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The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories
Henry Fleming, a raw Union Army recruit in the American Civil War, is anxious to confirm his patriotism and manhood—to earn his “badge of courage.” But his dreams of heroism and invulnerability are soon shattered when he flees the Confederate enemy during his baptism of fire and then witnesses the horrible death of a friend. Plunged unwillingly into the nightmare of war, Fleming survives by sheer luck and instinct. This edition of Stephen Crane’s poignant classic is supplemented by five of his acclaimed short stories as well as selected poetry, offering the full range of this great American author’s extraordinary talent.
Includes five of Crane's short stories: "The Open Boat", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", "The Blue Hotel", "The Self-Made Man", and "The Veteran"
Features a new introduction and notes by American literature scholar Gary Scharnhorst
Includes five of Crane's short stories: "The Open Boat", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", "The Blue Hotel", "The Self-Made Man", and "The Veteran"
Features a new introduction and notes by American literature scholar Gary Scharnhorst
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1895
90 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Crane
1,409 books1,011 followersStephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet and journalist, best known for the novel, The Red Badge of Courage. That work introduced the reading world to Crane's striking prose, a mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He died at age 28 in Badenweiler, Baden, Germany.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
February 9, 2022
So perhaps I'm an outlier in that I may be the only American on the face of the earth who wasn’t assigned the seemingly loathed, “The Red Badge of Courage”, when I was in high school (I also have never read the ubiquitous in high school reading lists and equally disliked Ethan Frome but that is a story for another review).
Of course age is a mitigating factor but having read it for the first time in my 40’s, I can see why young people with a limited frame of reference for war would struggle with it while resonating with those of older generations who better understand its horrors.
It is the story of Henry, or as he occasionally in a 3rd person voice refers to himself, the youth.
Like most young men in times of war and patriotic fervor, Henry sees the burgeoning Civil War as a chance to establish himself as a hero. He dreams of glory on the battlefield and feats of courage that he hopes will jumpstart his rise to adulthood and respect.
As the prospect of battle approaches however, Henry begins to doubt himself. Can he really fight? When bullets are flying, will he run away? Henry is astounded by the certainty of purpose he sees in his fellow soldiers. Why is he struggling with these questions while others around him seem to lack his fears about their potential deaths?
Henry’s questions don’t seem to be about the morality of war, or even the act of self preservation by running away from a battle, rather Henry is preoccupied with shame. The shame in knowing that when the time came to prove you are a man, not to mention support your fellow soldiers, you ran away. In many ways, this shame is worse than death itself in that if you don’t have the respect of those around, you have nothing.
Crane’s book is a meditation on these questions. On the madness of being willing to die being a prerequisite for respect. On the need to be respected and part of something larger than yourself. On misguided masculinity and a distorted sense of patriotism.
In a sense, things have not changed much since Crane’s book. War is still viewed by far too many young men as the moment to prove their manhood. To be an object of respect and wonder for those who never served but queue up to thank you for your service.
These are just a few of the seductive songs of war that have led far too many to their deaths. Crane wrote about them in the Civil War. Novelists writing about World War I, World War II, Vietnam, The Gulf War, Afghanistan, and all the wars before and to come, wrote and will write about them.
As the great Kurt Vonnegut once wrote in his attempt to understand the madness of war, “So it goes”.
Of course age is a mitigating factor but having read it for the first time in my 40’s, I can see why young people with a limited frame of reference for war would struggle with it while resonating with those of older generations who better understand its horrors.
It is the story of Henry, or as he occasionally in a 3rd person voice refers to himself, the youth.
Like most young men in times of war and patriotic fervor, Henry sees the burgeoning Civil War as a chance to establish himself as a hero. He dreams of glory on the battlefield and feats of courage that he hopes will jumpstart his rise to adulthood and respect.
As the prospect of battle approaches however, Henry begins to doubt himself. Can he really fight? When bullets are flying, will he run away? Henry is astounded by the certainty of purpose he sees in his fellow soldiers. Why is he struggling with these questions while others around him seem to lack his fears about their potential deaths?
Henry’s questions don’t seem to be about the morality of war, or even the act of self preservation by running away from a battle, rather Henry is preoccupied with shame. The shame in knowing that when the time came to prove you are a man, not to mention support your fellow soldiers, you ran away. In many ways, this shame is worse than death itself in that if you don’t have the respect of those around, you have nothing.
Crane’s book is a meditation on these questions. On the madness of being willing to die being a prerequisite for respect. On the need to be respected and part of something larger than yourself. On misguided masculinity and a distorted sense of patriotism.
