A look behind the scenes at A Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage and a Thousand Acres, King Lear and Hamlet do these books have anything in common. The Red Badge of Courage has been sited by some to have similarities to Hamlet, while the novel A Thousand Acres is a modern version of King Lear. I find it interesting that a variety of modern American Literature can be seen to have traces of old English literature and mythology of various civilizations.

I want to take a look at the Red Badge of Courage and some background information that I have found so far on it. It was published in 1895 by Stephen Crane, who at the time was an unknown author. Its story line is the story of a private in the Union army and a battle which he witnessed and was a part of. It as interesting to note that researchers have been able to determine what battle Crane was referring to based on certain facts. When the book is written, descriptions of what the camp had previously gone through, and the geographic locations. The determination was it was the Battle of Chancellorsville. The battle took place between the dates of May 1st and May 3rd 1863, and is considered one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War.

While the Red Badge of Courage is indeed fictional, there is an interesting character difference between it and other war novels written. It was told from the view of a private and not one of a high ranking officer. Most do not stop and think how war affects those who do the majority of the fighting, the agony of indecision, and the oddness of watching gun fire come down on you as well seeing your comrades lay down their lives protecting a cause. War is one of those necessities that arise in life that help people learn who and what they are, but it also alters life.

Although the Red Badge of Courage is not a long book, it is an in-depth book that requires thinking, full of imagery and metaphors. The similarities between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and The Red Badge of Courage lie within the Prince Hamlet and Henry Fleming. The two young men who would in turn become quiet and thoughtful instead of loud and boisterous, studious instead of carefree, observant instead of careless. To make one think is an admirable goal and one I believe is achieved through out this book.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic