The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Dec. 15/08

Dear Mr. Crane,

I just finished reading Your novel The Red Badge of Courage. I enjoyed how it was set during the American Civil War in 1895, and how it looked at both aspects of war: the terrible bloodshed involved, and the soldiers that emerge as leaders.

Young Henry Fleming joins the army thinking he is going to be a hero and lead his army to victory. As Henry is exposed to the various aspects of war such as disease, death and bombardments, he begins to see that the war is a very frightening place to be. After seeing his newly found friends die, he becomes engulfed in cowardice and tries to fight it, in the hope that he will again find the courage that brought him into the war.

In the first few pages of Your book, You describe Henry’s naïve and idealistic view of war.
“He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life –of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire. In visions he had seen himself in many struggles. He had imagined peoples secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess. But awake he had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past… He had read of marches, sieges, conflicts and he had longed to see it all,” (Pg. 5). This quotation shows how Henry’s views on war are unrealistic, and how unprepared he is for the horrors that await him. This quotation is effective because it sets the stage for Henry’s downfall as he is mixed in with the other soldiers. He engages in an external conflict against the enemy on the battlefield, and an internal conflict within himself. He is like the stereotypical young draftee. He believes in the glorified image of war with many victories, awards and honours, when this is really not the case.

Another passage from Your book that I found interesting was when Henry’s regiment falls victim to a sneak attack. “A man near him who up to this time had been working feverishly at his rifle suddenly stopped and ran with howls… He [Henry], too, threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face. He ran like a rabbit,” (Pg. 66). This quotation shows how Henry’s courage and ambition are quickly replaced with cowardice and fear as the enemy draws near, and death is upon him. I liked this passage because it shows how people act in times of distress. In this case, what defines courage is fight from flight. If Henry stayed and fought, he would be recognized as a brave soldier, but since he runs away, he becomes a coward.

The final passage from Your novel that appealed to me is when Henry reflects on his victory during the final battle. “With this conviction came a store of assurance. He felt a quiet manhood, non-assertive but of sturdy and strong blood… He had been to touch the great death, and found that, after all, it was but the great death. He was a man,” (Pg. 221). With this realization, Henry transforms from a naïve boy to a seasoned soldier who faced and overcame the fear of death. He wins the battle not only against the enemy, but also within himself. He restores the courage inside of him that he lost on the battlefield. I like this quotation because it shows that people can overcome their greatest challenges, and come out victorious.

There are two things that You could have done to improve the novel. I think that writing the novel in first person would have made the story more realistic. This way, the story would have been told through Henry’s eyes, letting the reader see more of the battle inside him between courage and cowardice. Also, it took too long to get into the plot and action, making the book very tedious.

Overall, I would recommend this book to history and war enthusiasts. However, because I am not very fond of heavy war novels, I give the book three out of five stars.

Once Upon a Fastball by Bob Mitchell

In the novel, Once Upon a Fastball by Bob Mitchell, baseball fanatic Seth Stein uses clues left for him by his grandfather, Papa Sol, to travel back in time and understand why Papa Sol mysteriously disappeared on the night of October 19, 2004.

Seth Stein is an Associate Professor of History at Harvard University that just turned thirty-three years old on October 19, 2006, the same day his grandfather disappeared, just two years prior. Seth lost both his parents in an airplane crash when he was a child. He is divorced from his former wife Julie, with whom he had a son, named Sammy. Seth enjoys joint custody of twelve-year-old Sammy, and he now has a new girlfriend, Kate. The stresses and losses that Seth had endured in his life were one of the contributing factors to contracting heart disease. As a result, he required quadruple bypass heart surgery. Seth was an extremely busy individual; he visited his widowed grandma Elsie, devoted time to Kate and Sammy, and taught numerous history classes at Harvard. He was also a self-professed baseball fanatic. He knows about many of the most historic moments in baseball, including Babe Ruth’s three home runs in game four of the 1926 World Series, Luis Gonzalez’s game-winning hit off Yankees’ pitcher Mariano Rivera in the 2001 World Series, and David Ortiz’s game-winning two-run homer to keep the Red Sox alive in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Seth has jet-black hair, a pointy nose, and an average male build.