In a sense, things have not changed much since Crane’s book. War is still viewed by far too many young men as the moment to prove their manhood. To be an object of respect and wonder for those who never served but queue up to thank you for your service.
These are just a few of the seductive songs of war that have led far too many to their deaths. Crane wrote about them in the Civil War. Novelists writing about World War I, World War II, Vietnam, The Gulf War, Afghanistan, and all the wars before and to come, wrote and will write about them.
As the great Kurt Vonnegut once wrote in his attempt to understand the madness of war, “So it goes”.
July 24, 2019
The Red Badge of Courage is one of those essential books in the American literary canon. I had read it while in high school just on my own. When I got to The Citadel my first year of college I had to read it again, which I didn't mind. At West Point I had to read it for the third time, but by then I had become such a rebel that I had become jaded with anything to do with the Civil War--at least temporarily.
By the time decades later I read real histories of that period I no longer felt that way. But many of us who read Red Badge, Stephen Vincent Benét's John Brown's Body, Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (book, movie, and that treacle of a theme song by Max Steiner) was like wandering around a Savannah moss-hung cemetery on an August night.
Red Badge of Courage still stands out. Every young person should read it before they volunteer to serve.
By the time decades later I read real histories of that period I no longer felt that way. But many of us who read Red Badge, Stephen Vincent Benét's John Brown's Body, Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (book, movie, and that treacle of a theme song by Max Steiner) was like wandering around a Savannah moss-hung cemetery on an August night.
Red Badge of Courage still stands out. Every young person should read it before they volunteer to serve.
May 9, 2012
Stephen Crane's life was abysmally cut short by the age of 28. What stories he did get out into the world were all rather short and focused on child-like (if not in fact child) characters. His most popular story, the one that put him on the map, is also his most celebrated work. The Red Badge of Courage is at the forefront of this small collection of stories and the most familiar with casual readers. Although the story itself proclaims in the title that it's set in the Civil War, the tale is so ambiguous that it could have been set in any war that still required muskets and horses.
The Red Badge of Courage swirls around the singular character of Henry, also known as the youth. His friends, or those who he encounters, mostly have names but are reduced down to common attributes like "the loud soldier" or "the tall soldier". This technique lends to the mysticism of the story and how it could be set in any war up until the time it was written. Henry is on a quest to become a man and, to him, the best way to do that is to be a part of the war. What unfolds is a psychological tour de force that analyzes the human psyche, the sociology of war, and the ability to cope with stressful situations. The fine line of cowardice and heroism, just like the line between childhood and adulthood, is a wobbly one and Crane, with seemingly effortless regard, pours forth a definition as complex as the human brain.
In addition to the main story, three other stories are included. One is The Veteran, which is an anecdotal tale of Henry after his time in the Civil War, having grown old and wizened by age. The next is The Open Boat which is based off of Crane's own involvement with a sinking ship and his long journey back to shore on nothing short of a dinghy and a few other men. The Red Badge of Courage and The Open Boat could be read side by side as Crane's writing is quite similar. The toil of hardship is the main climax of the story and is spread throughout the pages in true to life quantities. The third story is entitled The Monster and is, by far, the most poignant tale of racism that Crane ever got the opportunity to tell. The last story, a bit of a drag for me, is The Blue Hotel. Once more, Crane uses his experiences when he was caught in Nebraska during a blizzard to analyze the psyche of human dignity. The Blue Hotel seems out of place with the other stories and it, perhaps, would have been better to include, instead, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
The collection is quite stunning, but one must walk into the stories with a much different mindset than usual. Crane very rarely has a fixed writing style that is typical of an introduction, a climax, and a conclusion. Instead, the climax (the conflict) seems present throughout and it oftentimes does not get resolved. This inability to close a story is what makes Crane's writing so unique, but also difficult to handle. Readers want a conclusion and being forlorn without it will often chalk the story up to a "hanging" ending. Crane, however, seems to use life as a main propellent for his stories and life very rarely concludes perfectly with moral ascension and meaning. Once this is understood the stories become easier to handle.
The Red Badge of Courage swirls around the singular character of Henry, also known as the youth. His friends, or those who he encounters, mostly have names but are reduced down to common attributes like "the loud soldier" or "the tall soldier". This technique lends to the mysticism of the story and how it could be set in any war up until the time it was written. Henry is on a quest to become a man and, to him, the best way to do that is to be a part of the war. What unfolds is a psychological tour de force that analyzes the human psyche, the sociology of war, and the ability to cope with stressful situations. The fine line of cowardice and heroism, just like the line between childhood and adulthood, is a wobbly one and Crane, with seemingly effortless regard, pours forth a definition as complex as the human brain.
