Irony in the Red Badge of Courage

Henry’s internal struggle is his view of courage. Henry believes courage is something a person earns and achieves. He never experienced war, but has dreamt and, “He had imagined peoples secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess. But awake he had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past. He had put them as things of the bygone with his thought-images of heavy crowns and high castles.” (Crane 3) Henry wants to go to war to become a hero. He thinks that he has courage and could go to war and get all the glory. Henry runs from battle and has guilt, he comes up with excuses, he is a piece of the army and should save himself. When Henry comes back to the battlefield, he sees wounded soldiers and, “At times he regarded the

As previously discussed, Henry must make adjustments to his dreams as events pertinent to his life manipulate his goals. Henry never seemingly has the exact same life goal at any one point in the book, as he changes his mind from being a courageous soldier, to earning a red badge of courage, and so on. However, Henry never loses his ambition to continue and persevere through the hardships from his sacrifices. He subconsciously understands he will eventually achieve what he is looking for; he realizes it will take time and guidance from the realities of his life. Henry’s approach to life eventually allows him to achieve his dreams. “So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed. He came from hot plowshares to prospects of clover tranquilly, and it was as if hot plowshares were not. Scars faded as flowers” (Crane 130). This quote emphasizes the result of Henry’s life as he leaves his previous forfeits behind in order to finally obtain his goal inspiring happiness, which emphasizes the novel’s overall

In the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane the main character Henry (the youth) is portrayed as a prideful and a coward character. In the beginning of the book his mom constantly tries to persuade him not going to war. He was told by his mother many times that he was not ready physically and mentally to go out into battle. She warns him that he should not try to be the Rambo and you don't always have to be the hero. Although Henry disobeys his mom's tips in war such as, avoid being too prideful in any situation, refrain from being a coward, and sometimes you don't always have to be the hero; but seems to disobey her thoughts.

Henry sacrificed his romantic ideas of war to become a good soldier. When Henry enlists, he imagines glorious battles and being a war hero. “His busy mind had drawn for him large pictures extravagant in color, lurid with breathless deeds.” (p. 4) However, in his first battle, war isn't the noble act he envisioned. He watches numerous people he knows die horrible deaths and runs away out of fear. “On his face was the horror of those things which he imagined...He ran like a blind man.”(p. 46) The scenes that he witnesses are so horrific, that it leads to him being unable to focus on anything, even running from those sites. After running, Henry realizes that he isn't going to be a war hero. It is this realization that allows Henry to become a good soldier. In his next battle, Henry forgets about himself and fights as a part of a group. “He suddenly lost concern for himself...He was welded into a common personality that was dominated by a single desire.”(p. 38) He becomes such a good soldier that his commander tells him “‘...if I had ten thousand wild cats like you I could tear the stomach outa this war in less’n a week!’”(p. 111). Sacrificing the idea that he is going to be a war hero is what allows Henry to become

Henry wants to be the hero but he doesn’t think the war is really coming.He thinks that join the army has proved his bravery already,sometimes the people makes him think he is a hero now.He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life--of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire. In visions he had seen himself in many struggles. He had imagined peoples secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess,…but it, he thought, had been long gone over the horizon and had disappeared forever(chapter

The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane: 1. Significant of the book’s title The author chose the title “ The Red badge of Courage” because every soldier who got injured in a battle they would be giving a red badge and Henry the main character wishes to have a red badge to show his courage to everyone. He believes that he would return home as a hero or not return at all. He struggle through his journey in the battle to achieve or accomplish his goal of earning the red badge.

1) Cranes approach in his novel “The Red Badge of Courage” is quite different from any other readings about war at the time. Whereas the general ideas from those novels was that war is a thing of courage, and beauty, the grim reality is that it’s a brutal, terrifying scene. And Crane approached it from the perspective of a lone individual, diving into his mind as the war unfolded in front of him. This led to a literature work that few of the times had ever experienced.

Red Badge of Courage The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is a war novel about the meaning of courage, taking place during the American Civil War. This novel is told through the eyes of Henry Fleming, a young Union Army recruit. Henry enlisted in the Union Army with romantic notions about the glories of war, but shortly after enlisting he quickly discovers sides of himself he never knew existed. The novel shows the transition of Henry Fleming, from a naïve young boy, to a new role as a man and a hero.

In the novel The Red Badge of Courage written by Stephen Crane was a story about the Civil war and a young man named Henry Fleming experiences during the war and how he grows. The theme coming of age is shown by Henry’s Innocence, Maturity, and Chaos. His experiences throughout the novel changes his view of war greatly. Henry’s innocence is a great example of his coming of age.

Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage portrays war through the youth Henry fleming’s conception. In the beginning of the novel, war is romanticized by Henry; he is enchanted by the idea that war produces heroes. However when Henry does finally fight in a battle, the romanticized idea of war is destroyed. Although Henry seems to grow up in some parts in the novel, there are parts that show he still is a child with superficial and shallow desires and ideas involving war. Henry shows his ignorance and naivness in some scenes, but then he shows his progression into adulthood and acquiring of courageousness in other scenes.

(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

There are struggles that all humans go through. Even though there are certain difficulties some will never experience, like pregnancy, the whole world has and will continue to have troubles. From stubbing a toe, to being diagnosed with cancer, every person in all of history has undergone adversity. Even though some people may have troubles bigger than others, everyone has troubles. Since struggles are undeniably something everyone goes through, it is important on how one approaches troubles. In the end, how people react to adversity is what separates a champion and a failure. In the book, The Red Badge of Courage, the author, Stephen Crane, shows through the story of Henry’s adversity, that the differences between winners

Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane is a brutally powerful book about the American Civil War that took place in the 1860s. This historical fiction displays every aspect of the Civil War through a youth’s perspective. The novel’s protagonist, Henry Fleming, is a young soldier fighting for the Union army in the American Civil War. As the novel proceeds, Henry comes across hard truths and experiences the real reality of the war. By the end of the novel, Henry learns to be courageous and achieves adulthood.

He probably would have fled the first battle if he was able to. His fight against his own courage is being lost. He is currently unable to be a man and stand his ground, although he later redeems himself. Henry saw the opportunity to save his own life an abandon his falling comrades. He should have stayed and fought to the death with his fellow soldiers at his side. As he ran he began to feel guilty and recognized himself as a coward. He is ashamed and tries to make himself feel better by believing fleeing was a way for saving himself for another battle. He runs into the tattered soldier who asks Henry where he has been wounded. The soldier also speaks proudly about how his regiment didn’t flee. Henry feels uncomfortable and ashamed so he continues to

Henry's fears take over, and his only way to achieve his self comfort again is to run away from the battle. Henry uses the forest to calm himself. The forest is where he begins to overcome his selfish ways, he reflects back on the battle and the men, and starts to believe that he can be of help to one or more of the men in the regiment. Henry eventually wins over the fear and joins with another regiment to fight against the rebels.