Throughout the novel, Seth finds clues that lead him to solve the mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance. The first clue given to Seth was an old, faded, discoloured baseball which was given to him on his birthday by his grandmother Elsie. This old baseball was accompanied by a very cryptic poem. When Seth further examined the ball and the poem, he was utterly puzzled. When Seth touched the ball, he was transported back to 1951 Brooklyn. In the past, he got to learn more about Papa Sol, as he watched historical events that had already taken place, but could not interact with the people of that time. It turned out that the ball given to Seth was the ball hit by Bobby Thompson, which was known as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” winning the pivotal game for Papa Sol’s beloved New York Giants. When Seth returned to 2006, he found a ticket stub from the 1951 playoff game in his pocket, removing any sense of disbelief that his trip was only a dream. After a few more rubs of the baseball, Seth was taken back to 1962 San Francisco, where he witnessed the Giants lose to the Yankees in the World Series. Then he was whisked away to Queens, New York, in 1986 for the World Series championship between the New York Mets and Papa Sol’s cherished Boston Red Sox. There he saw Boston’s Bill Buckner make a crucial error that cost the beloved Red Sox the World Series. Finally, Seth realized that all the historic games he had been to had involved Papa Sol’s favourite teams. After that trip, he finally comprehended that to find out how Papa Sol disappeared, he had to revisit the historic game that took place on the night of his grandfather’s disappearance, the 2004 American League Championship Series. Seth traveled back in time for one final game. At this game, Boston was on the verge of finally winning a championship against the dreaded New York Yankees. It was at Yankee Stadium that he saw Papa Sol slip and hit his head on a concrete step at the end of the game, after fainting due to the magnitude of Boston’s heroic victory. It turned out that Papa Sol suffered severe amnesia after the fall, and was taken into the care of ballpark janitor Walter Retlaw. After learning of this development, Seth managed to call Walter Retlaw and asked if Papa Sol was still living with him. Walter said that Papa Sol was still alive, and before long, Seth’s beloved grandfather was reunited with his family.

One example of effective writing in this novel is found on page 172, where Mitchell writes: “Papa Sol’s eyes reveling in the fact that his Red Sox have just defeated the Yankees, beaten them in grand style, and now they’ll be going off to the World Series for the first time in eighteen years, since the Billy B. Affair, and maybe now they’ll win their first World Championship since 1918 and these eyes that have seen so much disappointment have now seen much of that disappointment melt away.” This quote describes Papa Sol’s reaction and emotional gratitude that his team has finally won the Championship Series, erasing all the disappointment and misery of previous years. This passage appeals to me because I have been playing baseball for ten years, and I have not won a championship. I have lost many heartbreaking games, and have been the captain of many teams. Like Papa Sol, being able to see a victory in the most important game of the playoffs would erase all the bad memories, and give me a sense of accomplishment and a feeling I would cherish forever.

Another important piece of writing is on pages 118-119, where Seth tells Kate: “Remember the playoff game between the Giants and Dodgers in ’51? On the first pitch, Bobby Thompson isn’t committed, because of the fear he has standing there at the plate. He’s as nervous as a kitten and just isn’t ready to be in the batter’s box at that moment and to commit to his pitch, with all that pressure and all those things flying around in his brain. So he stands there, like a statue, and watches a strike blow right by him. And so, my sweetheart, it isn’t until the second pitch that he becomes more relaxed, and by then the time is right, and he’s prepared to swing and commit totally to it, and the rest is history.” This passage appeals to me because it is applicable to many things in life, not just baseball. In the novel, Kate pressures Seth about getting married, but with all the pressures Seth is facing, like solving the disappearance of Papa Sol, staying healthy and maintaining contact with his son, he is worried and cannot commit to it until the time is right. This method of decision-making applies to all aspects of life, including school, friendships and family choices.