In addition to the main story, three other stories are included. One is The Veteran, which is an anecdotal tale of Henry after his time in the Civil War, having grown old and wizened by age. The next is The Open Boat which is based off of Crane's own involvement with a sinking ship and his long journey back to shore on nothing short of a dinghy and a few other men. The Red Badge of Courage and The Open Boat could be read side by side as Crane's writing is quite similar. The toil of hardship is the main climax of the story and is spread throughout the pages in true to life quantities. The third story is entitled The Monster and is, by far, the most poignant tale of racism that Crane ever got the opportunity to tell. The last story, a bit of a drag for me, is The Blue Hotel. Once more, Crane uses his experiences when he was caught in Nebraska during a blizzard to analyze the psyche of human dignity. The Blue Hotel seems out of place with the other stories and it, perhaps, would have been better to include, instead, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
The collection is quite stunning, but one must walk into the stories with a much different mindset than usual. Crane very rarely has a fixed writing style that is typical of an introduction, a climax, and a conclusion. Instead, the climax (the conflict) seems present throughout and it oftentimes does not get resolved. This inability to close a story is what makes Crane's writing so unique, but also difficult to handle. Readers want a conclusion and being forlorn without it will often chalk the story up to a "hanging" ending. Crane, however, seems to use life as a main propellent for his stories and life very rarely concludes perfectly with moral ascension and meaning. Once this is understood the stories become easier to handle.
April 6, 2010
The introduction to this collection compared Stephen Crane to Conrad and did a whole lot of talking about literary impressionism. This both gave me unfair expectations (I'm a Conrad lover) and, likely, put me off (I've never quite understood the concept of literary impressionism, though I know it is something that Conrad is similarly-often equated with). Given that I didn't love any of this book's selections nearly as much as the Conrad I've read, I'm going to assume it's due to a heavy dose of literary impressionism (which I don't understand). That said, I can accurately detail a number of other things that put me off what was otherwise a largely beautiful story that, at moments, felt like a fairly evocative portrait of war (though I've never been to war, though nor had Crane). Things that bothered me: dialect. I have difficulty reading it. I wish this weren't the case, but I get distracted by all of the apostrophes and spend inordinate amounts of brain power trying to imagine just how the author wanted the characters to sound, to the extent I don't ever register what it is they are saying. War: I have difficulty reading about it. My eyes gloss over the instant a battle starts being described. Try as I might, I could care less about the details of the war front. I'm endlessly fascinated with war policies, or its effects on the homefront, or the psychology of war, but put guns (or muskets as the case may be) into characters' hands and you've lost me. So, maybe it wasn't the impressionism at all, but rather the heavy dose of these elements that saturated Crane's stories that resulted in my not liking them very much. All of this criticism rendered, I would never dissuade someone from reading these stories, particularly if they don't share my hang-ups. The parts that didn't contain dialog and weren't about fighting were lovely. They were just few and far between.
May 12, 2012
Finished Red Badge (****)& short story "Veteran." Just like to say that this Pengin Classics is a nice little edition. Great for secondary/college school purposes. Included, after the introduction is a bibliography inteded for further research. (Adult sources)
I usually read the introduction before diving into the book, but decided to jump right in to Red Badge. It is followed by "The Veteran," a quick story about the narrator, Henry, as an old man on the day of his death.
Since this is such a standard classic, there is probably little to add to the canon. One thing that struck me, however. Crane is a word-lover's feast. I went to the dictionary a couple times not because the context of the word was important, but that I was curious what a word meant. I hadn't known he was also a poet until several years ago, and it shows in his fiction writing.
Wow! Just finished the next two stories, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" and "The Blue Hotel." Now I know why he has gained great acclaim. These two stories, in chapters, were spellbinders. In Blue Hotel (*****), he creates full characters in several strokes, flawlessly. In the Bride (*****) he writes tension with the same effortless sparcity. Less verbocity in the short stories (perhaps short novellas would be a beter term,) but that simplicity makes them all the more powerful.
Open Boat (****)
I usually read the introduction before diving into the book, but decided to jump right in to Red Badge. It is followed by "The Veteran," a quick story about the narrator, Henry, as an old man on the day of his death.
Since this is such a standard classic, there is probably little to add to the canon. One thing that struck me, however. Crane is a word-lover's feast. I went to the dictionary a couple times not because the context of the word was important, but that I was curious what a word meant. I hadn't known he was also a poet until several years ago, and it shows in his fiction writing.
