The Red Badge of Courage (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Stephen Crane
- First Published: 1895
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The Civil War
- Setting: A Civil War battlefield
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Impressionistic literature
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Tradition, South or Southerners, Courage, Friendship, Guilt, Violence, Fear, Civil War, War, Self-confidence, Duty, Military life or service, Heroes or heroism, Soldiers, Naivete, Battles
- Locales: United States
Characters Discussed
Henry Fleming, a young recruit under fire for the first time in an unnamed battle of the Civil War, possibly Chancellorsville. A farm boy whose struggle with his emotions might be that of the eternal recruit in any battle of any war, Henry has dreamed of fighting heroically in “Greeklike” battles. Irritated and unnerved by his regiment’s inactivity, he tortures himself with the fear that he may run away when the actual firing begins. He does so. Sheepishly rejoining his regiment, he learns that his cowardice is not known to his fellow soldiers. In the...
[The entire page is 793 words long]
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