The final important piece of writing in the novel is on page 51, where Seth rants against a Dodgers fan’s racist remarks. “‘Dirty nigger!’ is the venom a Dodgers fan spews at the Giants left fielder from a seat somewhere in the next section over… Seth cringes at the epithet. Not at the virulence of the venom itself, but at the fact that in over half a century, America has made progress in this area, but not nearly enough.” This quote is important because it shows how racist America was in the early 1900s, and how the treatment of African Americans did not improve that much since slavery was abolished in 1833. They are an important part of American culture and society, and have made significant contributions to baseball history.

The novel Once Upon a Fastball by Bob Mitchell is truly a special novel that blends together baseball, history and love. I recommend it to all intermediate readers twelve years old and up, who love baseball, or just a really good book. It clearly connects with the reader’s life and soul, and shows the emotional attachment between family and loved ones. I whole-heartedly agree with a perfect five-star rating for this novel!

King Leary by Paul Quarrington

Back in the 1920s, Percival Leary was the King of the Ice. The young, athletic, talented Irish boy had it all. He could skate, score goals, and was considered one of the National Hockey League’s greatest heroes. Fifty years later, “King” Leary is seen in the South Grouse Nursing Home rooming with the antagonistic and alcoholic journalist Blue Hermann, who once profiled Leary’s hockey career. Leary, now an old and fragile man, is only a hero in his own mind. The only people that know of him are his roommate, Blue, and his male nurse, Iain. In the novel, Leary looks back on his life and glory days. From the time he burned down his neighbour’s house, to the time he visited the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in Toronto, Leary tells us all about the ups and downs of his tremendous life. All but forgotten, Leary is given one last chance in the spotlight by a ginger ale company that wants him to do a series of commercials in the big city. In the novel King Leary by Paul Quarrington, Leary sets off for Toronto on his final journey, as he revisits the scenes of his extraordinary career as King of the Ice.

In the novel, the author uses a very unique writing style. Leary narrates the story in first person. The author cuts off words and uses slang very often to give Leary a strong Irish accent. When Leary talks in his old age, he often rambles on and on, like a typical elderly person. Quarrington executes this writing style to perfection in this novel, and uses a different type of language with each character to match each one’s personality.

There is a lot of symbolism in this novel, including the monks that taught Leary how to play hockey. They symbolize purity and the ideal hockey player. They are graceful, light-hearted, fast, religious, and highly skilled at the game of hockey. They can skate at a car’s speed, shoot the puck very hard, but they do not check or promote violence and anger. Two more symbolic personatlities are Percy Leary and Duane Killebrew. Percy Leary symbolizes the old National Hockey League, and the violence and corruption that occurred during its time period. Leary, like the old NHL, observed problems such as alcohol abuse, prostitution, violence and gangs. Killebrew is Leary’s newer double, representing the new NHL. Killebrew symbolizes everything the new NHL stands for, including a high level of physical ability, sportsmanship, respect and effort. At the end of the book, Leary gives Killebrew his title of King of the Ice. Killebrew and Leary have similar traits, but Killebrew was never exposed to the impurities and challenges that Leary had to face.

Several sentences from the book that appeal to me include the following: “The lake is wild today. White caps rumble everywhere, kissed by light. The clouds move like bumper cars at a fairground,” (Pg. 223). This quote appeals to me because it is very descriptive and reminds me of the lake my cottage is near on a stormy day. It also reminds me of going to the big dock to fish and swim in the waves.
Another sentence from the book is “I recall when the Patriots tied up the Stanley Cup finals with Toronto in one-nine two-five. Manny scored the tying goal, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and while the crowd went wild, Manfred stood there looking like he’d just s**t his drawers,” (Pg. 45). This quote appeals to me because this March in the RSGCBHL playoffs, my team, the Hitmen, won the first game. However, the Steamers had come back in game two and were leading 7-4. Somehow we managed to tie it up, and in a shootout, Geoff Martin scored the most ridiculous goal I’ve ever seen. That goal sent us to the championship game. This quote reminds me exactly of this situation, which is one I’ll never forget.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable to read. It was very funny in some parts, but others were very serious. There is a moderate level of foul language in the book and mature themes not recommended for younger readers. I recommend this novel to hockey lovers aged fifteen and above, who just can’t get enough NHL action. I give this novel three stars out of five.