Collins Acts Of Heroism

Stephen Crane is able to show that the acts of heroism is not based on actions but by motivation simply by showing the intentions of Collins. For instance, Collins’s comrades are laughing at Collins for being too scared to go fetch the water because it is across the firefight; as a result, Collins damns them and says that he will as a form of threat to his comrades. Collins wants to go retrieve the water just so that he can show his comrades that he has the courage to do so; consequently, Collins is merely thinking about showing his comrades that he will do it rather than doing it out of sheer compassion. Collins did agree in the end to go get water for everyone, however, his reasoning of doing so does not correlate with the essence of courage, which is the bravery of putting themselves on the line for the sake of others because he is acquiring the water just to prove his peers wrong.

When the captain responded by telling Collins that it is a risky trip, Collins was uncomfortable in his answer of saying that he will go nonetheless. The conversation was able to manifest the true intentions of Collins, a true hero with the essence of courage would be undaunted by the danger and will want to help for the sake of others. However, Collins was timid about his answer and was uncomfortable with his own response to his captain, showing that he does not actually want to get the water for his comrades because he was indecisive to his answer to the captain. Overall, Crane was able indicate the theme of the story by showing the true reasoning of his actions primarily through his conversations with his comrades and his