The Red Badge Of Courage: Henry's Journey Through War

The Red Badge of Courage: Henry’s Journey through War Stephen Crane, a well-known late 19th century writer, was born November 1, 1871. He was born into a huge family that based their life on religion and societal change: “He was the son of a Methodist minister and a social reform-minded mother; but he systematically rejected religious and social tradition and identified with the urban poor” (Baym 943). Crane was a scholarly student who went to Lafayette College and Syracuse University. Later, he decided to pursue a career in writing by going to New York City after finishing his collegiate pursuits. Crane became an expert at being “an observer of psychological and social reality” when he wrote “journalistic assignments that allowed him to

Red Badge utilizes irony to contrast Henry’s romantic perception and anti-romantic realities of war. These instances are found throughout the novel. The title exhibits irony because Henry never receives an official red badge of courage. In addition, it is ironic that the injury for which Henry receives his “red badge of courage” is due to friendly fire instead of enemy action. This occurs while Henry is running from battle deserting his friends in need which is the opposite of courage, and yet he conceals the truth from his friends and becomes known as the courageous fighter he has always hoped he would become. Giorgio Mariani, writer of the article “Spectacle and Ideology in Red Badge of Courage,” mentions Henry’s view of war quickly changes from being romanticized where “he had read of marches, sieges, conflicts, and he had longed to see it all…His busy mind had drawn for him large pictures extravagant in color, lurid with breathless deeds” (Mariani). Subsequently, his view becomes one where he lost his romanticized view of war and begins to think that his regiment is “taking him out to be slaughtered (Crane 10).Overall, Henry’s thoughts on his involvement on the battlefield have been derailed by the anti-romantic reality of war, and has made him into a coward by fleeing during battle. Irony plays into Henry’s characterization by proving how everything is not black and white. Nonetheless, Henry gets a differing perspective of war which makes him aware of having realistic expectations in his everyday life outside of the Battle of Chancellorsville