The imagery developed for an impending battle uses similar techniques. The battle is “the blaze” and “a monster”; the combatants are “serpents crawling from hill to hill”; Henry’s regiment is a “blasting host” (a killing machine); “red eyes” (enemy campfires) watch across rivers. All these images contribute to an ominous […]
Read more Critical Essays The Use of Figurative Language in The Red Badge of CourageCritical Essays The Structure of The Red Badge of Courage
In Chapter 1 of The Red Badge of Courage, Henry is totally immersed in his own thoughts. As he waits for war, he daydreams about his home, his farm, and the conversation he had had with his mother. By staging the first chapter of the book almost exclusively in Henry’s […]
Read more Critical Essays The Structure of The Red Badge of CourageStephen Crane Biography
After Crane’s father died in 1880, the family continued to move to various places in New Jersey. At one point, Stephen contracted scarlet fever, and the family moved to Port Jervis, New York, a place where Stephen had previously recovered from severe colds. Eventually the Cranes moved to Asbury Park, […]
Read more Stephen Crane BiographyCharacter Analysis The Officers
In every battle, the officers cajoling and encourage their men to fight and to fight harder. Even if the soldiers do not always appreciate the way the officers must treat them in order to motivate them, the treatment is fair and consistent, even if sometimes harsh. In all instances, the […]
Read more Character Analysis The OfficersCharacter Analysis The Soldiers
Henry Fleming Henry represents the young soldier who initially views war as an adventure, as an opportunity for glory. That view changes quickly — as quickly as Henry’s first combat experience from which he ends up running. The rest of the novel is the story of the rebuilding of Henry’s […]
Read more Character Analysis The SoldiersCharacter Analysis Henry Fleming, a Union Soldier
Henry’s maturing process occurs very quickly. In the span of just a few days, Henry experiences a lifetime’s worth of growth — from his enlisting for self-centered reasons of glory, to the exhilaration of his first battle, to his running from his second battle for fear of being killed, and, […]
Read more Character Analysis Henry Fleming, a Union SoldierSummary and Analysis Chapter 24
The officers begin to organize the troops for a return to their previous position. The regiment links up with the other regiments in the brigade, as well as with a mass of other troops, and the entire division moves away from the front. The importance of these linkages and this […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 24Summary and Analysis Chapter 23
As the celebration of this successful charge of the regiment winds down, Henry sits down in some tall grass and leans his flag against the fence. Wilson, his friend, joins him in resting on the ground. Analysis This chapter places the reader in Henry’s mind as the decision to charge […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 23Summary and Analysis Chapter 22
Suddenly, the regiment sees the enemy troops charging so rapidly and at so close a range that they can see the excitement of the charge in the faces of the enemy. Without waiting for an order, the 304th fires a “flock of bullets” in one great volley. This stops the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 22Summary and Analysis Chapter 21
As the men are resting, the general who recommended that the 304th lead the charge rides into the camp and confronts the colonel of the regiment and criticizes the efforts of the men. He wants to know why the regiment could not have gone another 100 feet across the lot. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 21