《红英勇勋章》是美国作家史蒂芬·克莱恩(1871–1900)的一部战争小说。故事情节发生在美国内战时期，一名叫亨利·弗莱明的联盟士兵逃离了战场。后来他战胜了怯懦，渴望负伤——即获得红英勇勋章——来洗刷自己的耻辱。当他的团再次面对敌人时，他成为了旗手The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound, a "red badge of courage," to counteract his cowardice. When his regiment once again faces the enemy, Henry acts as standard-bearer.
小说因其风格独特而著名，并包括了战斗现实结构、对颜意境的反复使用和讽刺的语调。与传统战争叙述不同，克莱恩的故事反映了主人翁的内心旅程——一个逃离战场的士兵——而不是他身处的外部战场。同样值得注意的是被克莱恩称之为“对恐惧的心理描述”，[1]小说的托寓与象征手法的质量常被评论家争执不休。故事的许多主题与成熟、英雄主义、懦弱、自然的冷漠有关。The novel is known for its distinctive style, which includes realistic battle sequences as well as the repeated use of color imagery, and ironic tone. Separating itself from a traditional war narrative, Crane's story reflects the inner experience of its protagonist (a soldi
er fleeing from combat) rather than the external world around him. Also notable for its use of what Crane called a "psychological portrayal of fear",[1] the novel's allegorical and symbolic qualities are often debated by critics. Several of the themes that the story explores are maturation, heroism, cowardice, and the indifference of nature
故事梗概[编辑]
一个冷天里，虚构的纽约304步兵团驻扎在河边，等候战斗命令。18岁的列兵亨利·弗莱明回忆起他参军时浪漫的冲动，以及他母亲的反对。他不禁开始怀疑自己，到底是要与敌人面对面交火，还是一走了之。战友吉姆·康克林安慰他，并承认如果所有人逃跑，他自己也会跟着跑。在步兵团的第一次交火中，南部邦联军首先冲锋，但是被打了回去。敌人很快整合，再次进攻，并迫使一些措不及防的联邦士兵自乱阵脚，临阵脱逃。亨利担心会输掉战斗，便选择了走为上。直到他逃到了部队后面时才听见将军宣布联邦军获胜的消息。
他绝望地称自己与众不同，承认自己不可能成为英雄，只是的儒弱的潜鸟。那些荣耀的画面不过些可怜的事情。他发自内心地抱怨着，一步一步挪离这个地方。 |
— 《红英勇勋章》，第11章[18] |
亨利感到十分羞愧，逃到了旁边的森林里。在一片小空地里，他发现了一具腐烂中的死尸。亨利受到惊吓，逃离小空地，却撞入了一撤离战场的伤员中。他们中有一名“衣衫褴褛的士兵”，后者询问亨利伤在哪里。亨利对此只能回避。吉姆·康克林也在其中，由于侧身中弹，失血过多，吉姆变得神智不清。吉姆极力反抗朋友的帮助，并最终因伤势过重去世。倍感愤怒无助的亨利冲出了伤兵，却又撞进了另一个撤离部队。慌乱中，一个士兵用托猛击亨利的头部，将其击伤。负伤的亨利现在十分疲倦、饥渴、他决定硬着头皮回到自己的部队里去。当他到达营地时，其他士兵误认为他头上的伤是战场弹所造成的。士兵照顾亨利，包扎了他的伤口。
第二天清晨，亨利第三次加入战斗。步兵团遇到了一小股邦联军，而亨利英勇作战，证明了自己是个合格的士兵。然而亨利自我安慰，告诉自己之前的儒弱没有被人发现，“他的过错犯在暗中，所以他依然是个好汉。”[19]在此之后，亨利与朋友一道寻溪水，却意外地从司令官那里得知他所在的步兵团名声狼藉。司令官不经意地提出将304团牺牲掉，因为他们不过是“赶驴的”、“翻土的”。由于没有其它部队可用，将军对此表示许可。
在小说最后的战斗中， 护旗士官中弹，亨利意外地成为了旗手。有一线邦联军躲在了围栏背
后，围栏被树林遮掩，不在步兵团的射程范围之内。如果他们留下，就不得不面对难堪的攻击；如果他们撤走，就会颜面尽失。司令官下令冲锋。亨利在无武装的情况下领导部队进攻，自己却奇迹般地毫发无损。绝大多数邦联士兵在步兵团到来之前逃逸，另有四名被俘虏。小说的结尾如下:
下雨了。士兵们疲惫不堪，形成了一个破败的列队，沮丧着、埋怨着。队伍在低沉恶劣的天下，行进如搅拌槽液里棕的泥浆。尽管许多人发现世界不过是誓言和手杖的组合而已，但年轻人笑了，因为他看到这是他的世界。他成功地摆脱战争的红热病，闷热的噩梦已经是过去。在燥热而痛苦的战争中，他是一个泡了水、出了汗的动物。现在，他转身回头，却如情人一般看着宁静的天空，新鲜的草原，凉爽的小溪——一个温柔而永恒的平静。
一缕金阳光劈开铅的乌云，射到了河的另一边。[20]Plot summary[edit]
On a cold day the fictional 304th New York Regiment awaits battle beside a river. Eighteen-year-old Private Henry Fleming, remembering his romantic reasons for enlisting as well as his mother's resulting protests, wonders whether he will remain brave in the face of fear, or turn and run. He is comforted by one of his friends from home, Jim Conklin, who admits tha
