What figurative language does Stephen Crane use in The Red Badge of Courage?
Stephen Crane consistently uses figurative language to create images that vividly describe all aspects of war in The Red Badge of Courage. The passage, "The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fog revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting," is an example of personification. The cold, the fog, and the army are described as persons with specific behaviors, feelings, and needs.
Personification is a type of figurative language that applies human characteristics to nonhuman entities. In The Red Badge of Courage, Crane also uses personification to create a personality for the combatants, both collectively and individually. The clauses, "brigades grinned" and "regiments laughed," are good examples.
Crane uses both personification and simile in the line, "The cannon with their noses poked slantingly at the ground grunted and grumbled like stout men, brave but with objections to hurry." This line makes the weapons appear to be living creatures. The use of personification in the line, "The sore joints of the regiment creaked as it painfully floundered into position," turns the regiment into one large, tired soldier.