War has shaken and fascinated society since the beginning of human history. War stories have long thrilled the public, and images of great courage and heroic acts have often transformed the public view of war into a great experience of fighting for a noble cause. However, literature has also expressed other, less lionistic, positions towards the war. Both The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane and In Pharaoh's Army by Tobias Wolff are examples of this different perspective. Although these are two very different wars fought for very different reasons, neither work focuses as much on the purpose or objective of the war as on a soldier's experience, either through fiction or nonfiction. Through the tones of their narratives, Crane and Wolff both develop a position that war is not a matter of glory or courage, but is rather a monotonous struggle. Soldiers, for these authors, are more focused on their own survival or image than on selfless courage in the name of a greater cause. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In The Red Badge of Courage, Crane develops his position through an ironic tone emphasizing the differences between the glorious thoughts of the main character, Henry, and the author's vivid description of the reality of war. Almost mocking the character, Crane develops his position on war, which he sees as a monotonous struggle that has little to do with selfless heroism; instead, war is a state of self-preservation. The title itself refers to “a wound, a little red badge of courage” that Henry envied wounded soldiers (51). Demonstrating that this superficial test of courage is more important to Henry than the actual fight (which Henry avoids) reflects the tone of irony that Crane continues throughout the novel. The main character's thoughts are constantly filled with imaginings of glory: from the “strength” he felt “to perform mighty feats of arms” (7) to the “thunderous and crushing blow” he conceived “that would prostrate the resistance and spread dismay." and amazement for miles,” (120) to his “self-pride” which was “completely restored” because no one knew he had fled the battle, “so he was still a man” (82). In this last example, the tone Crane's irony is particularly evident as he presents Henry's thinking as almost a logical fallacy. Henry, presumably, is a man because "he had made his mistakes in the dark" (82). vivid descriptions of the war, including men falling “here and there like bundles,” with “blood running widely down” their faces, or “clinging desperately” to a tree “and screaming for help” (34) of the Battle of Crane evoke a world indifferent to human suffering and, conversely, make Henry's desire for glory seem senseless Even when Henry performs a rather heroic action, carrying a flag at the head of a charge that "seemed eternal" ( 106) as described extensively by Crane, it turns out that this advance was a very small and insignificant part of the great war struggle and, according to one lieutenant, "wasn't very far off, was it?" , a use of irony that develops Crane's position on the war. Not only does he show it as a long and painful struggle, but also as a struggle in which soldiers do not care about selfless actions for a greater cause. At the end of the novel, he describes Henry realizing his wrong thoughts, discovering that he "was happy" with.