Naturalism in "The Red Badge of Courage"

Naturalism is yet another subgenre of Realism. This genre entails more of a clinical study of the human experience and what humans are truly like on the inside (Sommers). Naturalists typically believed that humans were only high order animals and therefore did not truly have any free will at all and were not capable of affecting any true change in their worlds at all. This meant that although they could act upon their "animal instincts" which included fear, anger, and lust, no matter what they did it would never change their destiny (Sommers).

Another important part of Naturalism is the study of how humans react when put into high pressure situations that display a person's true character (Sommers). Usually they were placed in a hostile and foreign environment, and then the story progresses as a kind of record of how they made their way through. in this way the true character of the human under study is revealed. "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane was one such story and therefore the first Naturalist work I have come across in this project.

Unfortunately, most Naturalist works were sad and grim because they show the darker sides of life (Sommers). Obviously when one is placed in a foreign and hostile environment, the experience is not going to be enjoyable. However, the belief of Naturalist writers was in displaying life as it really was and not sugar-coating it (Sommers). Because of this belief, no details are typically spared in these stories and they can get quite gruesome and uncomfortable at times (Sommers).

This story is no exception to that gruesome picture of human life. The story details the journey of soldiers in the Civil War, and therefore it is a very unpleasant story (Crane). The story shows how a person reacts when forced to kill others over and over again (Crane). Unfortunately, the truth that is revealed is that when forced to do these things repeatedly, it almost becomes second nature. The truth revealed about humanity in this work is that we can adapt to virtually anything, even things that we might not think we are capable of.

While all parts of Realism believe in using facts and details in order to get their point across, Naturalism is special in its effort to record every precise detail (Sommers). The main goal of Naturalism is to take an almost scientific approach to these things and record the exact physical and emotional experiences undergone by the subject. In this way the most accurate depiction can be given of the events, and therefore the emotional response can be independent to the reader and not supplied by the writer. The reader may take from it what they will (Sommers).

Stephen Crane did an excellent job of portraying the life of these soldiers although, surprisingly, he did not actually participate in the fighting during the Civil War. Still, in a literary world full of war stories, Crane shines as one of the best. For this reason he is one of the best Naturalist writers that ever lived.

Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.

Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).