Can you imagine being a published reporter by the age of sixteen, or writing your first novel at twenty-two? Stephen Crane was a mere twenty-four years old when his great novel The Red Badge of Courage was first published. Before he turned twenty-nine he had died of tuberculosis. His life was like a meteor that burned brightly in the night sky and then vanished. But the everlasting impression of that light remains as bright as ever.
The Red Badge of Courage has never been out of print since it was first published in 1895. To this day it is a novel that stands as one of the most dramatic and definitive war stories of all time. What makes The Red Badge of Courage even more remarkable is that Stephen Crane was born in 1871, when the American Civil War (1860–65) was over. It was the skill he developed as a reporter that gave him the grounding to ask questions of the men who were there – the Civil War veterans. What were their stories? Through enquiry and imagination Crane recreated a story so convincing that many thought for certain he too was a veteran of that war.
Crane introduces us to Henry Fleming, a young teenager who seeks adventure and a sense of independence. I suppose there is a bit of Henry Fleming in all of us. We want to know what we’re made of. Can we strike out in the world and survive, and even thrive, on our own? Challenging ourselves and overcoming our insecurities is a natural part of growing up.
Who am I? What do I believe in? Will I measure up? The story of Henry Fleming takes us on a timeless journey of self-discovery. As a recruit in the Union army, young Henry leaves his home to seek adventure and fight against the army of the Confederacy. He soon discovers that confronting his fear of battle is all consuming.
You will learn how Henry deals with this personal dilemma of cowardice versus courage. As events unfold, Henry questions everything as he digs deep within his soul to find the truth about himself.
What is unique about The Red Badge of Courage is that Crane places you on the battlefield with Henry. How do you think you would react if you were in his place? Would you hold your ground or run? Could you come to terms with yourself in order to get the job done? It is believed that Crane set the action at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863 where some 18,000 men were killed or wounded in a matter of hours. It is very difficult to imagine that kind of carnage on such a scale. That’s why seeing it from Henry Fleming’s point of view brings the battle down to a human level. An army must function as a team, but it is the individual working in harmony with the team that ultimately wins life’s battles. Just as a young soldier goes through his rite of passage into adulthood in his own time and place, so must you in yours. May you learn something about yourself after spending time with Henry Fleming.