The Red Badge of Courage

Luke Blaylock

Theme

As the title states, one of the main themes in the book is courage. During the course of the book, Henry’s idea on the meaning of courage varies from when he performs well in his first fight, to when he leaves the abandoned soldier. The real definition of courage shines through in the final stages of the book when Henry strides in victoriously from the battle. Courage can be determined by if person stands up for his fears, or if he stands up for what he believes in, even when facing adversity. One of the hardest lessons for Henry to understand is the theme of the universe’s disregard for human life. He acknowledged this after he encounters the squirrel in the woods when he meets a dead soldier. His rotting body shows how life will continue on regardless of the way in which men live and die. “The men dropped here and there like bundles. The captain of the youth’s company had been killed in an early part of the action. His body lay stretched out in the position of a tired man resting, but upon his face there was an astonished and sorrowful look, as if he thought some friend had done him an ill turn.” This works perfectly for this theme because it illustrates the reality of war, and how life continues no matter if these men had lived or died.

Setting

The setting for this novel was during the Civil War. The Union camp where Henry is recruited is described to have a nearby river. The weather seems to be pleasant and from the author’s description, never seemed to have bad weather. The majority of the book is taken place on a bloody, gory, and dirty battlefield, with men of all ages and backgrounds falling to the ground. This is important to the story because it plays a large part in Henry regaining his pride and becoming a hero. If he could survive this setting it would really bring back his courage as well. Very few people have to survive through this gruesome setting and many other people would not survive. Although many men died on this field, this is the place where Henry Fleming would overcome his selfishness and earn his courage, proving to him that he is a true hero.

Character Sketch

Henry Fleming is the most important figure in the book and he described by the author as the young soldier. The author emphasizes Henry’s age to make sure the readers understand that he is one the youngest soldiers, and is fighting with many seasoned veteran soldiers. Henry spends much of his time dreaming of have all the glory and fame in battle; he almost comes off as selfish. Most soldiers in the war are fighting for their country and for self pride but Henry is different, he only cares about his own reputation after battle. One time he is in a battle, and instead of being selfish, he is inspired by the comradery, and the sense of family between the soldiers, in the midst of all of this selflessness, he becomes a great fighter. Throughout the book, Henry matures the most of all the characters example of that is at the beginning he dreams and fantasizes of becoming a hero; in end he earns his right to be remembered as a hero.