ipl-logo

How Does Henry Fleming Change In The Red Badge Of Courage

707 Words3 Pages

The Evolution of the Mind of Henry Fleming
The Red Badge of Courage is a historical fiction novel written by Stephen Crane. It takes place during the American Civil War and follows the journey of Henry Fleming, a young man who has enlisted in the war on the side of the Union. Over the course of the story, Henry changes tremendously, starting as a reasonably sane, rather prideful, but also fearful youth, and ending with considerable damage to his psyche, significant blows to his ego, but still having gained some courage. However, the most notable change throughout the book concerns Henry’s sanity, or lack thereof; this is the transformation that will be explored, and Henry’s evolution throughout the novel will be revealed.
Henry starts out with …show more content…

“In the darkness he saw visions of a thousand-tongued fear that would babble at his back and cause him to flee, while others were going coolly about their country’s business. He admitted that he would not be able to cope with this monster. He felt that every nerve in his body would be an ear to hear the voices, while other men would remain stolid and deaf” (Crane 14). He is anxious restless, just waiting for his first skirmish. His thoughts are frantically running away, with him in tow and just barely hanging on. It doesn’t stop there, …show more content…

It’s not his first, but it’s the one in which he finally snaps. Crane expresses that, “Once [Henry], in his intent hate, was almost alone, and was firing, when all those near him had ceased. He was so engrossed in his occupation that he was not aware of a lull. / He was recalled by a hoarse laugh and a sentence that came to his ears in a voice of contempt and amazement. ‘Yeh infernal fool, don’t yeh know enough t’ quit when there ain’t anything t’ shoot at? Good Gawd!’” (72). At this point, Henry is shooting at air, purely for the sake of shooting. His mind has snapped as he attacks things that aren’t even there, and even his comrades are shocked and afraid of him. He himself is scared, hurt, has seen and created death; nevertheless, Henry can still find healing and

Show More
Related
1235 Words | 5 Pages

It is only once the reader sees that Owen’s dream came true and that he died a hero as he had predicted, that feeling of fear and pity are purged in the

Read More
426 Words | 2 Pages

The excerpt we read from Stephen Crane's novel The Red Badge of Courage and Yusef Komunyakaa's poem camouflaging the Chimera have some similarities and differences apart from them being decades apart. Some of the similarities and differences between the two works include themes, language, and genre. The themes of the works are very different because in Crane's piece the theme is about one young soldier who wants to be remembered after the civil war as war hero and eventually have a statue built in his honor. In Komunyakaa's piece the point of view of a whole group of soldiers.

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

At the beginning of the story, Henry is a naive young soldier who finds his worth in how others treat him. As he entered the army he “...basked in the smiles of the girls and was patted and complimented by old men, [and] he had felt growing within him the strength to do mighty deeds of arms” (6). Henry’s definition of bravery is strictly based on the praise he gets from others for his own actions. He has no sense of true courage or integrity that comes from within. After his first few battles,one in which he was forced to fight and the other in which he ran, Henry battles with his own internal demons.

Read More
568 Words | 3 Pages

Historical Analysis Red Badge of courage reflects the time it takes place because it takes place during the civil war. The teenage boy wants to go fight in the war, which was common back then, because it brings you great honor. The Battle of Chancellorsville resembles the first battle Henry takes part in. When Henry runs away and finds himself in a forest it resembles this battle because it took place in a forest as well. Some strategies also appear in the book like splitting into two attack parties instead of one large one.

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

But he was raising the gun again. She looked up, but there were no geese. She turned back and turned straight into the shot gun 's double barrel, inches from her face. 'No, Jack, don 't! '". (pg. 79)

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

Unable to bear the tattered man’s questioning and realizing his gun lesions are turning fatal, he abandons him to die alone in the woods. Continuing on, he stumbles upon a rotting soldier corpse that puts all the death he has witnessed into perspective. The body serves as a powerful reminder of exactly what’s at stake. This is where Crane establishes the switch in Henry’s mind: the vain belief that human life is a reputation unearned, and the realization that, regardless of your status, all human life meets the same

Read More
1029 Words | 5 Pages

Many books have been banned in the past including The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane. This novel follows a young man named Henry Fleming in his first battle of the Civil War. He internally clashes with the idea if he should stay and fight in the battle or if he should run away from the battlefield. Once the Confederates charged for a second time, Henry chose to run away from the battle which he soon regretted and he wished "he had a bloody bandage, a Red Badge of Courage"("Florida Officials Yield On Book Ban"). After he ran away from the battle he became obsessed with fighting in the war.

Read More
532 Words | 3 Pages

Henrys traumatic experience makes him incapable of further developing. Henry drives his brother out to “Red River” (Erdrich 44) and Lyman begins to believe his brother is back to normal. Henry jumps into the water very casually as if to cool off but his decision to end his is already thought out. He allows his boots to fill up with water which symbolizes purification and

Read More
648 Words | 3 Pages

Compare and Contrast- Soldier’s Heart and Red Badge of Courage Charlie and Henry are the main characters in the book Soldier’s Heart and Red Badge of Courage. Both Charlie and Henry, were very young war men, and struggled a lot during the war, both fought with the struggle of wanting to back out of the war, and having the fear of being killed. Many actions and words in Soldier’s Heart and Red Badge of Courage show that there are many differences. Soldier’s Heart and Red Badge of Courage have many differences. At the beginning of Soldier’s Heart, Charley was really excited to go off to war, He was excited for all the “fame” and attention he would be receiving from everyone around him.

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

Right after Henry had ran away and hid from bad because he was to scared of what was going on

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

Quien es?” again. Garrett drew his gun and fired at the voice, but the spark dazzled Garrett in the dark room, but Garrett moved to the other side and continued to fire. However, the first shot hit Henry and he collapsed and died.

Read More
398 Words | 2 Pages

“The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane undergoes many events, all of which emphasize deeply the author’s opinions. One key point the author wants to express is the behavior Henry Fleming, the protagonist, has when enlisting into the army. Henry Fleming was a normal teenager born during the Civil War, which used to do “masculine” things and had just one more step to accomplish. He wanted to enlist in the Union army and fight along them for their nation. Henry’s behavior is being very confident of himself, at first, at least.

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

After the funeral, the tone of depressing is shown when Henry was watering the shrubbery. When he was finished, the neighbors started to come out of their houses. While he is speaking to the neighbors, one of them told him that he looked like his father, he simply replied with yes, even though him and his father were never

Read More
538 Words | 3 Pages

The characters I will be discussing in this book are Henry Fleming, Wilson, and Jim Conklin. The Red Badge of Courage is centered around a young man named Henry Fleming who decides at a young age to enlist in the military. Henry later discovers different sides of himself that he didn’t know even existed. Henry is burdened with the feeling of fear that he has and goes to other soldiers and tries to get them to admit that they are fearful as well.

Read More
894 Words | 4 Pages

Henry stood up for himself, humiliating Chaz and his cronies. In this moment Henry learned that he can conquer his biggest bullies and that words can’t knock him down. Chaz calls henry a “Jap lover” (99) because Henry looks like he is Japanese and has befriended a Japanese girl. Henry decides that he has had enough

Read More

More about How Does Henry Fleming Change In The Red Badge Of Courage

Related Topics

Open Document