The Red Badge Of Courage Diction

An Author with a Purpose:

An Analysis of Stephen Crane’s writing American history holds the stories to many different movements and revolutions, one of which is the Naturalist movement. Naturalism was a literary movement in which authors used a character’s society or instincts to victimize them. Stephen Crane is an acclaimed author well known for the beginner of naturalism. He is most commonly known for his short story “An Episode of War,” and even more notable, his novella “The Red Badge of Courage.” The unique thing about Stephen Crane is that he hadn’t been born when the last battle of the American Civil War was fought, yet he knows so much about it. Pizer states, “For example, take Stephen Crane (1871-1900) and Frank Norris (1870-1902),

Diction is another word for language or word choice. The diction Crane uses helps him reach his writing purpose which is to have the reader draw their own conclusions. Berryman says, “The diction is amazingly simple and fine for so young a writer. Some of the words illuminate like flashes of light. Mr. Crane is only twenty-one years of age, and yet he has met and grapples with the actualities of the street in almost unequalled grace and strength. . . .” A direct example of how Crane’s diction relates to his purpose is presented in “An Episode of War,” when he says “He had winced like a man stung, swayed dangerously, and then straightened. The sound of his hoarse breathing was plainly audible. He looked sadly, mystically, over the breast-work at the green face of a wood, where now were many little puffs of white smoke.” This description leaves the reader’s imagination able to put in his or her own ideas. Crane gives us just enough information to understand what’s going on and visually stimulate our minds. It is quite obvious Stephen Crane is an author of diction to help a reader see his description and formulate their

These actions the characters do are in reference to what they actually physically do. In Stephen Crane’s novella “The Red Badge of Courage,” when the soldiers are at camp, he describes their actions. “It appeared that two light-footed soldiers had been teasing a huge, bearded man, causing him to spill coffee upon his blue knees. The man had gone into a rage and had sworn comprehensively.” In this passage Stephen Crane leaves it up to the reader to depict and understand what the rest of the soldiers were doing. He also gives the reader permission to decide whether or not this was friendly argument or true strife among the men. These are the sort of actions Crane uses to describe and present his purpose. Sharma says, “Henry decides to run away and he too runs, following the actions of the other soldiers who have already fled.” Sharma is recognizing the significance of Henry, the star of “The Red Badge of Courage,” to run away. The reader is left with the impression that he ran away, but he or she can only conclude what he or she’s mind concludes with the given information. For instance, was Henry being cowardly or knowledgeable? This interpretation is left up to the reader, continuing the idea of