Wow! Just finished the next two stories, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" and "The Blue Hotel." Now I know why he has gained great acclaim. These two stories, in chapters, were spellbinders. In Blue Hotel (*****), he creates full characters in several strokes, flawlessly. In the Bride (*****) he writes tension with the same effortless sparcity. Less verbocity in the short stories (perhaps short novellas would be a beter term,) but that simplicity makes them all the more powerful.
Open Boat (****)
May 30, 2023
I don’t care about the civil war idk why I read this.
February 5, 2020
Taught The Red Badge of Courage in a course at Regent University (Spring 2020).
December 30, 2018
3 stars is a bit too generous, let's give it a 2.5~ this is another book for APLAC~ the first few chapters were honestly rough; this book is related to our realism unit and there are so many excessive arbitrary details that are unnecessary, and it's bad enough that it's about the civil war like cmon english teachers, whatcha doing to us??
i learned that its easier to get through a boring & confusing book like this by annotating each page; not only does it make you seem like an avid reader but it actually turns you into a good one and you actually end up understanding the book :)
fav quote: "His loud mouth against these things had been lost as the storm ceased. He would no more stand upon places high & false, and denounce the distant planets. He behold that he was tiny but inconsequent to the sun. In the space-wide whirl of events no grain like him would be lost."
i learned that its easier to get through a boring & confusing book like this by annotating each page; not only does it make you seem like an avid reader but it actually turns you into a good one and you actually end up understanding the book :)
fav quote: "His loud mouth against these things had been lost as the storm ceased. He would no more stand upon places high & false, and denounce the distant planets. He behold that he was tiny but inconsequent to the sun. In the space-wide whirl of events no grain like him would be lost."
June 28, 2008
Another classic I should have read long before but didn't. It's quite short. Although I didn't enjoy it a ton--it certainly couldn't be called entertaining--I'm glad I've now read it. War is a sad thing. I really thought the protagonist was going to die at the end, and it was a pleasant surprise to find he didn't. Three stars because it just wasn't that interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2022
RESEÑA
– La roja insignia del valor (1895)
– Autor: Stephen Crane
Valoración: 3/5
– Traducción (Juan Aparicio-Belmonte): 4/5
– Género: novela bélica
– Estilo: realismo / impresionismo
– Obras similares: Historias de soldados y civiles de Ambrose Bierce
Stephene Crane tuvo que haber sido un tío curioso. Escribió su obra más conocida, The red Badge of Courage, un auténtico best-seller, con solo 28 años y sin bagaje como lector, pues había leído a Homero, a Tolstoy y poco más. Fascinó a Joseph Conrad por su peculiar personalidad e inventiva como escritor; pero su más próximo referente, Ambrose Bierce, lo consideraba un pésimo escritor. Murió joven de tuberculosis como algunos grandes de la literatura (Keats, Stevenson). Paul Auster le dedicó un libro en 2021.
•La roja insignia del valor es una novela corta que tiene como protagonista a un muchacho casi adolescente, que lleno de ideas homéricas sobre la guerra, se une al ejército yanki durante la Guerra Federal de los EEUU. La acción transcurre enteramente durante dos o tres días en el campo de batalla.
•
La narrativa de Crane se caracteriza, en primer lugar, por el impresionismo literario con que describe la evolución mental del protagonista (de la euforia a la duda y de la deserción a la redención a través del valor). Y en segundo lugar por el realismo crudo y demitificador con que pinta el comportamiento de los hombres en batalla.
•
Su lectura me ha provocado valoraciones encontradas. En algunas descripciones de la naturaleza que envuelve la batalla se manifiesta el brillante discípulo de Tolstoy. Construye los personajes y sus relaciones mutuas con inteligencia, y acierta al poner en sus bocas el inglés dialectal local (intraducible).
•
Pero por otra parte no se corta a la hora de usar clichés simplones sobre el valor, la hombría y el heroismo propios de una novela barata. Quizás este lenguaje apelaba a un lector que no soy yo: un lector estadounidense que aun tenía reciente los hechos y estados de ánimo de su guerra civil.
•
En todo caso, ¡puedo decir que me ha gustado leerla!
