Wednesday, July 26, 2006
The Red Badge of Courage-Chapter Summaries
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane
SUMMARIES.
CHAPTER 1
-three main characters introduced: Henry Fleming, Jim Conklin, and Wilson…they are referred to often as the youth, the tall soldier and the loud soldier.
-primary issue in the book—the youth’s dilemma over courage and cowardice—is presented as self-analysis as well as dialogue with other soldiers
-sentence structure is simple and uncomplicated…which reflects Crane’s attempt to show the reality of war with blunt objectivity. Rhetorical structure generally used for ironic effect
-color imagery…red for allusions to war, glory: yellow for romantic notions. Metaphor and personification is frequently used to suggest a kind of will in nature itself
-frequent allusions to motifs of the heroic ages…which shows contract between the youth’s idealism and his growing disillusionment
-Crane’s “Poeticism” uses colorful language and alliteration usually felt as irony.
CHAPTER 2
-Henry tries to forecast his reactions in battle…he is isolated in his spiritual sufferings.
-religious metaphors continue
-minor images that provide ironic perspectives on a variety of human attitudes towards war
CHAPTER 3
-regiment continues to march then is plunged into battle where the youth confronts the ugliness and chaos of battle…Henry continues to ponder…Conklin is the philosophical calm…Wilson is overcome by gloomy thoughts
-tension between instinct and calculation…the youth is forced to act on impulse
-religious metaphor—the blood-swollen god of war—cathedral light of the forest
-Henry’s most important detail is his aspiration to see a glorious scene of battle and his disappointment at the actual confusion…psychological depression follow.
CHAPTER 4
-brings the youth closer to actual combat
-shows serious and comic versions of courageous actions.
-introduces terminology of amputation and members
-shows a concrete picture of the literal and emotional turbulence of battle…a nightmarish picture
CHAPTER 5
-characters are put before the reader briefly
-the youth’s courage is linked to his membership
-infancy figure appears in the simile which compares the youth to a choking baby
-the chapter presents the ghastly, phantasmagoric pattern of sound…form…which assails the youth’s senses
CHAPTER 6
-the temporary respite after the first battle, then the second immediate charge…the boy’s flight… and reaction as he flees
--the psychology of flight is seen in this chapter…as the youth flees
CHAPTER 7
-shocking episodes which contribute to the maturing of the youth…he congratulates himself for running…find an isolated place in the woods…he encounters a decaying body of the soldier.
CHAPTER 8
-the youth’s certainty that he was right in fleeing seems to be modified
-he encounters the tattered soldier and begins to feel shame
CHAPTER 9
-first appearance of “red badge of courage”
-Jim Conklin as the Christ figure
CHAPTER 10
-tattered man invokes ambiguous response from the reader
-the tattered man’s responses to the horror of wounds…symbolize the bizarre warping of emotions that the nightmare of battle can produce.
-the tattered man’s persistent questions show Henry that he cannot keep his cowardice a secret.
CHAPTER 11
-figure of battle as a furnace almost gives mythic connotations of purification by fire.
-it hints that the youth will achieve his redemption
CHAPTER 12
-the youth’s red badge is that he is wounded as he tries to stop a soldier from running away as Henry runs towards battle.
-religious metaphor…this becomes a visionary…out of which springs his conversion.
-his fall to the ground and trying to walk suggest his reduction to a psychological and emotional infancy from which his reeducation begins.
-his encounter with the cheery-voiced man is in contrast to his encounter with the tattered man…his wound is welcomed and Henry is welcomed by his comrades in the 304th
CHAPTER 13
-he is received affectionately by Wilson and given food and rest
-Wilson has now is not the loud soldier…he has learned something from his experience and has become quiet, cheerful, stead and more concerned with his comrade
CHAPTER 14
-Wilson has achieved tremendous emotional growth
-Henry was not the only soldier to flee
CHAPTER 15
-the youth feels contempt for Wilson because Wilson’s vulnerability over the letter is open and Henry’s secret over his cowardly action is still unrevealed
CHAPTER 16
-this chapter shows the youth involved in another kind of mental and emotional turmoil…he has now gone to the other extreme and criticizes what he conceive to be the shortcomings of those about him
CHAPTER 17
-the enemy charge begun in the last chapter is turned back
-the youth become a “hero” because his has no time to react except to fight the battle…he produces a blind hatred towards the enemy…he makes a desperate last stand
CHAPTER 18
-parallels with earlier episodes of wounded soldiers underscores Henry’s altered tendencies
-the 304th is referred to a mule-drivers
-the youth becomes aware of his own insignificance
CHAPTER 19
-this chapter covers the 304th charge and ends with Wilson and Fleming seizing the flag from the dead color-bearer
CHAPTER 20
-uncertainty of the soldiers enters with the continued charge of the gray line…the gray line is eventually driven back and the 304th become a veteran regiment
CHAPTER 21
-304th returns but is rebuked because they did not go the extra 100 feet that would have made it a success charge
-Wilson and Fleming are singled out for their bravery
CHAPTER 22
-this is the lull before the stormy charge the youth will make in the following chapter
-the regiment reaches veteran troop status
CHAPTER 23
-this chapter contains the climax of the book…the enemy position is finally overwhelmed and prisoners taken…the youth resolves the problem of courage
CHAPTER 24
-Henry’s regiment is turning back to the rear after their successes
-at first Henry seems to be elated with his performance
-secondly, he is wretchedly fearful of exposure
-finally, calm and optimistic in the assurance of his achieved manhood
SUMMARIES.
