Customer Reviews

The Red Badge of Courage (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

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3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Unlike many others I was never required to read "The Red Badge of Courage" in High School. When I saw that it was among the many other classics that are now available for free on the Kindle I happily took the opportunity to read it; I am glad that I did.

There are plenty of reviews of the novel itself on the print version, so first a note about the Kindle Edition of this book: I found no typos or poor formatting of the text throughout the Kindle Edition, which is a nice change from many of the other free classics. The only problem with this edition is that the table of contents does not work. It looks as if it should, but it is apparently just a large image within the text file, instead of clickable links to the relevant sections of the book. This is not a big deal, but it is always nice to have a working table of contents for reference.

As for the story: The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of Henry, often referred to as the "Youth," and his transformation over the course of a few days. Considering the author never fought in a war, his reflections on the the way battles can change a person are truly insightful, and at times even breath-taking. Stephen Crane also had a talent for describing the world around Henry allowing the reader to feel as if they are in the novel. The book is quite short, but Crane does a great job developing Henry's character. As Henry goes from scared, to terrified, to arrogant, and eventually humble, you find yourself actively liking and disliking Henry through his transformation, as if you were there.

There are two particular literary devices Crane uses that I particularly enjoyed and make the novel poetic at times. First, almost all of the characters have both a name and them also a character description. For example, Henry is "the Youth," he has a friend "the loud youngster" and so on for all the main characters. This reinforces the idea that this is not just a book about a particular person or group of people, but about people in general. The second device is the way Crane uses common themes. So, the word red is used an adjective of the novel, just as it is in the title. Or, another example, Henry is walking through the woods that remind him of a chapel: from that moment there is a chorus, steeple, etc., used as adjectives and metaphors for the next few pages. This is truly poetic.

I am grateful that there are teams of volunteers that put this material together and release it for free for the Kindle. The Red Badge of Courage was a quick and entertaining read: if, like me, you did not have the chance to read it when you were younger I would certainly recommend it.

As a British reader, I just recently read and reviewed this book over on Amazon.co.uk, and I thought I'd have a look at the US reviews for comparison - and immediately realised that this is obviously a "set book" in US schools. I can see the logic - the book is about a young person, it's short and (superficially) exciting, with lots of action, and it has some good moral/ethical themes ripe for class discussion.

Nonetheless, I was not surprised to see a number of negative reviews from kids. I don't think I would have appreciated it as a 13 (or whatever) year old. The writing style (deliberately) reflects the state of mind of the protagonist - confused. This in NOT an "adventure" story, it's a blood-and-guts account of a dirty day in a dirty war. As such, it reminded me very much of some of the recent first-hand accounts of infantrymen in WWII, Korea, Vietnam or even Iraq. It's about the way the mind can obsess on tiny details in the middle of chaos - how sights, smells and sounds become almost hallucinogenic as the mind approaches breaking point. As such, it is astonishing.

But if you want a REAL adventure story (not suitable for the under-13s!) read a biography of Crane himself. Hemingway meets James Dean is the only way to describe it.

Few books cause such a visceral reaction as The Red Badge of Courage. Every time I read it, I can't put it down and usually finish it in one sitting.

The writing is superb. The themes are deep. The descriptions of battles are uncanny (though--unbelievably--Craine never fought in War). The book draws you in so deep, you almost feel like you are fighting (or running) along side Henry.

It really makes you stop and consider what it means to be a man. Stands with the movie, All Quiet on the Western Front as one of the deepest and most accurate depictions of war.

The story of young Henry Flemming, who joins the Union army during the Civil War, despite the wishes of his mother to the contrary. Initially, he is consigned to endless marching, seemingly without purpose, amid arrogant boasting and complaints from those in his regiment. Henry wonders how he'll react once he actually sees battle: will he stand and fight, or turn and run. He does both - firing wildly and prematurely in the initial skirmish, but running scared during the second push when he perceives danger and defeat. He seeks to justify his actions (mostly to himself) and eventually winds up being hit in the head by another soldier before being reunited with his regiment, a wound he portrays to his fellows as having been "shot in the head." But when the second battle comes, he uses his false courage (as well as an insult from a General) to stand and fight, and even surprises himself in the fray as he manages to lead a charge. At the end of the story, he feels he has earned a measure of courage and manhood.

While I found the story strangely compelling and at times hard to put down, I also found it rather difficult to understand and follow. And I don't mean the "rural dialect" which was very well done. What I found confusing was the chaotic descriptions of the events. Often I couldn't understand or follow if what was being described was happening to Henry or if he was witnessing it elsewhere or merely imagining it. Nonetheless, this is a book that tugs at your emotions. From Henry's fear to his shamefulness at running from the battle, to his immature boasting (when he hadn't really done anything), to his eventual courage under pressure, it left me feeling quite troubled by the story. It probably didn't help that I kept expecting him to earn a "red badge of courage" and some horrible ending. I suspect that this is a novel that requires a more careful and considered reading than I gave it, and I may read it again in the future to get a better understanding of the story.

