Stephen Crane, in “The Red Badge of Courage,” makes numerous references to flags, references that are all loaded with meaning. The flags themselves have great symbolic value. They began as a way to distinguish tribes in battle, but became a symbol of "the hopes and aspirations, the joys and sorrows, the romance and chivalry of the human race" (Moss 1). During the American Civil War, when “The Red Badge of Courage” took place, flags gained great importance. "The Civil War generation placed more importance on their flags than later scholars allowed. They recognized the power with which these emblems...aroused military courage in battle" (Moss). Crane's flags, however, do not simply communicate value; they are representations of the spirit and pride of the regiment, as well as the individual, and are implicit symbols of power and control. Additionally, they symbolize untouchable glory and a powerful god. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The dominant characteristic of a flag is its color. Crane rarely assigns flags in his text specific colors, often referring to them simply as "the colors" – a common expression during the Civil War. Because they are so rare, the moments where he describes the color of a flag carry more weight. Although neither the war, battles, nor armies are named in the novel, it is loosely based on the events of the Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville (May 2–6, 1863). Knowing the date tells us which flags Crane was Henry's flag, the Union flag, was not unlike the flag we use today. It had thirteen stripes (seven red and six white) and thirty-four stars, arranged in five horizontal rows (the first, second, fourth and fifth). rows having seven stars each, and the third middle row having six stars) (Moss 25 – or the enemy flag in the text – was a more recent development. It had changed from the "Bonnie Blue Flag" (one). white star on a royal blue background) to the “stars and bars” only two months before the events described in the text. Due to its similarity to the Union Flag, there was considerable confusion on the battlefield (wildrebel.com). In fact, Henry sometimes can't tell the two flags apart. At such times the war seems confusing and vast, a chaotic din of pointless fighting. When a specific flag is described, the effect is particularly powerful. The first reference to an individual flag describes the stripes, not the color. As a regiment fled the scene of a battle, the escaping smoke was filled with horizontal lightning. Running men quickly came out (Crane 79). This conjures up the image of a giant field of stripes, presumably red and white, from which the men are escaping. Red, in this book, often means blood; here he refers to the blood of the losing Union regiment. This is one of only two references to stripes; there are none in the stars, nor even in the blue field on which the stars rest. Indeed, Crane wants to emphasize the bloody character that the flag represents. When Crane refers to the stripes later, he says they are "red and white, hating and loving" (Crane 179). This introduces the idea that red and white are contrasts rather than complements. The flag represents more than just positive emotions: it symbolizes a range of emotions that start with loveand end in hatred. A moment where Henry becomes uncertain about flags occurs during a second charge: "The youths could not tell, from the battle flags fluttering like crimson foam in many directions, what color of cloth was winning” (Crane 197). The Union and Confederate flags are mixed and are described as "crimson moss". The word “foam” evokes water, even the sea, here a sea of ​​blood. The closest association with blood occurs when Henry's friend Wilson captured the enemy flag of the rival color.Bearer: He pulled it and, snatching it, swung its red glow with a mad cry of exultation even as the colored bearer, panting, fell back in a final impulse and, convulsively stiffening, turned his dead face towards the ground. There was a lot of blood on the blades of grass. (Crane 205)The red shine of the flag is recalled by the red blood which stains the blades of grass. In his fit of ecstasy, Wilson is immune to the grotesqueness of the horrible death scene he has just witnessed. The first sentence of the passage is quite complex: it has four commas and details the seizure of the flag as well as the complicated and prolonged death of the bearer. The second sentence, however, is weighted for simplicity: it is composed of entirely monosyllabic words and there are no commas or other punctuation marks. The war is bloody, but men are blinded by this glorious symbol. The glory of the flag is reflected in the recurring combination of the flag and the sun. The crane bathes the flag in sunlight, creating a splendid and warm effect. Just before Henry deserts his regiment, he sees the flag in battle: it "was sometimes eaten and lost in that mass of steam, but more often it was thrown, touched by the sun, resplendent" (Crane, 92 ). Later, once Henry joins a group of soldiers and sits watching another group of men eager to go into battle, he becomes extremely envious: "He felt like he was facing a procession of chosen beings. The separation was to him as great as if they had marched with weapons of flame and banners of the sun” (Crane 123). Crane uses the flag in the sun to represent glory: glory in the majestic sense of the word, glory that is far-reaching and unattainable. To Henry, the flag seems touched by the sun because he will not be part of the battle – he will flee, turning his back on the golden honor that the flag represents. When he sees others marching toward this honor, he imagines their flag as pure sunlight. Just as the sun is bright, so is the flag, and just as the sun burns whoever reaches it, this flag will burn Henry, because he abandoned it. The Union flag symbolizes what Henry gave up, and Crane brings up another flag to emphasize this idea. He uses flags to show the spirit of Henry, the spirit of the regiments. As Henry walks sadly with the procession of wounded men, the ragged man tries to find out precisely where his wound is. Henry gets irritated because, of course, he has no injuries. He says his companions “always raised the ghost of shame on the stick of their curiosity” (Crane 120). This image of a flag waving Henry's translucent shame is powerful: his shame becomes a tangible entity. Additionally, it is important to note that this is the only flag mentioned when Henry was with the wounded troops. This is because the flag represents fighting spirit, and in this group, there is none. The presence of the flag, and even its physical position, reveal how Henry and the troops feel. When Henry struggles with the idea of ​​being called a "mule driver," he decides to ignore the insult: "Hepresently wrapped his heart in the mantle of his pride and kept the flag raised” (Crane 183). Because he decides to stay angry, the flag stays up. Several times, flag tilt is mentioned in reference to combat charges: “a flag, tilted forward, was racing close to the front” (Crane 83); he again saw the inclined flag advancing at full speed" (Crane 91). The posture of the flag is parallel to the spirit of the troops. During a frenzied charge, the flag makes them advance with its inclination; it acts as do men. When men have a With a new burst of energy, the flag, obeying these calls, bent its glittering form and moved towards them” (179). , but also listen to their feelings and act accordingly When the young man, as a standard bearer, loses hope during a fight, the flag seems to channel his emotions He witnesses the massacre of his regiment, and he did not know that. 