Naturalism and Realism in the Red Badge of Courage

¶ … Red Badge of Courage

Realism and naturalism are two separate but related literary terms. The former is a term which refers to any art form which endeavors to recreate a true-to-life sensibility even in a fictional work. Naturalism on the other hand refers to the natural laws which give order to human beings and also to the natural world. Works of art which utilize realism and naturalism try to duplicate the emotions and observations that one would experience if the work were a piece of non-fiction. Author Stephen Crane was born in the years following the American Civil War. During his youth, he witnessed the reconstruction of the union and heard the stories of brave men on both sides who fought and willingly died for the principles in which they believed. His most famous author, The Red Badge of Courage, tells the story of a young man fighting in the Civil War who abandons his post and his comrades in arms. This young man is disgusted by his own cowardice. He wishes that he would get wounded and then receive the title "badge of courage" (Crane 55). Such a wound would somehow validate himself both in his own eyes and to the greater population. What sets this story apart from other war narratives, from the Civil War or others, is the realistic tone in which the narrator tells his story. Throughout the piece, the reader is always within the mind of the narrator Henry Fleming which makes the story far more poignant and far more successful than some works in the same genre.

Stephen Crane was asked often whether or not his story was either pro- or anti- war. Indeed, cases could be made for either argument. Crane never made a public determination of which side the story took. Rather, the story tells about a single young man fighting in a war and how he felt afraid of death far more than he felt patriotism or partisanship. It is important to note that Stephen Crane very rarely provides much details about time or location in which the events of the story are taking place. This effectively gives The Red Badge of Courage a more realistic feel and opens up the potential interpretations of the story. This young man could be fighting the Civil War or any other war in history where young men are asked to put their lives on the line at the behest of their leaders.

When the story begins, Henry is already embroiled in the difficulties of the American Civil War. From the first pages of the story, Stephen Crane makes it evident that one of the major themes of his piece is the discrepancy between fantasy and realism. Crane writes: "He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life -- of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire" (5). This is the fantasy of war and violence that every young man is raised with. He is supposed to fight for his country and go to war with bravery in his heart and no fear. Yet, war is not glamorous nor is it thrilling. Like most things, the reality of war and the Civil War in particular, is devastating. On the same page, Crane writes: "Awake he had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past" (5). The fantasy of war is beautiful and in theory anyone would be willing to perform the ultimate sacrifice for their country. However, in truth the history of the world is filled with blood. Each statistic in a history book was once a living, breathing person, much like young Henry.

Eventually Henry does return to the battlefield, once more prepared to take on the position of heroism. Once again, he has bought into his childhood fantasy of glory and evolution and set aside his fears of the reality of his situation. At various portions, young Henry concludes that he is a man and yet at other times he is still a child (Crane 130). This too is a very realistic psychology for a man at war. In certain moments it is easier to believe in the fallacy of the patriotic ideal. However, like a fever which passes with time, the zeal for war and battle passes and the fear of death once again takes on the premier importance.

Each of Henry's fantastic experiences becomes briefer than the one that preceded it until finally all he feels is anger and a jaded perception. Where as a youth he was once hopeful, he now sees only death. The reasons he fights are no longer important; only that he indeed does fight. This is the epitome of realistic fiction. A young man is initially full of ideals and he fights because he believes in his country. At the end of the story, the narrator says of Henry, "He was a man. So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed" (134). However, with the passage of time the reasons why the man must fight become secondary to the realism of his situation. Whether he believes in the flag is superfluous; he either fights or dies.