What Does Henry Fleming Symbolize In The Red Badge Of Courage

A war hero a the a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Also a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. In The Red Badge of Courage, many people claim the main character, Henry Fleming, to be a war hero. Henry was a teenage boy who joined the army do to finding a piece of propaganda posted. While he was at war/ in battle he lost all courage and ran from war, he ended up coming back and saw his “best friend” Jim died in front of him. Through the death of Jim, Henry gained his courage back and took charge in the next battle, winning it. Although many people claim that Henry in The Red Badge of Courage, was

Even before any battle had even taken place Henry doubted himself and his own courage, whether or not he would be brave enough not to run. " It had suddenly appeared to him that perhaps in a battle he might run. He was forced to admit that as far as war was considered he knew nothing of himself." (Crane) in this quote it shows that Henry did not have faith in himself that he could do it. Showing his lack of Courage and foreshadowing what would happen in the future. Later on in this novel Henry ends up running from Battle."He, too, threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face. He ran like a rabbit." (Crane, 37) " He had fled, he told himself, because annihilation approach." (Crane) in this quote Henry is making excuses for why he ran from war, rather than facing up to what he had done and fixing the problem, he just made excuses. Later Henry return to battle, to find out that it was already over. On the way back Henry saw Jim and Jim ended up dying right in front of him. Heroes may be scared and have a fear but true heroes don't run from their fears they face

But these tasks we're not to help others. He performed these for himself. We're heroes perform tasks to help others. In The Red Badge of Courage Henry was jealous of those who were wounded in battle due to their courageous Deeds. Throughout the entire novel he was trying to gain one of his own but was not brave enough to gain one. "It was perhaps that they dreaded to be killed in insignificant ways after the times for proper military deaths had passed. Or, perhaps, they thought it would be too ironical to get killed at the portals of safety." (Crane, 101) At the end of the novel Henry takes charge and leads the other soldiers through the battle and ends up winning the battle. (Crane) Taking charge does not create a man to be a