– La roja insignia del valor (1895)
– Autor: Stephen Crane
Valoración: 3/5
– Traducción (Juan Aparicio-Belmonte): 4/5
– Género: novela bélica
– Estilo: realismo / impresionismo
– Obras similares: Historias de soldados y civiles de Ambrose Bierce
Stephene Crane tuvo que haber sido un tío curioso. Escribió su obra más conocida, The red Badge of Courage, un auténtico best-seller, con solo 28 años y sin bagaje como lector, pues había leído a Homero, a Tolstoy y poco más. Fascinó a Joseph Conrad por su peculiar personalidad e inventiva como escritor; pero su más próximo referente, Ambrose Bierce, lo consideraba un pésimo escritor. Murió joven de tuberculosis como algunos grandes de la literatura (Keats, Stevenson). Paul Auster le dedicó un libro en 2021.
•La roja insignia del valor es una novela corta que tiene como protagonista a un muchacho casi adolescente, que lleno de ideas homéricas sobre la guerra, se une al ejército yanki durante la Guerra Federal de los EEUU. La acción transcurre enteramente durante dos o tres días en el campo de batalla.
•
La narrativa de Crane se caracteriza, en primer lugar, por el impresionismo literario con que describe la evolución mental del protagonista (de la euforia a la duda y de la deserción a la redención a través del valor). Y en segundo lugar por el realismo crudo y demitificador con que pinta el comportamiento de los hombres en batalla.
•
Su lectura me ha provocado valoraciones encontradas. En algunas descripciones de la naturaleza que envuelve la batalla se manifiesta el brillante discípulo de Tolstoy. Construye los personajes y sus relaciones mutuas con inteligencia, y acierta al poner en sus bocas el inglés dialectal local (intraducible).
•
Pero por otra parte no se corta a la hora de usar clichés simplones sobre el valor, la hombría y el heroismo propios de una novela barata. Quizás este lenguaje apelaba a un lector que no soy yo: un lector estadounidense que aun tenía reciente los hechos y estados de ánimo de su guerra civil.
•
En todo caso, ¡puedo decir que me ha gustado leerla!
November 29, 2019
Henry is a fresh, green soldier during the Civil War. This short work of fiction details his first few engagements as part of the Union army, following him through moments of sheer terror and panic, confidence, distress, hopefulness and, ultimately, pride. I selected this title as part of a long-term goal to read four traditional "classics" each year. Overall, it was okay, though I have to admit I likely enjoyed the accompanying unrelated short stores in this edition more than the titular work itself. At the very least I now know what "the red badge of courage" actually refers to.
September 22, 2024
war literature make me go HRONNNNNN mimimimimi 😴
October 15, 2020
Onvan : The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories - Nevisande : Stephen Crane - ISBN : 0143039350 - ISBN13 : 9780143039358 - Dar 288 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2006
March 21, 2016
This book is about a young boy who thinks that going off to war is what he wants to do when he is old enough. However, he soon finds out that it is not as fun and entertaining as he thought it would be. He sees close friends suffer the pain of death and war. After one of the battles the young man realizes that he hasn't gotten a single scratch yet and everyone around him has some kind of wound to show the things he had done for his country. He too wanted a big bloody red badge of courage. Soon after, he is in battle and wakes up later with his red badge of courage. Then he realizes that he didn't need to be wounded to be courageous. One thing I really liked about this book was that it had many life lessons and it really showed the pain of war and made you thankful for all the things that veterans and current service members have done. One thing I didn't like about this book was that at points it was kind of boring and it seemed like it was repeating itself and saying the same thing over and over again. If I had to suggest this book to a specific group of people I would suggest it to young adults who would like to learn more about the wars in U.S. history or anyone just looking for a good story.
April 14, 2020
I’m a bit torn writing this review. Whilst “The Red Badge” is significant for it’s accurate portrayal of a young recruits mental struggles, despair and redemption while fighting, (the first non- romantic account of life at war it seems) the battle descriptions are tedious.
They may be accurate but not as gripping to read in 2020 as in 1885. It was either the test of time, or my own lack of patience, that left me struggling.
“The Veteran” was a romantic post scrip to the other story and seems to have been written as kind of a character follow-up and again, I could have skipped it.
Surprisingly it was the other stories including The Monster and The Blue Hotel that we’re early gothic morality stories tinged with the bizarre.
If I read it again, I would skip over The Red Badge and read the others.
They may be accurate but not as gripping to read in 2020 as in 1885. It was either the test of time, or my own lack of patience, that left me struggling.
“The Veteran” was a romantic post scrip to the other story and seems to have been written as kind of a character follow-up and again, I could have skipped it.
Surprisingly it was the other stories including The Monster and The Blue Hotel that we’re early gothic morality stories tinged with the bizarre.
If I read it again, I would skip over The Red Badge and read the others.
