Near
the threshold he stopped, horror-stricken at the sight of a thing.
He
was being looked at by a dead man who was seated with his back
against a column like tree. The corpse was dressed in a uniform that
had once been blue, but was now faded to a melancholy shade of green.
The eyes, staring at the youth, had changed to the dull hue to be
seen on the side of a dead fish. The mouth was open. Its red had
changed to an appalling yellow. Over the gray skin of the face ran
little ants. One was trundling some sort of bundle along the upper
lip.
The
youth gave a shriek as he confronted the thing. He was for moments
turned to stone before it. He remained staring into the
liquid-looking eyes. The dead man and the living man exchanged a long
look.
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Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, ch. 7 page 101
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(Applause) Stephen Crane did a fabulous job at describing this moment. He creates uncomfortable, disturbing feelings in his readers. His description does not go on for too long, and he has the talent of not making it boring. He has captivated and engaged his reader. His words are very easy to picture and flow very smoothly. Despite its disgusting topic, I like this passage. It is very realistic. It really gives the reader an idea of what Henry would be thinking at that moment. My favorite part is, 'The dead man and the living man exchanged a long look.' It makes it sound as though the dead man were partly alive, or at least able to come back to life. If I was in that situation, I would not want to take my eyes off of the dead man for fear he would move even though it was very apparent he was dead. It is nice to have the main character thinking the same thoughts as you are. Stephan Crane is a skilled writer, and I enjoy his work.
~Alayna~
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