Red Badge of Courage Research Paper
Psychology of Men at War
THESIS STATEMENT: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane exhibits how the desensitizing, dehumanizing, and depressing experience of war is more so mentally harmful, than it is physically harmful.
I. Introduction II. War is seen as the universal sign of manhood. A. War is seen as a rite of passage into manhood for boys. B. Henry went as far as pretending to be shot just to make the other soldiers think of him as brave. III. War will change a person's attitude, feelings, and outlook on life. A. Henry becomes desensitized because of the things he sees on the battlefield. B. Henry grows to be indifferent to life or death. IV. Most of the conflict in war is fought against the soldier's own mind. A. Henry ran from battle because he was afraid. B. Henry uses Jim as a model of how he wants to be, and runs in to problems while trying to achieve what he sees to be a perfect soldier. V. Conclusion: Through the common thought of boys becoming men on the battlefield, Henry's changes of heart, and the psychological struggle that every soldier goes through at times of war, Stephen Crane is able to accurately portray the psychological harm that war does to a man.
In The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane exhibits his understanding of human psychology during times of war. His understanding encompasses, and takes into account, all factors of human emotion, such as age, maturity, and background of the individual, just to name a few. Over the course of Henry's experience of battle, he undergoes countless psychological changes. The first thing to change about him is his opinion of the "glory" and "honor" that war brings. Henry's next change comes in the form of the enemy. His enemy, contrary to what one might think, is his own mind. The final change that Henry goes through is one that he will have to endure for the rest of his life. This life-long change is simply the drastic change of heart in regards to life in general. In
THESIS STATEMENT: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane exhibits how the desensitizing, dehumanizing, and depressing experience of war is more so mentally harmful, than it is physically harmful.
I. Introduction II. War is seen as the universal sign of manhood. A. War is seen as a rite of passage into manhood for boys. B. Henry went as far as pretending to be shot just to make the other soldiers think of him as brave. III. War will change a person's attitude, feelings, and outlook on life. A. Henry becomes desensitized because of the things he sees on the battlefield. B. Henry grows to be indifferent to life or death. IV. Most of the conflict in war is fought against the soldier's own mind. A. Henry ran from battle because he was afraid. B. Henry uses Jim as a model of how he wants to be, and runs in to problems while trying to achieve what he sees to be a perfect soldier. V. Conclusion: Through the common thought of boys becoming men on the battlefield, Henry's changes of heart, and the psychological struggle that every soldier goes through at times of war, Stephen Crane is able to accurately portray the psychological harm that war does to a man.
In The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane exhibits his understanding of human psychology during times of war. His understanding encompasses, and takes into account, all factors of human emotion, such as age, maturity, and background of the individual, just to name a few. Over the course of Henry's experience of battle, he undergoes countless psychological changes. The first thing to change about him is his opinion of the "glory" and "honor" that war brings. Henry's next change comes in the form of the enemy. His enemy, contrary to what one might think, is his own mind. The final change that Henry goes through is one that he will have to endure for the rest of his life. This life-long change is simply the drastic change of heart in regards to life in general. In
Bibliography: Bloom, Harold. Introduction. In Modern Interpretations: Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. New York: Bantam, 1983. Kazin, Alfred. Introduction. In The Red Badge of Courage. By Stephen Crane. New York: Bantam, 1983. Pease, Donald. “Fear, Rage, and the Mistrials of Representation in The Red Badge of Courage.” In Modern Critical Interpretations: Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Weiss, Daniel. “Psychology and The Red Badge of Courage.” In Modern Critical Interpretations: Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.