The Red Badge of Courage is a novel by Stephen Crane about a young man who enlists in the armed to distinguish themselves and gain respect. During the bloody battles of the Civil War, young Henry Fleming must adapt to the horrors of war and learn to overcome his own doubts. It is the story of Henry's transformation from boy to man, from naive coward to honorable war hero. Crane expertly illustrates this journey through vivid imagery. The book is filled with imaginative descriptions of the landscape, animals and brutal battles. Crane's use of nature imagery greatly enhances the book in several ways. He is able to successfully create a realistic setting that is easy for the reader to imagine using images of nature and war, as well as using these images to contrast the natural world with the ongoing war. This powerful juxtaposition is a key aspect of the book. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Crane describes nature throughout the novel with colorful similes, metaphors, and adjectives. The story begins at a campsite where Henry's regiment eagerly awaits to be summoned for battle, but the setting soon changes to a rich green forest where the youths participate in deadly clashes with enemy corps. Crane is a talented writer and he paints a realistic picture of the forest, so realistic that one can immerse themselves in the text as if they were there watching the battles and observing the natural environment. When the men begin their walk toward the forest, Crane notices that the grass beneath their feet “rustled like silk” and the air was “heavy with dew” (Crane, 11). His use of imagery enhances the book by giving the reader insight into what the soldiers felt, heard, saw, and smelled. One of the major themes of The Red Badge of Courage is the reality of war. Henry enlists in the army with an extremely skewed perspective of war. He believes it's a glorious thing, a rite of passage. He associates it with honor and bravery and he completely ignores the ugly aspects of battle. Crane depicts the terror of war through the eyes of the naive Henry. He gradually realizes how dangerous and cruel it is, as does the reader. The author describes the consequences of the war very bluntly. He speaks of a man who was “grazed by a gunshot that caused the blood to flow widely down his face” (26) and of a pile of corpses that “lay twisted in fantastic contortions” (27). His descriptions of battles are shockingly real and expose the grisly side of war that is sometimes overlooked. Crane's sugar-free descriptions of war contrast sharply with his depiction of nature. War is presented as ugly, while nature is presented as beautiful. Nature is a symbol of peace in the book. The author uses images such as the “fairy blue” sky (11) and “peaceful pines” (15) to create a tranquil setting in which a very opposite event takes place. This juxtaposition serves to highlight the negative aspects of war; the bloody deaths, the loud and thundering weapons and the painful wounds. Crane frequently interrupts describing battles to comment on the surrounding sky or trees. During his first battle, Henry flees into the woods in fear and is amazed by the pristine condition of the forest, despite the ongoing battle. “It was surprising that nature quietly continued its golden process in the midst of so much..