Fear in the Red Badge of Courage

Fear in the Red Badge of Courage

Introduction

When Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage, he had never experienced war. Today, however, veterans of war testify to the truth of the novel's psychological realism. The reason, perhaps, is the struggle any soldier must face when he is thrust into battle: He must confront his own fear. Henry Fleming, the protagonist, does just that, but his fear is complicated, a question of which he fears most: dying or being judged a coward.

Discussion

Cranes novel “The Red Badge of Courage,” has a distinctive style which is described as realistic and naturalistic. It is also notable for its use of what Crane called a “Psychological portrayal of fear” which shows the style of realism by describing how everyday people would react. Here is a quote from the novel that portrays realism. Indeed, the central issue in the book involves the interior struggle that Henry fights with himself over the question of his moral and physical courage. The Red Badge of Courage, of course, is concerned exclusively with Henry Fleming's internal and external struggles with his own fear.

It is a short classic novel of apprenticeship, which tells the story of a boy gone voluntarily between Northerners in the American Civil War. The story unfolds in three days of battles: the boy dreams of being a hero, but the first battle is scared and runs away (Crane, 1895, pp. 41 appendixes 1). It was the fear of being called coward that he came back among the companions despite the fear of ridicule. But the companions do not know that he has escaped. And because during the flight has been shamefully struck by another defector, returns marked by "red badge of courage", from the blood, the red badge of courage. The next ...