Crane’s Work
(An Evaluation of Crane’s Fiction Text) Stephen Crane is most known for his innovative short stories. He was a realist, and was just starting to show examples of naturalism in his works as well. His work, The Red Badge of Courage, is considered to be the first truly modern war story according to Greenfield’s article. Although never actually participating in the Civil War, Crane writes as though he were there himself and had experienced every aspect of war himself. He writes about war as if he is a veteran himself, but there are many questions he leaves unanswered in his novella, like what battle Henry Fleming was fighting in or technically what war he they were fighting for. The political and social implications of the war are …show more content…
The way the characters act and behave are also clues that help the reader answer Crane’s many questions. Henry Fleming, the main character in Red Badge, obviously expresses the most and does the most in this short novella, compared to the tattered man for example. He behaves uncertain throughout the book, he doesn 't express any real courage until the very end. “Henry’s chief enemy in his quest for courage is that essential ingredient of human nature: the desire for self-preservation. Henry wants to continue living more than he wants anything else.” (Levenson). This is reflected in the way Crane writes as well. The fact that there are so many unknowns in this novella heighten the uncertainty of the character Henry. “In his essay concerning Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, Thomas Kent treats the issue of “epistemological uncertainty” in the novella, concluding that it succeeds in casting the reader in the same predicament as its bewildered characters...” (Curran). The uncertainty of Henry, and how he deals internally and externally reflects overall how the reader is going to interpret this short story; uncertain. The same thing goes for Episode; the lieutenant who is shot is never given a name, you never know what war or battle is going on, and you never really know the final outcome for the soldier. There are many uncertainties, which then is revealed through the soldier, who stumbles around aimlessly and refuses the help of others. The uncertain behavior of the characters helps the reader understand the many unanswered
(An Evaluation of Crane’s Fiction Text) Stephen Crane is most known for his innovative short stories. He was a realist, and was just starting to show examples of naturalism in his works as well. His work, The Red Badge of Courage, is considered to be the first truly modern war story according to Greenfield’s article. Although never actually participating in the Civil War, Crane writes as though he were there himself and had experienced every aspect of war himself. He writes about war as if he is a veteran himself, but there are many questions he leaves unanswered in his novella, like what battle Henry Fleming was fighting in or technically what war he they were fighting for. The political and social implications of the war are …show more content…
The way the characters act and behave are also clues that help the reader answer Crane’s many questions. Henry Fleming, the main character in Red Badge, obviously expresses the most and does the most in this short novella, compared to the tattered man for example. He behaves uncertain throughout the book, he doesn 't express any real courage until the very end. “Henry’s chief enemy in his quest for courage is that essential ingredient of human nature: the desire for self-preservation. Henry wants to continue living more than he wants anything else.” (Levenson). This is reflected in the way Crane writes as well. The fact that there are so many unknowns in this novella heighten the uncertainty of the character Henry. “In his essay concerning Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, Thomas Kent treats the issue of “epistemological uncertainty” in the novella, concluding that it succeeds in casting the reader in the same predicament as its bewildered characters...” (Curran). The uncertainty of Henry, and how he deals internally and externally reflects overall how the reader is going to interpret this short story; uncertain. The same thing goes for Episode; the lieutenant who is shot is never given a name, you never know what war or battle is going on, and you never really know the final outcome for the soldier. There are many uncertainties, which then is revealed through the soldier, who stumbles around aimlessly and refuses the help of others. The uncertain behavior of the characters helps the reader understand the many unanswered