The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by author Stephen Crane. Taking place during the Civil War, the story is essentially about a private of the Union, Henry Fleming, fleeing the field of a battle. Because of his shame, Henry longs for a wound, a “red badge of courage,” to overcome his cowardice. As his regiment faces the enemy again, Henry acts a standard bearer who holds a flag. In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane uses symbols including the dead man, animal imagery, and color imagery to imply the mental state of the protagonist, Henry Fleming.
After Henry flees from the battle and is in the process of rationalizing his behavior, he crosses a tranquil spot in the woods.
At length he reached a place where the high, arching …show more content…
Henry uses the color red to symbolize anger and destruction. For instance, he refers to as “the red animal--war, the blood-swollen god’ (4.35). As time progresses, the color yellow appears to represent cowardice such as the “yellow day” when Henry’s regiment marches toward battle. As Henry flees from battle he describes “a yellow cloud lay on the treetops' (7.6-7) while the fighting took place. The color blue plays a significant rule as it is the color of the military uniforms. As stated, “It seemed that the mob of blue men throwing themselves on this dangerous group of rifles was again suddenly wild with a spirit of selflessness” (23.42). Blue represents the collective spirit of the Union Army. All in all, color imagery is significant as it is used to describe the way in which Henry feels throughout particular events of the novel.
In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane uses symbols including the dead man, animal imagery, and color imagery to imply the mental state of the protagonist, Henry Fleming. As a result, it has influenced the way in which Henry and the other characters acted throughout the entire novel. This work will be acknowledged for years to
After Henry flees from the battle and is in the process of rationalizing his behavior, he crosses a tranquil spot in the woods.
At length he reached a place where the high, arching …show more content…
Henry uses the color red to symbolize anger and destruction. For instance, he refers to as “the red animal--war, the blood-swollen god’ (4.35). As time progresses, the color yellow appears to represent cowardice such as the “yellow day” when Henry’s regiment marches toward battle. As Henry flees from battle he describes “a yellow cloud lay on the treetops' (7.6-7) while the fighting took place. The color blue plays a significant rule as it is the color of the military uniforms. As stated, “It seemed that the mob of blue men throwing themselves on this dangerous group of rifles was again suddenly wild with a spirit of selflessness” (23.42). Blue represents the collective spirit of the Union Army. All in all, color imagery is significant as it is used to describe the way in which Henry feels throughout particular events of the novel.
In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane uses symbols including the dead man, animal imagery, and color imagery to imply the mental state of the protagonist, Henry Fleming. As a result, it has influenced the way in which Henry and the other characters acted throughout the entire novel. This work will be acknowledged for years to