This book did many things for me and I probably would not write with the same kind of flowery and imagery heavy symbolism that I do were it not for this book. The main thing that drew me in, mainly because I had never seen it before, was the usages of images to create at once the feeling o the battle and how it impacted the character, and at the same time almost created an alternate world unto itself. This book came at a time in my early writing career when I first began to wonder what it was about some writing styles that I perferred over others. Before that, I mainly based if I liked a book or not on how much I generally enjoyed it. Now, I was actually trying to find out why and The Red Badge of Courage gave me the answer. From references to such things as imaginary nameless gods of battle and blood, to referencing ancient cities and twisting clouds of smoke into mountains and gunflare into thunderclaps, this story helped me to set the tone for my writing to come. At the same time, this also affected me in its intended way, it turned me from being like any other young boy who loves adventuring and seeing war as just one grand adventure, and through the main character and how I identified with his want to do something great, I saw the truth of how horrible war is. Ever since then, I have known that the military life is not the one I am meant for. I reccomend this book for anyone who enjoys deep symbolic imagery and has not yet read a book that takes you on a journey from civilian to the frontlines. In the end, this book is written to the a very simple truth, war and combat look great in from the distance of fantasies and daydreams, but in the real-world...they breed only pain and death.