t he would run from battle if his fellow soldiers also fled. During the regiment's first battle, Confederate soldiers charge, but are repelled. The enemy quickly regroups and attacks again, this time forcing some of the unprepared Union soldiers to flee. Fearing the battle is a lost cause, Henry deserts his regiment. It is not until after he reaches the rear of the army that he overhears a general announcing the Union's victory.
In despair, he declared that he was not like those others. He now conceded it to be impossible that he should ever become a hero. He was a craven loon. Those pictures of glory were piteous things. He groaned from his heart and went staggering off. |
The Red Badge of Courage, Chapter eleven[18] |
Ashamed, Henry escapes into a nearby forest, where he discovers a decaying body in a peaceful clearing. In his distress, he hurriedly leaves the clearing and stumbles upon a gro
up of injured men returning from battle. One member of the group, a "tattered soldier", asks Henry where he is wounded, but the youth dodges the question. Among the group is Jim Conklin, who has been shot in the side and is suffering delirium from blood-loss. Jim eventually dies of his injury, defiantly resisting aid from his friend, and an enraged and helpless Henry runs from the wounded soldiers. He next joins a retreating column that is in disarray. In the ensuing panic, a man hits Henry on the head with his rifle, wounding him. Exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and now wounded, Henry decides to return to his regiment regardless of his shame. When he arrives at camp, the other soldiers believe his injury resulted from a grazing bullet during battle. The other men care for the youth, dressing his wound.
The next morning Henry goes into battle for the third time. His regiment encounters a small group of Confederates, and in the ensuing fight Henry proves to be a capable soldier, comforted by the belief that his previous cowardice had not been noticed, as he "had performed his mistakes in the dark, so he was still a man".[19] Afterward, while looking for a stream from which to obtain water with a friend, he discovers from the commanding office
r that his regiment has a lackluster reputation. The officer speaks casually about sacrificing the 304th because they are nothing more than "mule drivers" and "mud diggers." With no other regiments to spare, the general orders his men forward.
strcmp was not declared inIn the final battle, Henry acts as the flag-bearer after the color sergeant falls. A line of Confederates hidden behind a fence beyond a clearing shoots with impunity at Henry's regiment, which is ill-covered in the tree-line. Facing withering fire if they stay and disgrace if they retreat, the officers order a charge. Unarmed, Henry leads the men while entirely escaping injury. Most of the Confederates run before the regiment arrives, and four of the remaining men are taken prisoner. The novel closes with the following passage:
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