Stephen Crane Essay, Research Paper

Paper based on Stephen Crane’s works How do we grow up through the hardships of

live? What can a stressful environment bring out in human? And how do you

perceive a society between the reality and the myth? As a naturalism and realism

writer, Stephen Crane creates vivid characters in his stories. We might find

answers of these questions from Crane’s three representative works, "The

Red Badge of Courage", "The Open Boat" and "The Blue

Hotel". Adolescence brings about many changes as a youth becomes an adult.

For many people this passage is either tedious or painful, or simple and barely

noticeable. In "The Red Badge of Courage", the character Henry Fleming

survives the Civil War, which serves as his rite of passage as it teaches him

the importance of things such as dreams, companionship, individualism, dignity

and, of course, courage. At first, Henry is determined and eager to fight in

war, which is his dream and goal. From all the tales told by others of fighting

and glory, he can not help but idolize the duty of the soldier and aspire to

become the very same soldier. Unfortunately, his dreams are virtually shattered

time again as the fight on in the battle. Eventually, Henry is faced with the

ultimate enemy – himself. He begins to doubt his own self-confidence and wonders

weather he will stay and fight or run then faced with death and war at the

battlefields. "He experimented with many schemes, but threw them aside one

by one as flimsy" (Crane, 65). Those "schemes" suggest the

constant dilemma experienced by most adolescents, which would be conformity,

peer pressure, and acceptance. Henry eventually flees from the scene, reexamines

himself and his thoughts, and musters up the courage to return to the

battlefield. This is part of growing up – facing your fears and giving it

another shot. The death of John Conklin teaches Henry the importance of

companionship and its limits, which play an important part in anyone’s life as

friends are one of life’s greatest treasures. Towards the end of the story,

Henry discards the expectations of his peers and declares his individuality and

courage by seizing the flag from the dead color sergeant and waving it in front

of the regiment. He risks being shot at – as he is an easy target – and thus

displays his courage deep down within his soul. "He himself felt the daring

spirit of a savage religion-mad?There were subtle flashings of joy within him

that thus should be his mind" (Crane, 118). His reaching out for the flag

proves to himself that he is just as brave and courageous as those soldiers

those stories dazzles him as a boy. He is that very soldier. If the tribulation

builds up Henry’s courage, then it reveals human dignity in "The Open

Boat". At numerous times during the story, an anonymous man will grieve and

ponder over the idea that death is a great possibility for those in the boat.

The reader never learns who the speaker is, which turn becomes an

"everyman" issue. All are feeling this sense of hopelessness, or one

man is speaking for everyone. Crane uses the quote "If I am going to be

drowned – if I am going to be drowned?" as a tool to exhibit human

dignity in the boat. For at least three times during the story,

"everyman" despairs and cries out for this mercy. If the man on the

boat did not admit their fears, we would think they were all courageous heroes.

It is obvious they are merely human. The men in the boat have worked together as

a team, almost as if they know they can only survive s a team. Like clockwork,

they switch rowing shifts to let others sleep. They are considerate to each

other and respectful. Yet, when it comes down to their personal feelings,

isolation takes over. "If I am going to be drowned? why was I allowed to

come thus far the contemplate sand and trees?" (Crane, 293). That statement

emphasizes a certain part of our humanity that calls for complete mercy. It’s

almost as if the gods are taunting the men on the boat. Finally it comes the

moment that they meet the land, all the man are in the water and try to swim to

the shore. All are saved by the mercy that they pray for, except oiler Billy. At

this point, Crane might hint that fate is inevitable, and no one can get away

from his/her destiny. Everyone’s final destiny is death. And the death could be

determined by externality (e.g. nature), or internality (like one’s belief).

Throughout much of the late 1800s and well into 1900s, stories of the life and

settlement of the West have held a strong fascination for the American, and even

all over the world. These stories were often times highly exaggerated and

sensationalized and usually provided more myth than fact. In "The Blue

Hotel", we can see the Swede, a character who has strong misconceptions of

the West which he created from reading few too many dime novel stories, and how

Crane parodies this misconception with how the characters act in the hotel. The

story starts with the three men: the cowboy, Easterner and Swede. At the

beginning, the Swede acts rather timidity, and distorts the reality of the hotel

as full of romances of chivalry. The Swede’s obsession with what he believes the

West is like and how the characters act believe his delusions, and when he looks

as if he expects to be assaulted, he is responding to an atmosphere of books, a

Western setting of violence that has no relevance. Then the martyr-like Swede

then is convinced that everyone is against him. "These men are going to

kill me" (Crane, 330), he is irrational threatened by his own overactive

imagination. After winning the fight with Jonnie, the Swede turns into a totally

different person. He becomes arrogant and aggressive. Unfortunately, the Swede

runs into the "real West" – the saloon and gets killed there. Although

the world of the saloon at he end of the story more accurately depicts the

Western world in the Swede’s mind, the blue hotel lies in stark contrast to the

"Western reality", where the Swede’s mythic preconceptions about the

West discover more reality than in what has passed for actuality in the hotel.

At the end, the Easterner comments "Every sin is the result of a

collaboration" (Crane, 354), he considers five of them are responsible for

the death of the Swede. But it seems the main determinant is the Swede’s

irrational beliefs. In conclusion, Crane paint a brilliant picture of this

hostile, brutal world through the exploration of responsibility, guilt, dignity,

repentance?etc. Therefore, we read to find that we are not alone.

3eb

Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. The Open Boat. The Blue Hotel.

"Great Short Works of Stephen Crane". New York: Perennial Library,

1999. 3-126, 277-302, 325-354.