I remember this book being recommended reading when I was around junior high school age, and I also remember trying it and putting it down more than once.

Now, at a considerably more mature stage in life, and having opted for an audio reading, I have finally gotten to this classic, and I now appreciate why it is a classic.

The heartless and utter pointless gore of battle, and the profligate waste of human potential, are the kinds of things you'll probably encounter in any war novel, and they can be pretty hard to stomach. But Crane's real object in this work is the human mind and spirit, especially human capriciousness, vanity, and the powerful instinct to constantly justify and elevate oneself and one's actions in one's mind. This work is a blow-by-blow study in the human ego, its folly, and its ultimate vacuity. What is probably even harder to take than watching one's comrades drop in agony like flies to no good purpose is recognizing, though a fickle fighter's internal monologue, one's own deeply entrenched patterns of defensiveness, rationalization and self-justification, along with our constant scramble to seize the credit for anything at all, things we constantly indulge in whether objective circumstances warrant them or not.

Herein lies for me the great value of this exposé of what we futilely try so hard to do in all we do, down to the most mundane of everyday transactions. For this reason, I recommend this book highly, whatever your age, and regardless of your preconceptions about war novels.

I "buy" lots of free Kindle books. It's annoying when they don't have a table of contents that links to the right spot in the book.

This book was nicely setup for Kindle readers. It has an "active" table of contents. Chapter titles look like headlines. Audio is enabled.

I'll leave a review of the content to other reviewers.

If only to counteract the overall poor rating of this book by students forced to read this book when too immature and impatient to comprehend it, I had to write this. This book is "confusing" because war is complex and both horrible and attractive to the main character, and I suppose it is "boring" because it does not give the pat answers to the problems of war that it raises, but rather requires thoughtful and patient reading. This is not to blame our schoolchildren--it is only to register for them that the fact that something is not immediately consumable by their infantile appetites does not entitle them to comment upon the worth of something that is valued in the world. In other word, be patient when those who are good and more experienced than you recommend something not immediately palatable--you may learn something.

It had been many many years since I had read this classic. I have to say I found the characters much more interesting and their emotions touched my humanity. War seen from afar seems romantic and heroic for a young man when he is at home doing his chores. Up close and personal the war tests our resolve and lives are taken very seriously. The Red Badge of Courage story will touch anyone who is old and honest enough to admit our true feelings and emotions when face with certain death.

What makes this book difficult for one to immerse himself into is the colloquial speech of the late 19th century agrarian United States of America. When you come across such dialog, I found it to be easier to read it out loud. For example, a mother telling a youthful soldier-to-be: "...Don't go athinkin' you can lick the hull rebel army at the start, because yeh can't." Once you get past the vernacular, Crane lays out the full realities of war.

This is a story of a young man, who is still in his teens, rising up to the occasion of becoming a Civil War era Unionist hero everyone can look up to. At the first crack of the gun's barrel he runs away. His pride hurt, and his body without any physical red badge of courage, he rejoins his comrades, who are busy licking their wounds. Seeing his friends' faces "bleached with death" and falling stiffly onto the ground, anger and raw hatred molds the youth into a killing machine.

Crane's depiction of war is universal. That is why his work is considered classic. Stories that show universal truths, even recycled truths in a new context, make deep impressions in the human mind. Had more people read this story at the time of its original publishing, maybe the world wars would have been prevented. But, alas, two world wars happened with over 120 Million casualties. Literature is written to better humanity, but it must first be read.

This famous Civil War novel covers Henry Flemming, a young man that joins the Union Army against his mother's wishes with a mix of patriotism, fear and (mostly false) machismo. As his unit endures lots of marching and boredom, Henry secretly wonders how he'll react once they enter into combat - as no doubt do many of his comrades. When that time arrives, young Henry panics, fires his weapon too early, then flees. Then, after getting hit in the head by the rifle butt of another Union soldier while behind the lines, Henry returns to his comrades falsely boasting of the bravely-acquired Red Badge of Courage now displayed bloodily on his forehead. Oddly, Henry soon transforms into a suprisingly courageous fighter, even leading a deadly charge in the latter stages of battle.

Author Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was born several years after the conflict had ended, yet vivdly portrays soldierly comraderie plus the sights and sounds of battle. Publishing this book in 1895, Crane displays the increasingly glorified view many held three decades after that conflict's horrors had begun fading from memory. I liked the book's action scenes, but found the writing style rather thick. Still, many consider this the finest of all Civil War novels.