The Character Of Henry Fleming In The Red Badge Of Courage

Involved hundreds of thousands of men, the Civil War, obliviously, is not a table game or something interesting. Stephen Crane, in the Red Badge of Courage, portrays experience of a young boy who joins army during the Civil War. The main character, Henry Fleming, who begins with romantic visions about battles, is later plagued with doubts and fears. At the beginning, Henry feels good about either the war or himself. The romantic books he read make him review himself like a Greek-like hero, and he regards the war as glorious due to the propaganda on newspapers and the village’s opinion. As stated, “[the] newspapers, the gossip of the village, his own picturings, [have] arouse him to an uncheckable degree” (Crane 193). Although his mother discourages
him strongly, he decides to enlist no matter what. Exactly like what he expected, he starts to be admired everywhere on he enlists. In the seminary, his schoolmates have “thronged about him with wonder”; at stations, girls’ smiles and men’s encourages soar his spirit gradually; and on his way to Washington, Henry “[has] felt growing within him the strength to do mighty deeds of arms” (195-196). Unfortunately, the reality doesn’t fit Henry’s imagination at all, and his attitude , bit by bit, is changed under influence of those firsthand experiences.
Life in camp has nothing to do with honor, glory, or even some sort of fun. They do almost nothing except “[sitting] still and [trying] to keep warm” or keeping being “drilled and drilled and reviewed” back and forth (Crane 196). Luckily, this kind of life doesn’t last for years. As Henry wished, soon, the regiment begins to move out. However, unlike his life-long dream, the reality of the war forced Henry to recognize what kind of matter he is undergoing now. Forgetting his own aspirations earlier, he commence to regret his naïve decision and contradict himself. The young boy blames everything on the government; he convinces himself with self-deceiving excuses that he “had never wished to come to the war”, “had not enlisted of his free will”, and “had been dragged by the merciless government” (211). Along the march, the body of a dead soldier which he encounters sets him about doubting his romantic thoughts and his ability to handle a real battle. The ashen body seems to try to let me know how poor and hard a soldier’s life actually is, and the vague eyes of the body look into Henry’s as if they are questioning his capability of even surviving under this kind of arduous situations. Fear crept upon his spirit, and “the ardor which [he] had acquired… rapidly faded to nothing” (212). Everything is now a trap in his mind;
even a house stands far ahead will be a conspiracy of the enemy: “It was all a trap… They were all going to be sacrificed… The enemy would presently swallow the whole command” (213). He can’t hold his feeling back anymore, the fear, like the devil’s whispers, dominates his preposterous imagination and wrenches his fragile heart.
Henry now hates the war first time in his life, but he has no other choice except fighting when battles come. The battle is horrible; there are soldiers injured and killed at all time; everyone still survived is tired, so of course Henry, too. He fights, fights, and fights. Suddenly fear is no more, and anger overcomes everything and sweep over his mind. With endless rage grows inside him, his consciousness gets out of control: “He had a mad feeling against his rifle, which could only be used against one life at a time. He wished to rush forward and strangle with his fingers” (Crane 223). However, despite massive casualties and men’s insignificant emotions, the battle just goes as it goes like there won’t be an end.