Examples Of Henry In The Red Badge Of Courage

Define being brave; it means to endure or face unpleasant conditions without showing fear. Being a coward is defined as being a person who lacks the courage to do or face unpleasant things. These are not opposites. Since The Red Badge of Courage has been published in 1895, by Stephen Crane, it as been highly debated whether Henry should be defined as a hero or as a coward. It is perceived by the reader that Henry can be idealistic, self-absorbed, childish, and even confident or brave at times. Henry may be the protagonist of the book, but he is still no hero. The definition of a coward may have a different connotation for different people. Henry is capable of fitting into the majority of these definitions through his actions and other elements. Through narrative elements Stephen Crane reveals Henry's lucid immaturity. Interactions with other characters

These allow the author to show the reader these things, instead of directly telling them. One of the first nights of the war, he is pacing and thinking to himself, “There was a more serious problem… He tried to mathematically prove to himself that he would not run from a battle… It had suddenly appeared to him that perhaps in a battle he might run”(Crane 12). Crane uses the narrative element of inner thoughts to expose Henry’s lack of self-confidence, at the majority of times. Henry does possess moments of bravery, but that does not make him a brave person. As he begins to think he starts to tell himself, “As he perceived this fact it occurred to him that he had never wished to come to the war… He had been dragged by the merciless government”(Crane 31). In the beginning of the book, he enlisted by himself and told his mother he wanted to and becomes a brave hero. In this he is being very naive and not taking responsibility for the choice he made and the consequences that come with this