Expectations versus Reality in Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage

Expectations versus Reality in Stephen cranes The rubicund label of CourageThe whim that war is an exciting, romantic endeavor full of glory and heroism has existed for centuries. Stephen Crane set out to demystify war through his novel The Red Badge of Courage, which traces the experiences of a young soldier in the American urbane War. Crane shows the true nature of war by contrasting henry Flemings romantic expectations with the reality that he encounters. This contrast between romantic imagination and cold reality can be seen early in the novel, with Henrys deprivation from home. Driven to a prolonged ecstasy of excitement by the celebration crowd, Henry enlists in the army and says good-bye to his mother with a sprightly of excitement and expectancy in his eyes (709). He anticipates a romantic, tender send-off reminiscent of Spartan times and even goes as further as preparing remarks in advance which he hopes to use with touching event to create a beautiful scene (71 0). However, Crane presents a much realistic view. At the news of Henrys enlistment, his mother simply says The Lords will be done and continues milking the cow, having previously urged Henry not to be a chump by enlisting (709). She then destroys his hopes by offering sensible,... ...es in dread while his friend Jim suffers and dies. Today, many of the romantic myths about war consent been destroyed through tele stack and movies such as Born on the Fourth of July, which shows war with all its suffering, pain, and death. Yet it was Stephen Crane who, a degree centigrade ago, deglorified war through the experiences of Henry Fleming. With his frequent contrasts between romantic vision and cold reality, Crane clearly portrays the true horrors of war. Work Cited Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Geroge McMichael, et al. 5th ed.Vol. 2. New York Macmillan, 1993. 707-87.