How Does Henry Change In The Red Badge Of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage is delivered through Stephen Crane portraying the young Henry, a naive soldier faced with the hardships of war. He seeks courage and constant validation from not only others but from himself and in the midst of war, he wonders if he’ll flee in the face of fear or if he’ll stay and fight, however, as the story develops the readers discover that he takes on both roles. Henry is obsessed with gaining honor and obtaining validation from others, he constantly chases after the display of courage from the beginning to the end of the book, however, as he matures his view on war changes.

I found henry’s lack of heroism and weak mind interesting, as many argue that he changed; not only in maturity, but in his persona and ways of thinking as well. However, I disagree. I believe he continued to act as a naive young man whose fear of death, validation, and rejection from his peers motivated his desire to survive. Henry nearly acts as a child as he is disappointed at the sight of war, expecting more than what meets the eye while seeking constant glory. Henry flees in the sight of danger after spotting other soldiers run as well while leaving his wounded friends behind at the very sight of death, justifying his weak sense of moral character
He may have been referred to as a veteran soldier at the end of the novel, however, that does not mean he deserves to be known for any source of courage. Henry may have fought with such rage during battles, but it was lead by the simple sense of fear of death that drove his every action in which was blinded by pure rage. I believe that this rage that he became filled with in battle was caused by his fear of death, it wasn’t lead by the love for his country nor the desire to fight for his reasoning to go to war. He was fighting for the right to live, not for the glory that he so desperately