The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane was inspired to write The Red Badge of Courage after reading a number of Civil War stories and being annoyed by their lack of any emphasis on the human psyche. Thoughts and feelings took a back seat to actions in most war stories he'd read, and as such, he decided to make a Civil War story full of emotions rather than actions. And that isn't to say that Red Badge lacks any action. It's fairly limited, however, in that scope, taking place during a two-or-three-day battle and lasting only about 100 pages. Crane definitely accomplished what he set out to do, which was to explore the myriad of mindsets that soldiers often experience in times of war and peril. First there's that bravado and machismo, then real and sudden fear. There's the feeling of unity with one's unit and the ensuing loss of individualism. Camaraderie. But there's also a sense of courage. There's shame for the defeated and a feeling of proud accomplishment for the victors. You know. Nothing really all that unusual. And therefore, this book didn't really feel like a unique and groundbreaking classic; instead it felt a lot like a typical - but good, I must say - war novel. Of course, I'm speaking with the benefit of hindsight, and based on Crane's grumblings at the time, there truly were no "inner conflict" war novels back in his time. So certainly I can see why this one merits the distinction of being called a classic. Honestly, it felt a lot like All Quiet On the Western Front, but not quite as powerful; All Quiet was very anti-war in tone, while Red Badge seemed very apolitical in nature, romanticizing the "finer" points of war but not without some realistic and gruesome episodes of death and despair. You definitely don't have to read this book (whereas I definitely would suggest you read All Quiet), but at least it's a good one, and no more difficult to get through than the easiest of high school English books. Besides, there's something nice about checking off a definitive classic.