How do we grow up through the hardships of live? What can a stressful environment bring out in human? And how do you perceive a society between the reality and the myth? As a naturalism and realism writer, Stephen Crane creates vivid characters in his stories. We might find answers of these questions from Crane's three representative works, "The Red Badge of Courage", "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel".

Adolescence brings about many changes as a youth becomes an adult. For many people this passage is either tedious or painful, or simple and barely noticeable. In "The Red Badge of Courage", the character Henry Fleming survives the Civil War, which serves as his rite of passage as it teaches him the importance of things such as dreams, companionship, individualism, dignity and, of course, courage.

At first, Henry is determined and eager to fight in war, which is his dream and goal. From all the tales told by others of fighting and glory, he can not help but idolize the duty of the soldier and aspire to become the very same soldier. Unfortunately, his dreams are virtually shattered time again as the fight on in the battle. Eventually, Henry is faced with the ultimate enemy - him

self. He begins to doubt his own self-confidence and wonders weather he will stay and fight or run then faced with death and war at the battlefields. "He experimented with many schemes, but threw them aside one by one as flimsy" (Crane, 65). Those "schemes" suggest the constant dilemma experienced by most adolescents, which would be conformity, peer pressure, and acceptance. Henry eventually flees from the scene, reexamines himself and his thoughts, and musters up the courage to return to the battlefield. This is part of growing up - facing your fears and giving it another shot.

In conclusion, Crane paint a brilliant picture of this hostile, brutal world through the exploration of responsibility, guilt, dignity, repentance...etc. Therefor, we read to find that we are not alone.

Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. The Open Boat. The Blue Hotel. "Great Short Works of Stephen Crane". New York: Perennial Library, 1999. 3-126, 277-302, 325-354.

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Approximate Word count = 1167
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)