October 4, 2016
There is a class of books which owe much of their fame to their brevity and therefore usefulness in the classroom. I call them The Assignables. The most famous are (or used to be) Silas Marner, Ethan Frome, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Red Badge of Courage. I can imagine someone reading TRBOC voluntarily, not having been assigned it, simply for pleasure. Imagine making that statement about Ethan Frome.
There are other books teachers might have elevated to this status. The Unvanquished. Washington Square. The Crying of Lot 49. But no. Ethan bloody Frome.
There are other books teachers might have elevated to this status. The Unvanquished. Washington Square. The Crying of Lot 49. But no. Ethan bloody Frome.
February 23, 2007
"But he said, in substance, to himself that if the earth and the moon were about to clash, many persons would doubtless plan to get upon the roofs to witness the collision."
August 19, 2007
Wars do strange things to different people.
September 3, 2019
Crane has a tendency to make points that are better than his stories but his stories ain't bad either.
April 2, 2021
Beautifully written but.... a boys’ guide to the horrors, confusion, and utter stupidity of war. Why haven’t we learned any lessons yet?
November 29, 2020
The Red Badge of Courage is the story of Henry Fleming, a teenager who enlists with the Union Army in the hopes of fulfilling his dreams of glory.
Shortly after enlisting, the reality of his decision sets in. He experiences tedious waiting, not immediate glory. The more he waits for battle, the more doubt and fear creep into his mind. When he finally engages in his first battle, he blindly fires into the battle haze, never seeing his enemy. As the next enemy assault approaches, Henry's fears of death overwhelm him, and he runs from the field.
Henry continues his retreat for some time, even after he overhears that his regiment repelled the enemy. When he finally slows and rests, he hears the sound of a renewed battle and, ironically, he returns to the battle from which he has fled. He comes upon many wounded men returning from the front to get medical assistance. One of these wounded soldiers, identified as "a tattered soldier," befriends Henry and begins a conversation with him; however, when the tattered soldier asks Henry where he is wounded, Henry evades the question by leaving him and drifting into the crowd of soldiers.
As Henry continues walking with the wounded, he sees a veteran soldier of his company, Jim Conklin, who is mortally wounded. Henry follows Jim, and, eventually, the tattered soldier joins them. When Jim suddenly collapses and dies, Henry is devastated. The tattered soldier again asks Henry about his wound. Again, Henry can't explain that he has no wound, so he leaves the disoriented, wounded, tattered soldier stumbling in the field.
Henry anguishes over his lack of courage, but he can't overcome the guilt and self-hatred that stop him from returning to his regiment. He hears the noise of a battle and sees reinforcement troops heading toward the front. As he watches, the battle turns against the Union forces, and many of the men begin to retreat. Henry gets caught up in their retreat. He tries to stop a retreating soldier to find out what is happening; however, the soldier only wants to get away, so he hits Henry over the head with his rifle, leaving Henry with a serious head wound. He is dazed by the blow and wanders back through the woods. Henry is then befriended by a cheery soldier who returns him to his regiment.
Henry fears being ridiculed by his comrades on his return, but when he enters his camp, two soldiers, Wilson and Simpson, see his injury and immediately begin ministering to him. They assume that Henry was hurt in battle; however, Simpson asks Henry about his whereabouts, and Henry can't answer.
As the regiment prepares to move out, Wilson asks Henry to return a packet of letters that he gave Henry before the first battle. (Wilson feared that he was going to die in battle, and he wanted Henry to give the letters to his family.) Henry realizes that Wilson was also afraid of battle, and Henry is overjoyed to think that he now has power, and a weapon, to use to hold over somebody else's head. This knowledge gives Henry courage and restores his confidence.
Henry converts his fear of the enemy into anger and becomes a leader, fighting boldly at the side of his lieutenant. Henry becomes such a confident, assertive, aggressive soldier that, ironically, he becomes a fighting machine himself. Henry resolves his guilt over abandoning the tattered soldier by deciding to use the memory of this selfish, uncaring act to keep himself humble — to control any egotism he feels because of his now strong fighting ability.
When Henry's regiment is chosen to charge the enemy, Henry leads the charge with the lieutenant, and, eventually, he even assumes the role of color bearer for the regiment after the color sergeant is killed.
Henry's transformation from a fearful, lost, doubting youth, to a courageous, confident, duty-bound soldier is the essence of the novel. It is the story of the growth of a young man from innocence to maturity.
Shortly after enlisting, the reality of his decision sets in. He experiences tedious waiting, not immediate glory. The more he waits for battle, the more doubt and fear creep into his mind. When he finally engages in his first battle, he blindly fires into the battle haze, never seeing his enemy. As the next enemy assault approaches, Henry's fears of death overwhelm him, and he runs from the field.
