"from The Red Badge of Courage"

Stephen Crane was a Naturist just like Henry David Thoreau (Crane 492). Both men were Realists, but focused their writing more on the working class and the poor people and their struggles (Crane 492). Crane and Thoreau believed that "human destiny was shaped by powerful forces, including heretitiy, social and economic pressures, and the natural environment" (Crane 492). The men believed that humans had little control over their lives. That is why Thoreau wanted to better understand nature and how it affects the world and human lives, so he stayed isolated in the woods for two years, two months, and two days (Harding). In "The Red Badge of Courage", Stephen Crane gave an example of Naturalism by exposing the protagonist, Henry Flemming, to a "new environment" of battle and how Crane believes that since men do not have control over their lives, they should always exhibit "courage, honesty, and poise" no matter what life throws at them (Crane 492).

Henry Flemming is a middle class soldier who experienced war through vivid "colorful" descriptions (Cox). As he was filled with a "red rage", Private Henry Flemming swept through the battle field killing with his rifle, even though his bare hands would be a better weapon to satisfy his blood lust (Crane 493). Henry Flemming bravely fought in the battle even after his regiment retreated (Cox). Stephen Crane wrote about the war and how some of the soldiers, like Henry Flemming, gave into the blood lust and bravely fought the battles that some men could not finish (Cox).

Ralph Waldo Emerson was also a Naturalist. He expressed his views through "Nature" and believed that all morality comes from nature (Hawthorne). Henry David Thoreau differed in opinion as he believed nature was where the "restoring force" when society was the poisoning force and men should be closer to mother nature (Harding). Stephen Crane viewed nature as the force that controls human lives and because of that, people should always act with the best character because if nature decides your destiny, then you should live life to the fullest and to the best of your ability (Crane 492).



Cox, James M. "The Red Badge of Courage: The Purity of War." Southern Humanities Review 25, no. 4 (Fall 1991). Quoted as "The Red Badge of Courage: The Purity of War" in Bloom, Harold, ed. The Red Badge of Courage, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Crane, Stephen. "from The Red Badge of Courage." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 492-493. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Anna Sakach. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 24 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 24 Feb. 2012.