Realism and Naturalism in "The Red Badge of Courage"

Stephen Crane exhibits many characteristics of both Naturalism and Realism as a whole in is story "The Red Badge of Courage." His main character is the classic Realism hero who is simply an ordinary man put in extraordinary situations (Werlock). The man in this story is put into battle, but soon finds out he is a coward when he flees from the battle, and because of this, he is put into a serious mental dilemma (Crane 493). The Naturalism aspect of the story comes into play about half way through the story when a "survival of the fittest" mode takes control of the protagonist, Henry Fleming. It is not necessarily that he is not physically fit in the first half of the story when he flees from battle, which he could be considered this, but as the story progresses, the reader notices that he is mentally unfit for the situation at hand (Crane 493). The human nature and complex psychology of the literature and typical hero of Realism exhibit the broader traits of Realism from Crane, but the incorporation of nature and an ideal of "survival of the fittest" make this work more specifically Naturalism (Diamond).

Nature plays a part in this story, although it is not terribly important. Towards the end of the novel, when Fleming is charging into the battle very riled up, he runs through the woods dodging many trees and other such things. Crane describes this situation vividly, but in a typical Realism fashion, it is not so in depth that it draws the reader away (Crane 493). This aspect of nature enhances the reader's experience because it sets a more specific setting, and it creates a deeper mood from the author Crane (Diamond). A second Naturalist aspect of this story involves the "survival of the fittest" ideal. However, in this story, this seems to almost be backwards. While going into battle the first time, the reader may notice that Fleming is obviously unfit for battle because all he wants is the glory. Usually, this man would die because war is ruthless, and Fleming, being a coward, has no place in it (Crane 493). Then, when Crane comes back into battle reinvigorated physically, he is still mentally unfit. In simple terms, Fleming goes berserk in battle, which may sound courageous, but in reality, this is very foolish (Crane 493). This begs the question from Crane of why. Why would he depict a foolish man of nature in battle not get what is coming to him? The fact of the matter is that this is another aspect of Realism. In an attempt to portray life as it really is, Crane allows Fleming to seemingly get lucky by surviving.

The Realism in this story is not horribly noticeable, but it does play a large role. The protagonist of the story is a classic hero in Realism because, as I stated earlier, he is a normal, middle-class man put into extraordinary situations (Crane 493). This is easily noticeable because if Fleming were a more experienced veteran of battle, he would not be so foolish or cowardly in battle. The psychology of the story is really what makes it interesting. Keeping with Realism, Crane conveys the thoughts of a man in a real situation who wants all the glory of being a war hero, but he is simply unprepared (Crane 493).




Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "naturalism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW410&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).