Stephen Crane is rightfully famous for his ability to
write stories that are excellent examples of Realism, not Romanticism. Realism tries to
present life as it actually is, without glossing over any of the nasty bits. As the
majority of Crane's fiction is set during the Civil War, this means that his narratives
include lots of gory descriptions of fighting, injuries and blood. For examples of this,
you might want to focus on the description of the Field Hospital that the Lieutenant
reaches at the end, and the way in which there are "interminable" numbers of wounded and
groans can be heard. Note the following incident:
Sitting with his back against a tree a man with a
face as grey as a new army blanket was serenely smoking a corn-cob pipe. The lieutenant
wished to rush forward and inform him that he was
dying.
The details of the
man's face, which is compared to a "new army blanket," and the way in which he is
"serenely" smoking add an element of realism to the account, as he is obviously
patiently waiting his own death by himself. Note too the way in which the lieutenant is
treated by the surgeon when the surgeon realises he needs to have his arm
amputated:
Then he caught sight of the lieutenant's arm and
his face at once changed. "Well, let's have a look at it." He seemed possessed suddenly
of a great contempt for the lieutenant. This wound evidently placed the latter on a very
low social plane.
The
lieutenant, in spite of his bravery, is shown to be treated in a terrible way by the
surgeon, who feels the lieutenant now occupies "a very low social plane" because of his
injury. Such notes of realism act as an antidote to Romantic notions of war concerning
heroism and bravery. Here, the lieutenant doesn't even face an enemy, and is just shot
from behind the screen of trees. His amputation and the effect this has on his life is
described as being just another "Episode of War" that explores the true horror of
warfare and does not present war as Romantic in any way.
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