In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Cranes uses imagery to aid the story in its expression that war isnot romantic. A reader of the Red Badge of Courage may notice how Crane transforms Henry's thoughts of war from romantic to real life. Crane accomplishes this objective through different methods including the use of imagery. A reader of The Red Badge of Courage may find that the story is riddled throughout with imagery of war and death and blood. These in depth views into true warfare transform the reader as well as The Youth from a dreamer of war to one whom has witnessed the actions on the battlefield. Without the hard hitting imagery that Stephen Crane utilizes in the Red Badge of Courage the story would not possess the same truths of war. A reader.
of this story knows what the truths of war are, they are the feelings, emotions, sights, smells, and lessons that Henry learns during his time on the battlefield and cannot be learned from books or any other medium except.
experience.
When Crane writes, "As his imagination went forward to flight, he saw hideous possibilities. He contemplated the lurking menaces of the future, and failed in an effort to see himself standing stoutly in the midst of them. He recalled his vision of broken-bladed glory, but in the shadow of the impending tumult he suspected them to be impossible pictures," he begins the readers as well as Henrys transformation to the realities of warfare. If a reader were to closely examine this particular passage they would find imagery has begun its role in aiding the stories goal in expressing the realities of war. In this passage Crane begins to show the youths fear and anxiety. A reader of this passage may interpret that "the lurking menaces of the future" to be Henrys mind thinking of what is inevitably lying ahead for him. Without the use of imagery, this particular passage would lose its effect of subconsciously making the reader doubt Henrys romantic thoughts of war.
