The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a novel that takes place during the civil war near a riverbank, somewhere in the eastern United States. The main character of the story is a young boy in the army proving to himself and others that he is brave. There are areas throughout the novel that we can learn from in terms of US History and the culture of this nation. Although it is a short story, The Red Badge of Courage leaves a lasting impression of overcoming fear on the reader.
The story starts out with Henry Fleming, a young soldier, listening to rumors of his regiment soon marching. Henry is struggling within himself whether he will have the guts to fight his first battle or if he wants to turn around and run. After the rumors prove to be false, Henry is back to wondering if he will be able to make it through his first battle. At last, they have their first battle and Henry does not flee. Later, the enemy advances as Henry wakes from a nap. He then flees in terror. He joins a column of wounded soldiers, envious of their wounds, or ‘red badges of courage’. Henry meets a tattered soldier who repeatedly asks him about his wounds. Henry soon leaves the soldier because he cannot bear the tattered man’s questioning. He is then helped by someone to get back to his own regiment. The regiment is called back into battle. Henry and his friend hear one of the officers say that their regiment fights like “mule drivers”. This makes them fight harder. During the battle, the regiment’s color bearer falls. Henry leaps to pick up the flag. Henry leads a charge against the enemy who is hiding behind a fence. The regiment is soon victorious and takes four prisoners. As Henry reflects on his battles, he is ashamed that he ran earlier, but also realizes he has come a long way since then. He is happy with who he has become.
The Red Badge of Courage takes place during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Stephen Crane never actually mentions the place or date in which the battle occurs. According to shmoop.com, however, in the sequel, The Veteran, Crane says the battle is the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia. This was a major battle that took place from April 30th to May 6th in 1863.
Much can be learned from the Civil War that relates to the history and culture of the US. The Civil War changed the course of US history forever. If the Union hadn’t won, there is a good possibility that slavery would still be around today. Through the civil war, African-Americans gained their freedom. Their persecution, however, did not stop there. From the time the civil war ended to 1965 when they could vote, African-Americans were treated different than the rest of the population.
The Red Badge of Courage was not written in the same time period as when the events in it occurred. The book was published in 1895, and the Civil War ended in 1865. Although this might be considered the same time period, the author, Stephen Crane, was not alive during the Civil War. He was born in 1871 and died in 1900. I think this affected the story to a degree. Although the author did a good job portraying the emotions of the main character, he lacked the imagery of a war zone, such as mentioning air balloon warfare in the sky, the pools of blood on the ground, and the way that the tents were arranged at campsites. Although these are minuscule details, I think they would have given the story more depth.
One passage that will be etched in my mind is on page 75. “He suddenly lost concern for himself, and forgot to look at a menacing fate. He became not a man but a member. He felt that something of which he was a part—a regiment, an army, a cause, or a country—was in a crisis. He was welded into a common personality which was dominated by a single desire. For some moments he could not flee, no more than a little finger can commit a revolution from a hand” (Crane 75). At this moment in the book, Henry is at his turning point. He lets go of his fears and realizes what it means to be in the army and fight for what he believes in. This can also apply to our lives. Sometimes we need to just let go of whatever is holding us back, whether it be people, things, or even dreams. Only then will we be at our best.
One connection that I had with the book was when I read Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen in 8th grade. It is about the life of slaves in the south and how they dreamed of escaping or being set free one day. I realize now that it took many boys like Henry so that these slaves’ dreams could be fulfilled. Another connection I made was with Martin Luther King, Jr. Even after all of the fighting of the civil war almost 200 years later, fighting still had to be done to ensure the freedom of African-Americans. People like Dr. King and soldiers like Henry are why African-Americans have the rights they do today.
This story is part of US history because it portrays many things that can be found in history books today. One of the things that stuck out to me most, that made it part of US history, was the civil war. The Red Badge of Courage is considered a classic because it has passed the test of time and is widely accepted to be an exemplary novel. H.G. Wells had high praise for the book after it was published, making it a huge success.
The Red Badge of Courage is a classic book and has left us reading a part of US History. Henry showed us throughout the book that he was brave, and able to overcome many of his fears. The story took place during the Civil War, and gave the reader an idea of what the historical and geographical settings were during the time period. Reading this book has left a lasting impression of overcoming fear, and letting go of anything that might be holding us back.