Henry continues his retreat for some time, even after he overhears that his regiment repelled the enemy. When he finally slows and rests, he hears the sound of a renewed battle and, ironically, he returns to the battle from which he has fled. He comes upon many wounded men returning from the front to get medical assistance. One of these wounded soldiers, identified as "a tattered soldier," befriends Henry and begins a conversation with him; however, when the tattered soldier asks Henry where he is wounded, Henry evades the question by leaving him and drifting into the crowd of soldiers.
As Henry continues walking with the wounded, he sees a veteran soldier of his company, Jim Conklin, who is mortally wounded. Henry follows Jim, and, eventually, the tattered soldier joins them. When Jim suddenly collapses and dies, Henry is devastated. The tattered soldier again asks Henry about his wound. Again, Henry can't explain that he has no wound, so he leaves the disoriented, wounded, tattered soldier stumbling in the field.
Henry anguishes over his lack of courage, but he can't overcome the guilt and self-hatred that stop him from returning to his regiment. He hears the noise of a battle and sees reinforcement troops heading toward the front. As he watches, the battle turns against the Union forces, and many of the men begin to retreat. Henry gets caught up in their retreat. He tries to stop a retreating soldier to find out what is happening; however, the soldier only wants to get away, so he hits Henry over the head with his rifle, leaving Henry with a serious head wound. He is dazed by the blow and wanders back through the woods. Henry is then befriended by a cheery soldier who returns him to his regiment.
Henry fears being ridiculed by his comrades on his return, but when he enters his camp, two soldiers, Wilson and Simpson, see his injury and immediately begin ministering to him. They assume that Henry was hurt in battle; however, Simpson asks Henry about his whereabouts, and Henry can't answer.
As the regiment prepares to move out, Wilson asks Henry to return a packet of letters that he gave Henry before the first battle. (Wilson feared that he was going to die in battle, and he wanted Henry to give the letters to his family.) Henry realizes that Wilson was also afraid of battle, and Henry is overjoyed to think that he now has power, and a weapon, to use to hold over somebody else's head. This knowledge gives Henry courage and restores his confidence.
Henry converts his fear of the enemy into anger and becomes a leader, fighting boldly at the side of his lieutenant. Henry becomes such a confident, assertive, aggressive soldier that, ironically, he becomes a fighting machine himself. Henry resolves his guilt over abandoning the tattered soldier by deciding to use the memory of this selfish, uncaring act to keep himself humble — to control any egotism he feels because of his now strong fighting ability.
When Henry's regiment is chosen to charge the enemy, Henry leads the charge with the lieutenant, and, eventually, he even assumes the role of color bearer for the regiment after the color sergeant is killed.
Henry's transformation from a fearful, lost, doubting youth, to a courageous, confident, duty-bound soldier is the essence of the novel. It is the story of the growth of a young man from innocence to maturity.
September 15, 2024
The Red Badge of Courage**** in the Norton Classics edition
The Open Boat**** 14 September 2024
An intense story of struggle and survival. While the story itself is interesting, with connected episodes and a clear arc, this would be best characterized as didactic, an apologue intent on reinforcing a truth. The characters are generalized ("the Captain", "the Cook", "the Correspondent") and the trials they face have a universal, mythic quality. There's not a lot of dialogue, the focus being on descriptions, metaphors and similes.
The Blue Hotel****1/2 15 September 2024
A tight novella, with interesting characters and sharp writing. This is a piece of didactic fiction, an apologue that promotes an idea that Crane puts in the mouth of "the Easterner" at the end:
The Open Boat**** 14 September 2024
An intense story of struggle and survival. While the story itself is interesting, with connected episodes and a clear arc, this would be best characterized as didactic, an apologue intent on reinforcing a truth. The characters are generalized ("the Captain", "the Cook", "the Correspondent") and the trials they face have a universal, mythic quality. There's not a lot of dialogue, the focus being on descriptions, metaphors and similes.
“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned— if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of Life?”
The Blue Hotel****1/2 15 September 2024
A tight novella, with interesting characters and sharp writing. This is a piece of didactic fiction, an apologue that promotes an idea that Crane puts in the mouth of "the Easterner" at the end:
"Every sin is the result of a collaboration. We, five of us, have collaborated in the murder of this Swede."The characters tend more toward types, thus pulling the story into generality.
