The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage inspired me.

In the beginning, Henry Fleming enters the army with strong romantic feelings about war. After experiencing the realities of army life, he becomes plagued by doubts and fears.

Henry wakes from a brief nap to find that the enemy is again charging his regiment. Terror overtakes him this time and he leaps up and flees the line. As he runs across the field, he tells himself that he made the right decision, that his regiment could not have won, and that the men who remained to fight were fools.

Later on, Henry passes a group of wounded soldiers. He is deeply envious of these men, thinking that their wounds are like “a red badge of courage". He meets a tattered man who has been shot twice and who speaks proudly of the fact that his regiment did not flee. He repeatedly asks Henry where he is wounded, which makes Henry deeply uncomfortable because he has no wounds to show.

After Henry is hit over the head during his flight from the front he is able to clarify his understanding of his role of what it means to be a soldier. He overcomes his fears and quilt to become one of the fiercest, most aggressive soldiers in the regiment. He accepts duty by showing the confidence and courage required to be a soldier.

Next, a good theme for The Red Badge of Courage would be never to give up. Henry was afraid of the war ,but later on he realized he could make a difference and he over came his fears.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is trying to over a fear or hardship in life.