always afraid of getting himself killed. The author hints that if he keeps fighting, he’ll become the hero he’s always dreamed of becoming. But later on, as many soldiers die, the main character comes to a conclusion of asking himself if it’s all worth fighting for. After running away from battle, Henry joins his brothers in arms and fights valiantly and in the final battle, Henry rejoins his brothers in arms, fights his best and ends up becoming one of the best fighters in his battalion as well as the flag bearer, finally proving his courage as a man.

Stephen Crane uses figurative language to create images and describe all aspects of war going on throughout the novel. “The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fog revealed army stretched out on the hills, resting,” It’s an example of personification too because the cold, the fog, and the army are described as people with specific behaviors, feelings and needs.  "There was a row of guns making gray clouds . . . filled with large flashes of orange-colored flame." This is a beautiful, but sinister, image that leaves the reader anxious. Another sinister image is the description of a burning house, set afire by a cannon barrage. The burning house is described as "glowing a deep murder red." 

Throughout the novel, war is presented in a variety of metaphorical ways. “They were going to look at war, the red animal-war, the blood-swollen god”. The metaphor conveys the idea that war is something larger than the people that participate in it, that they have no control over it. The soldiers are described as “animals tossed for a death struggle into a dark pit”. War evolves and turns men into beasts and makes them go crazy and kill one another for the hope of survival. The image of bullets raining down was like a “thousand axes”. Crane uses these metaphors to make the civil war sound more realistic and give the reader an idea of what the life of a soldier is like when he has to face such dangers. The author also actually uses symbolism within the title itself. In one point in the novel, Henry finds a group of soldiers covered in bloody wounds from head to toe and that they were laughing happily together. Henry is jealous because he doesn’t have any wounds and wishes that he too, had a “Red Badge of Honor”. A “Red Badge of Honor” is more than just a wound though. It represented proof that the person fought valiantly throughout the war and that he survived. From there on, Henry tries to get a badge of honor so that he can prove himself to the others and return with dignity and pride.

In conclusion, “The Red Badge of Courage” is a depiction of the civil war and how a recruit and his fellow soldiers fight through and overcome it. Crane uses techniques to make the story interesting and to make it sound realistic and add more impact to the story. The whole novel revolves around the recruit, Henry Flemming, and how he develops from a boy to a man. This adds one to the theme because it relates to how he’s trying to prove himself through hard work to becoming a hero and finding the true meaning of courage. Crane also uses figurative language and metaphors to show the true aspects of war and to make it into a great story. Symbolism helped show Crane’s idea of “The Red Badge of Courage” as a mark of pride and honor.

Bibliography

The Red Badge of Courage (book)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Crane