June 28, 2022
I must admit, it was the “other stories” in this compilation that blew my socks off and helped me see the beauty and succinctness of SC’s prose. Maybe I’m off base, but his style evokes the warm feelings and awe I have reading Steinbeck or Cormac McCarthy. With the absolute minimum budget of words he conjures vivid scenes where emotions, smells, and sights are not so much as described as telepathically beamed into your brain. After reading a few paragraphs of some of the short stories you’ll find yourself paging back to see how he could have possibly painted the scene as vividly as you interpreted it. The poetry at the end was also hard hitting. I’ll visit passages from this book again. And when you ask yourself why would I go and spend time in classics with so many other options…this barrel presents as a shotgun to the face…it demands your full attention. :-)
June 7, 2023
I picked this up in a second hand bookstore in the US, knowing nothing about it (or the author) but spotting multiple copies and assuming it was considered a classic.
Perhaps inevitably given its age (1895), the language is somewhat dated which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. I can see, though, that it would have been revolutionary at the time, especially to portray war in such a narrow and detailed way. In the UK we learn little about the US Civil War, so I wasn't even certain at the start which side the protagonist was on. Rather like "All Quiet on the Western Front", it doesn't matter - in the midst of fighting, it looks the same from both sides.
There were some wonderful, descriptive turns of phrase which made it worthwhile, and I enjoyed the sense of place in the other stories - Open Boat and The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.
Perhaps inevitably given its age (1895), the language is somewhat dated which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. I can see, though, that it would have been revolutionary at the time, especially to portray war in such a narrow and detailed way. In the UK we learn little about the US Civil War, so I wasn't even certain at the start which side the protagonist was on. Rather like "All Quiet on the Western Front", it doesn't matter - in the midst of fighting, it looks the same from both sides.
There were some wonderful, descriptive turns of phrase which made it worthwhile, and I enjoyed the sense of place in the other stories - Open Boat and The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.
July 11, 2025
Really good intriguing book about a young first-time soldier in war. The red badge of courage show the reader the realities of being in a warzone and how fear and honor clash.
This book is about the American Civil War but can be put in any scenario where a war is ongoing and will still be relevant. You as the reader get to see Henry’s fear and what he sees through his eyes and thougths, he has a constant ongoing battle between fleeing the warzone or staying and being ”honorable” when faced with the non-glamorous reality of war when he got promised something else.
I really enjoyed this book, and I think everyone should read it at least once in their life - especially if you’re a history teacher.
4/5 ⭐️
This book is about the American Civil War but can be put in any scenario where a war is ongoing and will still be relevant. You as the reader get to see Henry’s fear and what he sees through his eyes and thougths, he has a constant ongoing battle between fleeing the warzone or staying and being ”honorable” when faced with the non-glamorous reality of war when he got promised something else.
I really enjoyed this book, and I think everyone should read it at least once in their life - especially if you’re a history teacher.
4/5 ⭐️
December 3, 2019
Interesting about the madness of war, mainly a psychological story, written 1895, how a young boy enlists in the American Civil War, with his head full of heroic fantasies, and his subsequent changing feelings, how to cope with the atrosities, but also the interaction between fellow soldiers.
Very interesting is Stephen Cranes frequent use of colour, giving life to the landscape as well as symbolically, evoking feelings and an almost cinematic view of the events in and out of the battle.
Very interesting is Stephen Cranes frequent use of colour, giving life to the landscape as well as symbolically, evoking feelings and an almost cinematic view of the events in and out of the battle.
November 28, 2020
The title story was interesting, but I enjoyed the short stories that followed more. It is fascinating that someone as young as Crane could understand such diverse topics, (battle, the west, and the sea). The conclusion to "A Bride comes to Yellow Sky" was unexpected and well written. Crane also has a talent for shifting voice and the speech of his various characters.
February 12, 2021
This novel is set during the American Civil War and Crane's use of images and 'pictures' of the battle scene is very powerful. The reader is taken on a visual journey of war as seen by a young man, Private Henry Fleming, who for most of the novel is called 'the youth' and this technique worked very well for me as a modern reader of this classic.
January 29, 2022
Extremely sad that this talented writer had to die so young; imagine just how much potential for even greater works we could have had but as it is we have this very well-written and enjoyable read. This anti-war novel while to me not quite as good as Remarche's "All Quiet On the Western Front" is still very good and the short stories after I greatly enjoyed too.
August 28, 2023
This isn't my cup of tea :| I had to read it for school so that's really the only reason I picked it up in the first place. I mean, I guess it was okay, not good tho. Like it was very slow, and the writing style was just not my thing, which is fine. It very discriptive which was nice, but other then that NOPE I didn't like it, sorry Stephen.
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