Expectations vs. Reality in Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage The idea that war is an exciting, romantic endeavor full of glory and heroism has been around for centuries . Stephen Crane set out to demystify war through his novel The Red Badge of Courage, which traces the experiences of a young soldier in the American Civil War. Crane shows the true nature of war by contrasting Henry Fleming's romantic expectations with the reality he encounters. This contrast between romantic vision and cold reality can be seen at the beginning of the novel, with Henry's departure from home. Driven to a "prolonged ecstasy of excitement" by the cheering crowd, Henry enlists in the army and bids farewell to his mother with "a gleam of excitement and expectation in his eyes" (709). He anticipates a romantic and sentimental farewell reminiscent of Spartan times and even goes so far as to prepare remarks in advance that he hopes to use "to touching effect" to create "a beautiful scene" (710). However, Crane presents a more realistic vision approach. Upon hearing the news of Henry's enlistment, his mother simply says "the Lord's will be done" and continues milking the cow, having previously urged Henry not to be "a fool" by enlisting (709). He then destroys his hopes by offering him sensible,...... middle of paper...... anguished while his friend Jim suffers and dies. Today, many of the romantic myths about war have been destroyed through television and television. films like Born on the Fourth of July, which shows war with all its suffering, pain and death. Yet it was Stephen Crane who, a century ago, deglorified war through the experiences of Henry Fleming. With his frequent contrasts between romantic vision and cold reality, Crane clearly portrays the true horrors of war. Work Cited Crane, Stephen. The red badge of courage. Anthology of American literature. Ed. George McMichael, et al. 5th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan, 1993. 707-87.