Kessia Andersen
American Literature
Dr. Mulrooney

The Red Badge of Courage is a suspenseful novel, set during the American Civil War that follows the journey of a young soldier named Henry Fleming, and his psychological struggle over war, courage, and manhood. Often referred to by Crane as “the youth,” Henry finds himself drawn to the glory of battlefield conflict, the fairytale nobility of self sacrifice and the honor and reverence that seasoned soldiers are perceivably showered with. It is with all this in mind that he leaves his mother behind and enlists in the army. His hopes are high as he is sent off into battle with the local girls swooning over him, stroking his ego. Little does he know, the reality that awaits him is nothing so simple.
His noble send off is a false precursor of what actually lies in Henry’s future. For months, all his regiment does is sit around camp, waiting for action, occasionally migrating to a different location, but …show more content…
He conceived persons with torn bodies to be peculiarly happy. He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage.”
Trying to justify his cowardice, when he returns to camp Henry lies about his wound, claiming to have been grazed by a shell, but his comrades see through it, which only contributes to his mental turmoil. Furthermore, to add yet another dimension to Henry’s complex, philosophical scrutiny of man, he is unpleasantly aware that the men with red badges of courage, who he envies so greatly, are suffering nonetheless, and will most likely die. The question of whether or not it’s all worth it rises in his mind and continues to resonate in the theme throughout the book.
As time passes and Henry sees more and more battle, and more and more death, he becomes hardened. His internal struggles and his childish ways of talking himself out of shame never completely disappear, but certainly become overpowered by a sense of duty and