Henry Fleming's The Red Badge Of Courage

Henry’s confidence does not last for a long time. The realities of the battle become a reality and cause his fear and doubt to reappear. Henry goes from being happy because he was able to fight the enemy in the first battle to being anxious at the beginning of a second

Terrified, he runs from the scene, following the other soldiers who also lacked these traits. Henry views his regiment as “the subtle battle brotherhood more potent even than the cause for which they were fighting. It was a mysterious fraternity born of the smoke and danger of death”, meaning that he only fights because he’s surrounded by fighters. Henry is not showing courage or bravery in battle, he is just blindly following the other soldiers.

First, one should focus on the language and Henry's ethos. The soldiers are burdened with the thought of a

Henry hated to be ridiculed so badly that he abandoned the poor man who only showed care and concern for Henry. A hero doesn't abandon a fellow soldier in desperate need of help. Henry tries to reassure his confidence by asking other soldiers how they would respond to battle. Jim Conklin honestly said that it depended on the circumstances, "but if everyone was a standing and a fighting, why, I'd stand and fight."(Crane Ch.1) When he asked Wilson, Wilson dismissed the notion of running from battle. Henry was trying to look for someone to relate to, but as a result of questioning his fellow soldiers he further isolated his insecurities of battle.

War can force young soldiers to grow up quickly. In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is no exception. He enters the war with romanticized ideas of what war is like, and leaves with those ideas very much changed.

War changes people in many ways, especially the lives of the soldiers in the army. The changes that the soldiers go through are told in many novels, such as The Red Badge of Courage. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a coming-of-age novel because Henry Fleming changes from an immature adolescent to a mature man by the end of the novel.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a novel about Henry Fleming, a young man who is thirsty for the glorious battles that occur during war. The primary conflict that develops within the novel is how Henry was frightened by war even though he had long coveted it. Throughout the novel Henry is trying to find the bravery, valiantness, fearlessness, and gallantry to fight with his regiment for his country. By the end of the novel Henry learns that this thing of war he had longed for for so long was not as satisfying as peace. The theme of The Red Badge of Courage is that war is not something one should look forward to, but something one should dread.

Stephen Cranes Novel “The Red Badge of Courage” is an exceptional peace of literature that tells about a Union solider in the 304th that finds his courage to fight. This story of cowardice and valor was published in full during the fall of 1895. Crane focuses on the main character’s lack of courage that transitions to courage that radiates. Crane rights a compelling piece that presents four central themes to the reader, that develop the main character and stick to the paradigms of the Civil War era.

Written by Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage is a novel filled with irony. This story is written in the point of view of the main character, Henry Fleming, and tells about his maturation through the war. Including the title, from the beginning to the end of the book there is irony present. The use of irony by Crane helps create a lot of discussion for critics. Henry’s internal debate is a main source of irony in this novel. Also, his fantasy of how he thought war was going to be and how it turned out is ironic.

(TRBOC, Theme. Lesson 1, p.3). Courage would signify he was willing and ready to fight and that he had something to prove so to speak, whether to his family, his friends or even those individuals in his neighborhood back home. He was going to fight in a war, something only the strongest, bravest most confident men could do. Henry’s energies levels were high so feelings of invincibility were probably circulating in his mind as he roll-played in his mind what might happen on the battlefield. He dreamed of being honored as a war hero when returning home and the level of respect he would earn from those around him was incalculable. He would take charge on the battlefield and earn respect from his fellow soldiers. He would develop meaningful relationships with them and they would look out for each other. This was evident by the strong bond he formed with Jim and Wilson (TRBOC, Lesson 3. Pgs. 2-4). They would work as a unified team to drive the enemy to

“His companions seemed ever to play intolerable parts. They were ever upraising the ghost of shame on the stick of their curiosity.” (Crane 45) This adds to Henry’s internal battle with himself because he is surrounded by other soldiers that have earned their red badges of courage. Thus, Henry is surrounded by constant reminders that he ran in which constantly brings up the shame and guilt he

The author was able to solve the conflict by presenting the main character in a big battle scene where Henry was required to make a decision; Henry was able to express himself by fighting and ignoring his fears while deciding to face the battle like a wild soldier. The big battle was a turning point in Henry’s transformation. In this act, the author was able to exemplify Henry’s strong will on overcoming his survival instinct; his survival instinct used to cause him a conflict with his maleness. The author was able to solve the conflict properly by ending it with presenting Henry as the flag bearer and finally became the soldier that can be called “hero”; the author presented at the end Henry in a

War forces young soldiers to grow up quickly. In Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is no exception. He is faced with the hard reality of war and this forces him to readjust his romantic beliefs about war. Through the novel, the reader can trace the growth and development of Henry through these four stages: (1) romanticizing war and the heroic role each soldier plays, (2) facing the realities of war, (3) lying to himself to maintain his self-importance, and (4) realistic awareness of his abilities and place in life. Through Henry’s experiences in his path to self-discovery, he is strongly affected by events that help shape his ideology of war, death,

Henry, or “The Youth” as Crane calls him, goes through a psychological transformation from a naive, cowardly individual to a mature, brave soldier. The challenges he faces in war help mold him into his future-self, a national hero. The story begins with Henry dreaming of becoming a hero like the Greek gods and enlists in the army thinking of it as an easy way of turning into a hero. From the first time the thought of enlisting in the army lingered in Henry’s head, his mother was against it knowing he was not fitt for warfare, but Henry never took heave of his mother's advice.

In the first battle, the Youth's greatest fear comes true. At the first charge from the enemy, his regiment becomes scattered and disorganized (Gibson, 72). Henry follows the lead of his comrades, throws down his rifle and runs (Breslin, 4). Egoistically as usual, Henry's first concerns are for himself. Will he ever be reunited with his regiment (Hungerford, 161)? Will his cowardice be discovered (Hungerford, 162)? Henry becomes obsessed by fear and feels the need to be occupied (Weisberger, 2). In a desperate ploy for protection, Henry joins a procession of the wounded (Crane, 58). This only makes matters worse for Henry in many ways. The injured, suffering men only make Henry feel even