The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode from the American Civil War is without a doubt the best-known novel that Stephen Crane has ever written. This short novel was written in 1895 and was well received in the United Kingdom. After this novel was written, more and more people, and even critics, began to view this novel as something more; even today, many consider The Red Badge of Courage to be a classic piece of literature. Crane wrote as "a realist, a naturalist, an impressionist and a symbolist" (Kincheloe). This style of writing has never been done so well before, Crane paved the way for other writers. They see this book as a classic primarily based on the fact that it expresses a certain artistic quality – an expression of life, truth and beauty, that it stands the test of time and has a certain universal appeal. Crane uses realism in his writing style, the universal theme of war, and his influence on other writers to stand the test of time and become a classic novel. One of the main topics of The Red Badge of Courage is the transformation of Henry Fleming. He goes from being a cowardly and naive young soldier to becoming a strong, self-confident and confident man. This transformation may have been rapid, but it was radical. Readers witness Fleming's maturation over the course of the novel: "He became a man...Crane's careful use of symbolism provided an appropriate means of conveying the complex development of his character with psychological realism" (McDermott 331 ). Crane focuses on transformation by maturing not only Fleming, but also another soldier, Wilson. “Henry's growth is certainly as real as the parallel transformation of Wilson, who is presented as a cowardly loudmouth and emerges as a loyal and reliable soldier” (Satterfield). People who read this book can relate to Fl...... middle of paper ....... 3rd ed. Flight. 23. Np: University of California, 1968. 324-331. Web.McNair, Charles. "Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage: Blue Coats. Gray Coats. Red Badges." Paste the magazine. August 20, 2013. Web. “Overview: The Red Badge of Courage. » Literature and its times: profiles of 300 notable literary works and the historical events that influenced them. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Flight. 2: Civil wars in border societies (1800s-1880s). Detroit: Gale, 1997. Gale Library Resources. Web.Satterfield, Ben. “From Romance to Reality: Private Fleming’s Achievement.” Critical Insights: The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Carl Link Eric. 1 vol. Salem Press, 2010. Salem Literature Web. “Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.” » Review of children's literature. Ed. Tom Burns. Flight. 132. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. 38-96. Online literary criticism. Gale.