Friend Of Henry's In The Army example essay topic

The Red Badge of Courage Time Period The Civil War officially started in 1861, yet problems between the North and the South date back as far as the early 1830's. The North was infuriated over slavery after a woman by the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe published her book Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe's book analyzed the life of a slave in an astonishing and realistic way. It caused many people to join the Union.

Then the war began in July of 1861 when a Confederate army met with a Federal army at Man assen, Virginia. Many battles were fought until finally the north was victorious. Slavery was abolished, and the federal government's power was set as supreme power over all the land. Authors Biography Stephen Crane was born on November 1st 1871, just six years after the end of the Civil War.

Crane never cared much for schooling. Attending Syracuse University he was best known for playing baseball. Later he became well known as a poet, journalist, and novel writer. He went to cover the Greco-Turkish as a journalist. After that he lived in England for a few years. Crane also covered the Spanish-American war as a journalist for the New York World.

Crane was obsessed with violence all his life; he loved war. (DMS Stephen Crane History Page.) At the age of 29 he died on June 5, 1900, suffering from tuberculosis, in Germany. Synopsis The Red Badge Of Courage commences with a new regiment for the Union army languishing for a battle. Jim, a friend of Henry (the main character) hears some rumors about their next movements. Jim tells a group of soldiers that their going to go around the enemy and attack them from behind. A few days later they started marching and they attacked.

This is Henry's and many of the men's first battle, so he and a few others flee from the battle. Then Henry finds Jim after the battle. They talk for a while, then Jim dies. Henry feels guilty so he starts looking for the regiment. He comes across another Union soldier and they get in a fight, the soldier hits Henry on the head with his rifle. Henry makes it back to the regiment and tells them that the wound is from the battle so they won't think that he ran off.

Henry is then nursed bye a soldier named Wilson. By morning Henry is ready to fight. He fights several battles and stays on the front lines, in that same day. Evaluation Over the history of human existence, people have been at war for different reasons. Usually war is understood to be between two countries. Yet the American Civil War was not entirely this.

This war was between a country that was divided in its self. This caused for many different literary themes. A common theme of this time was the actual war. The Red Badge Of Courage shows that a man's actions in war are not truly his own, he does what war makes him do. Henry Fleming, the main character of the book, was at first very exited to go to war, joining the army against his mother's consent.

After a few weeks in the regiment he starts to finds war frightening. Crane describes the way Henry flees from battle. 'He to, threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face. He ran like a rabbit'; (Crane, 51). He did not think about doing this, he just did it.

War caused fear in Henry, which made him flee. Wilson was a friend of Henry's in the army who was at first very loud and obnoxious. After the battle, Wilson became a different man. He learned to appreciate life. Wilson had a near death experience during the battle and that's what made him change. He acted as a nurse for Henry when he was wounded, which is something that Wilson would not have done before the battle.

War made Wilson humble and caring, so he cared for someone. Crane repeatedly states that Henry became a man after fighting the battles on the second day. 'He became a man'; (Crane, 169). Crane suggests that Henry changed during the fighting.

Henry didn't change during the battle, he changed because of the battle. 'He felt a quiet manhood, non-assertive but of sturdy and strong blood. ' ; He had been sort of a coward during the last few days yet the war made him overcome that and he became a hero. The Red Badge Of Courage shows how war affects a man.

Crane succeeded in demonstrating a realistic account of war. He indicates that war is not as glamorous as everybody thought it was. The Red Badge of Courage caught the actual spirit of war, the true theme or meaning is that war controls. The book also proves that the heroic acts of war were really not so heroic because in the end, war was just plain and simple killing.

Bibliographies web 'Crane, Stephen. ' ; Adventures in American Literature, Athena ed. 1996. ' Civil War - Us.

' ; The New book of Knowledge, 3rd ed. 1989.