Corruption In The Red Badge Of Courage

In the novel, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, innocent, farm boy Henry Fleming, is so intrigued by the Civil War that he enlists in the Union army against the advice of his mother. Henry enters the unnamed battle enthusiastic; however, his mother’s warnings about the dangers and wildness of war prove true. Overwhelmed by the intimidating battle environment, he flees from the regiment, a cowardly decision that would haunt him throughout the novel. Henry tries to compensate for his poor decision by convincing others he was actually a resilient hero. Although his deceit fools the regiment, Henry constantly feels guilty and is paranoid the men will discover his true, cowardly self. Despite his earlier cowardice, Henry eventually becomes so overwhelmed with the nature of war that he converts his fear to anger and runs to the enemy with no fear. At this moment, Henry fully transitions to a man of war; courageous, resilient, proud, angry, and beast-like. Crane uses the motif of the regiment to show how war morally corrupts an individual through the use of

This term describes people who are oblivious to what society considers morally right versus wrong. This oblivion is caused by some factor in one’s environment or event in one’s life. This event or idea has the power to cause one to lose their sense of morality. Technology and youth are a very controversial topic in today’s society. Many believe that technology in the hands of young kids is dangerous because it exposes them to things kids their age should not yet be exposed to. The internet exposes kids to inappropriate content such as cursing and inappropriate jokes. Children tend to copy what they see. So, when kids watch Youtubers who curse, they will then start to curse. One could say that the Internet is to blame for this kid’s bad habit of cursing. Even more extreme, one could blame video games for a child’s violent