The Red Badge of Courage
How is the illusion of heroism shattered in the face of the fear of death?
📝ONGO's Reflection
A reader expecting a romantic, heroic tale of war will be greatly shaken by this novel's relentless realism. Watching the protagonist Henry feel utter terror on the battlefield, his cowardly flight and his shame, I grew embarrassed, as if my own inner frailty had been exposed. Instead of grand ideology or noble cause, Crane bores doggedly into the psychology of the naked individual flailing to survive in the mud where shells burst. It coolly makes us reconsider what true courage is, and the weakness of humankind.
"He felt that in this crisis his laws of life were useless."Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage
"그는 자신이 우주에서 아무런 의미도 없는 존재라는 것을 깨달았다."
🌱Apply It Today
Rather than making a reckless choice driven by others' eyes or social pressure, honestly admit your inner fears and limits, and from that honest ground summon the small courage you are actually capable of.
