The Character Of Henry Fleming In The Red Badge Of Courage
In the novel, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, a young boy named Henry Fleming is forced to adapt to the hard reality of war. Throughout the book Henry, also called “The Youth,” readjusts his fairy-tail beliefs about battle. As Henry experiences the hardships of war, he begins to realize that his unrealistic views are quickly proven to be wrong. Although many people argue that throughout the novel, Henry turns into a hero by the end of the novel, scenes from the book show just the opposite. Signing up for the Union Army may seem like a brave decision, but in reality, he is doing it for the wrong reasons. Henry Fleming becomes very disappointed of war; he had far greater expectations. He never joined the army for the sole purpose of
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In fact, instead of admitting to being a coward, he tries to justify his actions by saying that we would have died. As pointed out by Elizabeth Blair in Henry Fleming, Reluctantly Wearing ‘The Red Badge,’ “Henry Fleming is quite a complex guy. He both pities and envies the other soldiers who stayed and fought. He feels guilty that he left them, but superior that he made the natural decision to save himself” (Blair 15). Fleming constantly lies to himself which makes him feel like he did the right thing, for example he considers himself smarter than the soldiers who stayed and fought, “A serious prophet upon predicting a flood should be the first man to climb a tree” (Crane 140). Soon after the victory, as Henry starts making his way back to the camp, he comes across one of the wounded soldiers who is referred to as the “tattered soldier”. While Henry walks along with the wounded regiment, he feels embarrassed that he doesn’t have his own “red badge of courage” (Crane 113). He does not wish for courage, solely for the appearance of it. After his good friend Jim Conklin die, Henry is full of grief and speechless. The death of Jim, also known as “the Tall Soldiers,” is a significant part of Henrys experience. Th death scene of Jim is one of the longest and most powerful scene in the novel because, “The best man dies unjustly” (Hollister 7). Michael Hollister also talks about Jims death in, Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage (1895) Analysis by Chapter when saying, “Jim has been called a “Christ figure” by critics who have cited as evidence: (1) his initials J.C.; (2) his identification with God by the tattered soldier; (3) the wound in his side; and (4) the image of the wafer, a reference to the sacrament of communion” (Hollister 7). Also, pointed out by Hollister, the tattered soldier refers to Jim as “God” but right after Jim dies, Henry looks
In fact, instead of admitting to being a coward, he tries to justify his actions by saying that we would have died. As pointed out by Elizabeth Blair in Henry Fleming, Reluctantly Wearing ‘The Red Badge,’ “Henry Fleming is quite a complex guy. He both pities and envies the other soldiers who stayed and fought. He feels guilty that he left them, but superior that he made the natural decision to save himself” (Blair 15). Fleming constantly lies to himself which makes him feel like he did the right thing, for example he considers himself smarter than the soldiers who stayed and fought, “A serious prophet upon predicting a flood should be the first man to climb a tree” (Crane 140). Soon after the victory, as Henry starts making his way back to the camp, he comes across one of the wounded soldiers who is referred to as the “tattered soldier”. While Henry walks along with the wounded regiment, he feels embarrassed that he doesn’t have his own “red badge of courage” (Crane 113). He does not wish for courage, solely for the appearance of it. After his good friend Jim Conklin die, Henry is full of grief and speechless. The death of Jim, also known as “the Tall Soldiers,” is a significant part of Henrys experience. Th death scene of Jim is one of the longest and most powerful scene in the novel because, “The best man dies unjustly” (Hollister 7). Michael Hollister also talks about Jims death in, Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage (1895) Analysis by Chapter when saying, “Jim has been called a “Christ figure” by critics who have cited as evidence: (1) his initials J.C.; (2) his identification with God by the tattered soldier; (3) the wound in his side; and (4) the image of the wafer, a reference to the sacrament of communion” (Hollister 7). Also, pointed out by Hollister, the tattered soldier refers to Jim as “God” but right after Jim dies, Henry looks