Henry Fleming’s View Of War In The Red Badge Of Courage
Stephen Crane’s novel The Red Badge of Courage features Henry Flemming as a young soldier. Henry believes that war is a place in which one can prove courage and be a hero. Henry’s perspective on war changes over the course of the novel. He is forced to confront the real horrors and experiences them. Henry eventually transforms from a coward to become a hero.
Henry is sitting at a camp, with his group, and a soldier walks in to tell him that the enemy was close. It was a false alert, but soon the regiment will be fighting. Henry flees the battle after being caught up in the middle. Henry encounters a squirrel as he is running through the forest. After the squirrel flees, Henry realized that fleeing was an instinct. Henry discovers that wounded soldiers use the trail to get out of battle while he is leaving the forest. Henry was approached by one wounded soldier who wanted to know where he was. Henry ran from the soldier to avoid embarrassment. Jim, a soldier friend, appears to be waiting for him. Henry discovers that Jim has been seriously wounded and he runs to hide his wounds from his friend. Henry then witnesses Jim die in the bushes. Henry saw war as an opportunity to be a hero and he began to see the horrific side of war that only war can show. Henry considers Jim’s wound a badge for courage. Henry leaves Jim to meet up with another friend, who he lies about his past. Henry’s evolution was obvious in his next battle. There he used machine movements to fire shot after shot. Henry stops shooting because a soldier tells him that his enemy is retreating. Henry refuses to believe that soldier is calling him a hero. Henry is busy preparing for battle. He is aware that not one of his troops is likely to survive. Henry was able carry the union flag during the battle, making him a target. However, he was proud to have it. Henry’s regiment defeated all odds and won the battle. Henry felt proud of his accomplishment after this victory. Henry saw that his approach and view of war had changed.
The Red Badge of Courage offers a fascinating insight into the mental conflicts faced by soldiers. Henry experienced many negative aspects of war. However, he also experienced many positive moments. This book offered a unique look at the civil conflict through the eyes of a soldier. This novel is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about civil wars and the life of soldiers who were involved. There were too many slang terms used in the dialogue among the characters, making it difficult to comprehend and difficult to read. This book shows how the environment of a person can affect their attitudes and views towards many things. The Red Badge of Courage is an excellent book, which is both boring and dull. The use of slang word may cause language conflict. The novel was enjoyable to me and I would highly recommend it.
