The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

I have read this book over the last couple of months and finished this book today. Another of the books often assigned in school, though not to me, I was not sure what this book would be. Knowing of course it is as a tale of the Civil War I did not know much more.

In short this is a wonderful book. Crane's prose is wonderful. His use of the language and phrasing is done beautifully. In the story a young man, a boy really has joined the Northern troops. We follow him as his regiment goes into battle and out. We watch him witness horrors that keep a man from sleeping.

We see him struggle with cowardice and his descent into rage as a soldier feeling unbreakable and taking great risk.

In the end the young man has overcome a transformation and though the war is not over the battle is and he can see a future filled with tranquility. Perhaps not just a war book but a metaphor that if we all go bravely into the storm we will come out the otherside with a sense of appreciation of all that is in a quiet life.

A great book.