The Red Badge Of Courage Analysis

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane is celebrated as a generally accurate depiction of the American Civil War. Putting you into the consciousnesses of young and slightly immature Henry Fleming, this book explores both the Battle of Chancellorsville and the psyche of an inexperienced soldier. Only after you read this highly acclaimed novel, do you realize that the situation that Fleming finds himself in is highly unorthodox and how he handles it is even more unpredictable. This “chapter of the American Civil War” is improbable in the highest form and, based upon the decisions that Henry makes, unbelievable. Firstly, Henry is unconventional in his philosophy and logistical reasoning. Staged in Fleming's head, this book is about

Mistakenly, Henry thinks that courage and honor is something that he feels, like an emotion, rather than them being a virtue. When a person obtains a virtue, they carry the attributes of the virtue inside of them, it is not something that they simply feel for a moment and then discards casually. Young Henry proves himself to be cowardly, as revealed by his fleeing the battlefront. Again, in the last stand Henry fights without trepidation, making his superiors look on him with reverence, which is an honor bestowed upon him. Rather than run away again, Henry leads the attack, despite his own safety, making him courageous in the face of danger. However, these changes only happen in the final chapters of the narrative and it is unbelievable that a naive, cowardly, and bombastic soldier would become heroic, honorable, and courageous in a few hours. The change in character is highly

Henry flees the battle, faster and farther than any other deserter, even when there was minimal to no danger at that time. While fleeing, another officer, superior to Henry, commanded him to come back to the fight, which Fleming ignored. Subsequently, Henry thought that this officer was more brute than man, for being someone who keeps men in a place they do not want to be. After Henry wanders the field where the battle is being held, he joins his comrades to sleep for the night. This turn of events does not follow rational judgment if you think about Henry's cowardly character. If he had stayed in the back in the field, near where the injured soldiers slept and were treated, continuing to pose as an injured soldier, then he would not be pressed into fighting the next day, hence keeping his precious life out of peril. This scenario, going back to the place where the fighting is occurring, does not follow the logical line of reasoning that Henry should uphold in his quest for