The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage (1895) is a short novel (or a long short story) by Stephen Crane about the meaning of courage, as it is discovered by Henry Fleming, a recruit in the Civil War. It is often considered one of the best American war stories ever written, even though the author was born after the events and never saw battle himself. His purpose in writing the book was to explore fear and courage in the face of the most daunting trial imaginable: battle.

List of main characters

• Henry Fleming; aka the young soldier
• Jim Conklin; aka the tall soldier
• Wilson; aka the loud soldier

Fleming survives the first battle by running away and we are lead through his emotional journey, as he tries to make sense of what just happened, the reality of battle and his own role within it, often having rather selfish and egocentric conclusions.

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The title itself refers to a wound gained through battle that henry at one point yearns for. Stephen Crane mentions noticably colors changing in the book. they usually change in time with Henrys mood. a river with be a dark blue, then will look just like a sapphire, and the sun will look like a sick yellow, transformed into gold.

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