CHAPTER 1
-three main characters introduced: Henry Fleming, Jim Conklin, and Wilson…they are referred to often as the youth, the tall soldier and the loud soldier.
-primary issue in the book—the youth’s dilemma over courage and cowardice—is presented as self-analysis as well as dialogue with other soldiers
-sentence structure is simple and uncomplicated…which reflects Crane’s attempt to show the reality of war with blunt objectivity. Rhetorical structure generally used for ironic effect
-color imagery…red for allusions to war, glory: yellow for romantic notions. Metaphor and personification is frequently used to suggest a kind of will in nature itself
-frequent allusions to motifs of the heroic ages…which shows contract between the youth’s idealism and his growing disillusionment
-Crane’s “Poeticism” uses colorful language and alliteration usually felt as irony.
CHAPTER 2
-Henry tries to forecast his reactions in battle…he is isolated in his spiritual sufferings.
-religious metaphors continue
-minor images that provide ironic perspectives on a variety of human attitudes towards war
CHAPTER 3
-regiment continues to march then is plunged into battle where the youth confronts the ugliness and chaos of battle…Henry continues to ponder…Conklin is the philosophical calm…Wilson is overcome by gloomy thoughts
-tension between instinct and calculation…the youth is forced to act on impulse
-religious metaphor—the blood-swollen god of war—cathedral light of the forest
-Henry’s most important detail is his aspiration to see a glorious scene of battle and his disappointment at the actual confusion…psychological depression follow.
CHAPTER 4
-brings the youth closer to actual combat
-shows serious and comic versions of courageous actions.
-introduces terminology of amputation and members
-shows a concrete picture of the literal and emotional turbulence of battle…a nightmarish picture
CHAPTER 5
-characters are put before the reader briefly
-the youth’s courage is linked to his membership
-infancy figure appears in the simile which compares the youth to a choking baby
-the chapter presents the ghastly, phantasmagoric pattern of sound…form…which assails the youth’s senses
CHAPTER 6
-the temporary respite after the first battle, then the second immediate charge…the boy’s flight… and reaction as he flees
--the psychology of flight is seen in this chapter…as the youth flees
CHAPTER 7
-shocking episodes which contribute to the maturing of the youth…he congratulates himself for running…find an isolated place in the woods…he encounters a decaying body of the soldier.
CHAPTER 8
-the youth’s certainty that he was right in fleeing seems to be modified
-he encounters the tattered soldier and begins to feel shame
CHAPTER 9
-first appearance of “red badge of courage”
-Jim Conklin as the Christ figure
CHAPTER 10
-tattered man invokes ambiguous response from the reader
-the tattered man’s responses to the horror of wounds…symbolize the bizarre warping of emotions that the nightmare of battle can produce.
-the tattered man’s persistent questions show Henry that he cannot keep his cowardice a secret.
CHAPTER 11
-figure of battle as a furnace almost gives mythic connotations of purification by fire.
-it hints that the youth will achieve his redemption
CHAPTER 12
-the youth’s red badge is that he is wounded as he tries to stop a soldier from running away as Henry runs towards battle.
-religious metaphor…this becomes a visionary…out of which springs his conversion.
-his fall to the ground and trying to walk suggest his reduction to a psychological and emotional infancy from which his reeducation begins.
-his encounter with the cheery-voiced man is in contrast to his encounter with the tattered man…his wound is welcomed and Henry is welcomed by his comrades in the 304th
CHAPTER 13
-he is received affectionately by Wilson and given food and rest
-Wilson has now is not the loud soldier…he has learned something from his experience and has become quiet, cheerful, stead and more concerned with his comrade
CHAPTER 14
-Wilson has achieved tremendous emotional growth
-Henry was not the only soldier to flee
CHAPTER 15
-the youth feels contempt for Wilson because Wilson’s vulnerability over the letter is open and Henry’s secret over his cowardly action is still unrevealed
CHAPTER 16
-this chapter shows the youth involved in another kind of mental and emotional turmoil…he has now gone to the other extreme and criticizes what he conceive to be the shortcomings of those about him
CHAPTER 17
-the enemy charge begun in the last chapter is turned back
-the youth become a “hero” because his has no time to react except to fight the battle…he produces a blind hatred towards the enemy…he makes a desperate last stand
CHAPTER 18
-parallels with earlier episodes of wounded soldiers underscores Henry’s altered tendencies
-the 304th is referred to a mule-drivers
-the youth becomes aware of his own insignificance
CHAPTER 19
-this chapter covers the 304th charge and ends with Wilson and Fleming seizing the flag from the dead color-bearer
CHAPTER 20
-uncertainty of the soldiers enters with the continued charge of the gray line…the gray line is eventually driven back and the 304th become a veteran regiment
CHAPTER 21
-304th returns but is rebuked because they did not go the extra 100 feet that would have made it a success charge
-Wilson and Fleming are singled out for their bravery
CHAPTER 22
-this is the lull before the stormy charge the youth will make in the following chapter
-the regiment reaches veteran troop status
CHAPTER 23
-this chapter contains the climax of the book…the enemy position is finally overwhelmed and prisoners taken…the youth resolves the problem of courage
CHAPTER 24
-Henry’s regiment is turning back to the rear after their successes
-at first Henry seems to be elated with his performance
-secondly, he is wretchedly fearful of exposure
-finally, calm and optimistic in the assurance of his achieved manhood
# posted by Sister Pat / English @ 5:20 PM 
