The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane wasn't a well-known writer when The Red Badge of Courage was first published; but after its release, he gained fame and status practically overnight. It seemed that most people either loved or hated the book; there was no shade of gray. Many people were confused and puzzled about how Crane could write in such great detail about a war he never experienced and the account actually be accurate. They did not understand where he received all his facts and "public interest often focused on his personal life--his bohemian lifestyle" (Knopf). The reviews for his book varied greatly and it seemed that it was the first real historically correct and in depth war novel. He set the standard for our modern day books. The Red Badge of Courage was very edgy for its day and was different from all the other war stories. He chose to reveal that not every soldier is quite as brave as the society built them up to be and I believe this is the main reason some people strongly disagreed with Crane's viewpoint. Even though it was probably true that every soldier had fear and doubt in their heads at some point, men, especially soldiers, didn't want it to become know that they felt afraid at times. They justified disliking the book with the argument that it was not patriotic and the ideas were incorrect, but I think that they were merely attempting to save their reputation and discount any thought that soldiers were not fearless.

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