Adolescence in Red Badge of Co

A detailed Summary of Adolescence in Red Badge of Co

As one grows older and has new experiences, change and wisdom are often garnished. In the novel Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, Henry is a young man who lives with his mother during the time of the civil war. Henry enters the war enthusiastic and confident that his typical romantic view of battle will hold true. This view is soon shattered as Henry gets his first glimpses of battle, and he sees what true fear is, and the courage that is needed to overcome it. War accelerates mental growth and maturity, as is shown by Henry's triumph over his anxiety. In the novel courage is shown to be a mental state that one must achieve rather than an instinct.

As Henry's story begins, he is full of self-confidence and glorious visions of a war. He assumes that he will fight, win and live to tell long exaggerated stories about it. Henry does not consider, however, either the cause he is fighting for or the possibility of the existence of cowardice. As Henry comes to terms with the reality of the battles he will soon be fighting, for the first time, it strikes him that p

After Henry returns to his regiment, he displays that he is still very immature. He tells Wilson that he was wounded and became lost, not that a retreating fellow soldier hit him over the head, which is the truth. Henry soon returns to battle with his regiment however, and gains an incredible love for the flag, "It was a goddess, radiant...a woman... that called him with the voice of his hopes" (134). As Henry ran with the color guard, the guard was shot and Henry "made a spring and a clutch at the pole" (135). This is a major step in Henry's Growth. Even after seeing the previous color guard killed, he took control of the flag. Henry had let his fear go and was able to risk his life for his cause. Henry was finally fighting for a cause, even though his cause was personal, and not merely for the prestige of fighting. Similarly, Wilson matures from the man at the beginning of the war, who gave Henry a package because he expected to die, to a more confident man. Crane shows that battle matured not only these individuals but also all types of people by changing the gener

Some common words found in the essay are:
Crane Henry, Similarly Wilson, Henry's Growth, , color guard, hit head, war henry,

Approximate Word count = 735
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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