Stephen Crane

Not only was Stephen Crane an author, but we was also a well known journalist. He covered important topics, such as the slum life in New York City and the impact of immigration, during his journalism career. As a journalist, Crane had ethics to follow. He was known for speaking honestly, openly, and realistically in his writings. He covered the topics that he found to be looked over; the stories that he felt deserved more spotlight. His job was to inform people on what was taking place in their society. Henry David Thoreau took similar action by speaking up against slavery in Civil Disobedience.

The Red Badge of Courage is written form the point of view of a young soldier. This boy has to put up with the unpleasant conditions, such as exhausting heat and extremely loud gun shots, and the strict guidelines that came with being a soldier. No child is ready or attentive enough to be in such a dangerous position. That is most likely why this young boy often had his mind wandering in all directions except that of a war. He did, however, have a passion. A passion for fighting that came from the anger of being in the forceful position that the military placed him in. Stephen Crane writes, “He had a mad feeling against his rifle, which could only be used against one life at a time” (Crane 493).

Stephen Crane chose to uncover the issues that were ignored or hidden by discussing them in his pieces and opening up what is really happening to his readers. One critic says, “Crane’s writing reflects major forces that transformed American culture in the last part of the nineteenth century” (Sorrentino).  He wasn’t just backing up the issues that were already being discussed. He was traveling deeper and finding those that had not yet been discovered. Had it not been for his journalistic values of uncovering knowledge and sticking up for its sources, who knows how many of history’s issues would have been found.

Crane, Stephen. “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. 493. Print.

Sorrentino, Paul. "Crane, Stephen." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.