The Red Badge of Courage
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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 was filmed in 1951 and again in 1974, and is one of the most influential American war stories ever written, even though the author was born after 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. 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, most critics believe that its events closely parallel those of the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
The book was made into a film 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.
[edit] List of main characters
- Henry Fleming; aka the young soldier
- Jim Conklin; aka the tall soldier
- Wilson; aka the loud soldier
- the tattered man
After agonizing about whether he will run or hold in his combat, Fleming in fact survives his first 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. 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. Crane uses colors 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.
[edit] Cultural references
- An episode in the third season of the television series South Park was titled "The Red Badge of Gayness", an obvious parody of the book's title.
- In the Family Guy episode "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1", Lois is reading The Red Badge of Courage.
- An episode of Pokémon Chronicles is entitled "The Blue Badge of Courage"
[edit] External links
