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Encyclopedia > The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage (1895) is an impressionistic novel by Stephen Crane about the meaning of courage, as it is discovered by Henry Fleming, a recruit in the American Civil War. It is one of the most influential American war stories ever written, even though the author was born after the war and had never seen battle himself. Crane met and spoke with a number of veterans as a student and he created what is widely regarded as an unusually realistic depiction of the character of a young man in battle. Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For the U.S. Continental Congress delegate, see Stephen Crane (delegate). ... The Red Badge of Courage (1895) is an impressionistic novel by Stephen Crane about the meaning of courage, as it is discovered by Henry Fleming, a recruit in the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...


His writing is notable for its detached and critical style, often addressing uncomfortable issues on a deeply psychological level in a way that was ground-breaking in the genre. Though Crane never names the battle in which Fleming participates, it is said in the sequel to The Red Badge of Courage, The Veteran, that Henry was fighting in the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. The battle was won by the Confederacy. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson† Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 17,197 (1,606 killed, 9,672 wounded, 5,919 missing)[1] 12,764 (1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded, 2,018 missing)[1] The Battle of...


The book was made into a movie by John Huston in 1951 (see The Red Badge of Courage (film)) starring Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, and again in a made-for-television version starring Richard Thomas that appeared in 1974. John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Red Badge of Courage is a 1951 film by John Huston, based on the Stephen Crane novel of the same name. ... Also see: Audie Murphy legacy. ... A television movie (also known as a TV film, TV movie, TV-movie, feature-length drama, made-for-TV movie, movie of the week (MOTW or MOW), single drama, telemovie, telefilm, or two-hour-long drama) is a film that is produced for and originally distributed by a television network. ... Richard Thomas (born June 13, 1951) is an American actor, best known as John-Boy on the TV series, The Waltons. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...


List of main characters

  • Henry Fleming; (aka) the young soldier protagonist. He deals with the terror of war and his own conscience.
  • Jim Conklin; (aka) the tall soldier and one of Henry's friends (killed)
  • Tom Wilson; (aka) the loud soldier
  • the tattered soldier
  • the lieutenant (Wounded)

After agonizing about whether he will run or hold in his combat, Fleming in fact survives his second battle by running away and we are led through his emotional journey, as he tries to make sense of the reality of battle and his own role within it, often reaching rather self-serving and egocentric conclusions. He runs away into the forest and meets up with a group of injured men. They ask him where he is wounded and he is embarrassed that he does not have one. Henry wanders through the forest and decides that running was the best thing, and that he is a small part of the army responsible for saving himself. Henry feels incredibly guilty when he learns that his battalion has won and that it wasn't a suicide mission after all. Henry returns to his battalion and is injured by another fleeing soldier. When he returns to camp, the other soldiers see his wound and thought that he was harmed by a bullet in battle. Afterwords, Henry goes in to battle for the third time the next morning. While looking for a stream, he finds that his regiment has a horrible reputation from the commanding officer. With no regiments to spare, the general orders the regiment forward. In the final battle Henry goes along with the story and becomes one of the best fighters in his battalion, and the flag bearer. Many readers have felt that by mastering his fear and eventually leading a charge, young Henry has become "a man."


The title itself refers to a "battle" wound that Henry at one point yearns for. He tries to stop Union soldiers from running away and then gets whacked on the head. He then lies to Tom Wilson and says he got shot in the head. Crane uses colors like crimson and blue to represent various moods or relationships in the book. They often change with Henry's mood. A river will be a dark blue, then will look just like a sapphire, and the sun will look like a sick yellow, transformed into gold.


External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The Red Badge of Courage

  Results from FactBites:
 
10 Papers on the Red Badge of Courage (8322 words)
The Red Badge of Courage although often looked at from a more psychological level is very easy to read, and catches the reader's attention from the first chapter.
The Red Badge of Courage from a historic perspective was written in regards to the American Civil war.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane traces the effects of war on a Union soldier, Henry Fleming, from his dreams of soldiering, to his actual enlistment, and through several battles of the Civil War.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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