In "An Episode of War," we meet a lieutenant who loses his arm during the war. Before his injury, the lieutenant is admired and valued by everyone around him. However, after he is injured, everyone feels contempt and disrespect for him.
The main message that the story conveys is that war, although often celebrated and glorified by people, can in fact be gruesome and cruel. Moreover, the story demonstrates how the war can deeply affect and scar the people involved in it.
“An Episode of War” is a beautiful piece written by Stephen Crane. The novel shows the dark side of the war and those soldiers who get hurt during war.
In short the "Tragedy of War" is the main message of the novel conveyed through the injured lieutenant!
It forces readers to "grapple" with their own mortality.
Explanation:
By exemplifying a sudden realization of the characters mortality, a sudden light coming your way, King tries to force the reader to grapple it's own mortality. To realize that in a moment nothing else could happen.