'he breathed; that the flag floated silently above him, so absorbed was he' (Crane 198). flag embodies the spirit of brotherhood At some point, Henry loses his sense of self and “becomes not a man but a member.” He felt that something he was a part of, a regiment, an army, a cause or a country, was in crisis” (Crane 84). Civil War flag expert Eric Bonner says that "as blood was not only quickened in the veins by these banners but spilled for them during conflicts, Civil War flags became the totems of 'a collective cause' (67). This is seen later, when the men begin to fight selflessly, without regard for themselves, thinking only of the spirit of the army. and the brothers they have found in the men alongside whom they fight. To further convey that the flag embodies the spirit of men, Crane often personifies it. While watching the men flee a terrible battle, Henry takes note of them. flag: “The battle flag in the distance was shaking madly. He seemed to be struggling to free himself from agony." Once the entire regiment began to flee, the flag suddenly sank as if it were dying. Its movement as it fell was a gesture of despair (Grue 79). While the flag often reflects how the men feel, at other times it seems to control how they feel – to dictate their level of spirit. At one point, although the battle seemed hopeless, Henry was "walking." calmly in the midst of the crowd, and with his flag in his hands took up his position as if expecting an attempt to push him to the ground. He unconsciously assumed the attitude of the standard-bearer” (Crane 184). Here the flag seems to control Henry's actions, even if he doesn't realize it; because the flag is seen through Henry's eyes, the flag bearer. Union flag is described as completely good When looking at the enemy flag, however, Crane personifies it using very negative and intense adjectives and verbs, because that is how Henry is. sees his opponents "throw". smoke with anger” (Crane 78); she is “disheveled and fierce” (Crane 203) when Henry's men attack color guards who refuse to yield during a charge. The fact that the flags are described to the reader through Henry's eyes is "The detached battle between the four regiments lasted for some time." This battle is only "detached" because Henry does not do one part "The young could see. "two flags shaking with laughter amid the remains of smoke" (Crane 196). The flags are neither glorious nor hostile -Henry is too far away for them to make an impression on him, and so they just make fun of each other. The subjectivity of the flag is underlined when Henry feels a surge of love towards it during a desperate charge: In him, as he rushed, a love was born, a desperate tenderness for this flag who was near him. It was a creation of beauty and invulnerability. It was a goddess, radiant, who bent her form with an imperious gesture towards him. It was a red and white woman, hateful and loving, who called to him with the voice of her hopes. Because no harm could come to him, he endowed him with power. He kept it close, as if it could save lives, and a pleading cry came from his mind. (Grue 179) This passage reveals several things about the flag. First, it is associated with the feminine. This was not uncommon during the war: Bonner says that one of the effects of giving flags such a feminine appearance was to heighten the importance of protecting them from the "pollution" of degradation or dishonor of the flag. 'enemy' (81). opposition reveals itself when Henry's brigade comes upon the aforementioned enemies, who stand their ground with their flag. For Henry, possession of the flag would be a matter of great pride...the rival.The colored bearer was making one last stand...On his face was the bleach of death, but on it were the dark lines and harsh of a desperate design. With that terrible smile of resolution, he clutched his precious flag and stumbled and staggered in his purpose to follow the path that led him to safety. (Crane 204)Even in death, protection of the flag is imperative; his care is more important than life. While it is true that some have attributed feminine qualities to the flag in order to indicate its purity, that does not seem to be entirely true here. This femininity is powerful, it is invulnerable, and that is why Henry gives it even more power. He is not the protector of this flag; on the contrary, he is his protector. For Henry, as for many men, this flag is a god. If the flag is a god to men, then the military is a religion. Crane supports this idea in the text: the ragged soldier with whom Henry walks for a moment has a face described as "imbued with a light of love for the army which was to him all that was beautiful and powerful" (Crane 108). This feeling persists even after he has been shot and is starving and exhausted, in great pain. The military hardly comes to mind when describing something like "all that is beautiful and powerful," but that's exactly what this man thinks of the military, and it's no accident that he feels this way. Like organized religion, the military teaches this doctrine to its members. At one point, when Henry feels that the army can be defeated, he stops thinking this way: "His education had been such that the success of this mighty blue machine was certain...He has now abandoned all his speculations in the other direction. " (Grue 128). Just as religious devotees believe they are infallibly right, so does Henry. This philosophy leaves no room for questioning; Just as the devotee believes he will certainly go to heaven if he follows his religion, Henry believes that he will be led to victory if he follows the army. Each religion is the "right" one for its followers, and each army is on the "right" side according to its soldiers. When Henry's brigade charges, the men. reach a state of sublimity at the moment of ultimate sacrifice, seemingly eager to lay down their lives for this cause “It is a temporary but sublime absence of selfishness” (Crane 176). men of hopes of glory – martyrdom for the flag is a wonderful thing and.