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Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane is a seventeenth century writer, who is well-known for his short story “The Red Badge of Courage”. Stephen Crane as with all authors was affected by his surroundings. Multiple elements that will determine exactly how an author’s works will be interpreted, these factors include: The time frame when the work was written, the age of the writer, the writer’s education, the environment the author was raised in, and the relationships that the writer was surrounded by while the work was written. This research paper will discuss selected works by Stephen Crane and how each was influenced by the era that they were written, the things that inspired him, and what the meaning is behind each story. The paper will also give a brief background summary which will help set the feelings, emotions, and the circumstance surrounding these selected works.
Born in Newark, New Jersey on November 1, 1871 Stephen Crane grew up in a well educated and very religious family (Vanouse). This environment helped Crane to become the appreciated writer that he is today. Crane’s father was a Methodist Clergymen and a writer, who wrote a number of books on such topics as: The dangers of alcohol, the dangers of popular amusement, and religion. Crane’s father died when he was eight years old, but this would not be the only death he would experience in his childhood (Vanouse). Crane’s older sister Agnes died when he was only twelve, and the following year his older brother Luther died while working on the Erie railroad. Both Agnes and Luther supported Stephen’s work in the arts and in literature. Crane’s mother, Mary Helen Peck Crane, who was also involved with literature, was an active writer in the Women’s Christian Temperance movement (Vanouse). At seventeen Crane attended a military school, by his own choice, because he had fallen in love with everything military (Stallman 9). Stephen Crane had a very good childhood and was encouraged by his family members to become great at...