An Episode of War Summary | Stephen Crane | Major English Class 12

Neb English Support Class 12

An Episode of War Summary | Stephen Crane | Major English Class 12

An Episode of War by Stephen Crane

MAIN SUMMARY 

An Episode of War by Stephen Crane

This short story, “An Episode of War,” by Stephen Crane presents the bitter experience of the war by a wounded lieutenant. This story shows that war isn’t good for any people or nation. This story centres on a wounded lieutenant and his experiences at the war front, barracks, and hospital after being shot out by an unknown shooter from the jungle side.

The main character's lieutenant was distributing coffee to his fellow soldiers with his sword. There were corporals and other soldiers in a line. In the meantime, the lieutenant cried out. A bullet hit him on the right arm. There was excessive bleeding from his arm. All the soldiers cried out all of a sudden. They took their position and aimed their guns towards the jungle side, from where the smoke of gunfire was coming out. The lieutenant stepped back, staggering. Due to pain, the lieutenant was unable to put his sword back in the scabbard. He felt strange when he looked at his sword. The panicked mind of the lieutenant became perplexed. His breathing grew faster. One of the soldiers helped him put his sword back in his scabbard. That soldier had respect for the lieutenant, but he felt afraid to touch the lieutenant carelessly. The lieutenant refused help from the next soldier. The lieutenant himself behaved in a very different way. He felt as if he were an incurable patient due to the destructive war. His hatred for war is seen within him. He left that group of soldiers and moved ahead towards the army barrack hospital. The lieutenant experienced many things on the way to the hospital that he hadn’t known before. While walking, he saw a general on his horse riding and a person providing paper. That seemed like a historical painting. Soldiers were following him along the way. The horses were jumping. The lieutenant stopped at once and looked around. He saw varieties of things ahead, such as jumping horses, the cries of the riders, the roars of the wheels, and shining guns. The lieutenant paused himself and looked intently. The firing sound of guns could easily be heard on the jungle side during that time.

The lieutenant met many people who knew about the battle, though they hadn’t taken part in it. He saw a brigade who was busy making his coffee. One of the officers rebuked him after seeing his wound. He tore the lieutenant’s sleeve and made his arm bare. He talked with the lieutenant, placing himself as if he were wounded.

The lieutenant moved ahead towards the hospital. He saw two ambulances stuck in the mud. He heard the cries of the wounded people. He even saw a line of bandaged people coming and going from the hospital. He saw a number of people busy under a tree nursing their wounds. He met a man smoking, who told the lieutenant that he was going to die.

Finally, the lieutenant reached the hospital. The surgeon at the hospital greeted him in a very friendly way. But when the surgeon saw the wounded hand of the lieutenant, he started hating him. His soft tone turned harsh. The lieutenant felt degraded due to that wound. The surgeon untied the wound on the lieutenant in a very contemptuous way. The behaviour of the surgeon changed towards the lieutenant. He supposed the lieutenant to be a criminal.

The lieutenant asked the doctor whether his arm had to be amputated. The surgeon became angry with him. He blamed the lieutenant for showing childish behaviour. When the lieutenant came out of the hospital armless, he felt the world was quite different. The door of the school seemed to be the door of death to him.

After treatment, when he returned home, his mother, wife, and sisters cried in tears to see his armless body. Tears rolled down his eyes. He told his family members that his hand wasn't as important as his life.

IMPORTANT QUESTION 

1. Describe the grim, inhuman picture of war presented in "An Episode of War".

Answer:

In the story "The Episode of War, there is very clear exposition. The lieutenant distributes the coffee equally to the corporals and other soldiers. Then suddenly, he is shot at his arm by an unseen enemy from the bush. In

In the middle of the plot, the lieutenant does different things. He staggers and looks at the bush. He holds the sword with his left hand. The other soldiers try to help him put the sword back into the scabbard, but he doesn't let them touch him and leaves the group. On the way to the field hospital, he sees many strange things. A general on the horse, a group of soldiers behind him, the cries of the horse riders, the roar of the wheels, the shining guns, a brigade making coffee, two ambulances stuck in the mud, etc. are some of the scenes that he passes by. Some officers and even the doctor treat him as a criminal for his wound. The theme of the story is that it presents a grim (cruel) inhuman picture of war not only on the battlefield but also in the barracks and the hospital. The story moves to the climax when the lieutenant loses his right arm. When he goes back home, he is hated, even by his own family. Finally, he says, "I don't suppose it matters so much as all that." The resolution is satirical. The lieutenant mocks the glory of war. As a whole, this story is good fiction because it presents the horrible aspects and sad scenes of war.

 

A very real or life-like picture of war is presented through many details about the life of the lieutenant. The powerful and lively description conveys to us such an impression that we feel we are involved in the actions and events. We feel as if we visualise the activities with our own eyes. A miserable figure stands in front of us. This is a lieutenant who is scolded, neglected, and hated for his wound. The officers scold him in such a way that he doesn't know how he got wounded. His friends hesitate to touch him after he is shot in the right arm. On the way to the field hospital, he gains a very strange experience about the war, its cruelty, the suffering of the soldiers, the tragic scene of the warfront, and the contempt of the officers and the doctors. When the doctor knows that he is wounded, he begins to hate him. His right arm is amputated (cut off). When he loses his arm, his family is shocked. For them, the arm matters more than other things. In this way, the story has become successful in presenting a concrete and realistic picture of the warfront and the warriors through the description.

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