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The Red Badge Of Courage

Decent Essays

The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel written to exemplify the experiences and emotions of a young soldier in the American Civil War. The novel details the qualities of maturity and manhood in a gripping tale of Private Henry Fleming of the Union Army. The author, Stephen Crane wishes to relate the American public to the emotional and psychological challenges endured by countless men in the Civil War. Born in 1871, Stephen Crane was raised in a Methodist family. While training to become a professional baseball player, he eventually chose to write as his career. Throughout most of his life, Stephen stuck to his commitment that all his work should be backed by personal experience on the subject matter. However, his most famous work, The Red Badge of Courage was completely based on his remarkable imagination. He had no war experience; however, his vivid descriptions and details of war surprised critics with their incredible accuracy. Stephen’s approach at writing the novel was to emphasize the passion, confusion, and growth of the soldiers, as most of the war tales at the time were merely factual. The Red Badge of Courage presents war in a new light, one of emotional struggles and mental milestones. In the tense times of today, it is easy to forget the maturity and courage of our nation’s heroes. Many writers and politicians portray war as a battle between good and evil, or as a fight for superiority. While this may be true, it is necessary to remember the

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