The Red Badge Of Courage Essay

“‘Here they come!’” With these words the 304th regiment readied themselves for battle as the Confederate Army drew nearer, and Henry prepared himself to face his first moment of truth. In the novel The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane, Henry struggled with the notion of what he would do once the time to fight actually came. The internal conflict between his courage and fear is illustrated in chapters 5 and 6, during his first and second battle of the Civil War. His vast difference of reactions to both battles had quite a few related causes.

Although many of the men seemed apprehensive about the upcoming battle, they all prepared themselves for the inevitable. The captain of the regiment breathlessly repeated
instruction to the company as Henry’s comrades prepared every possible cartridge and rearranged boxes with great consideration. Henry swiftly equipped his rifle and quickly “became not a man but a member,” of the Union Army. An overwhelming feeling of fraternity overcame Henry, and he “suddenly lost concern for himself, and forgot to look at a menacing fate.” While he could have considered fleeing if he thought the battle was going to end poorly, the powerful fight that his comrades were putting up reassured him of his safety.

In the aftermath of the first battle, the regiment and Henry felt satisfied with their victory. However that was short lived when a familiar sight came into view. So soon after their defeat, the enemy had regrouped and began firing again. Henry deflated like a balloon. He was bewildered that they could recover so quickly, when he was still exhausted. “The words that comrades had uttered previous to the firing began to recur to him,” and because of that Henry began exaggerating the threat that he faced. As he saw other members of his regiment drop their rifles and flee, he felt that he should too.

The reactions of his comrades and superiors had an enormous influence on Henry’s reactions to both battles.
Before the firing of the first battle, there were men who were anxious such as the youth who was next to Henry who mumbled, “‘Oh, we’re in for it now! oh, we’re in for it now!’" to himself. But on the whole even with some nerves, the men were prepared and eager to face the challenge. Henry in turn had some confidence at the start of the battle, and during it became overwhelmed by a feeling of unity with them. In contrast to that, the reactions of the men to the second battle were discouraging. They were flabbergasted that the Confederate Army could recoup so quickly, and voiced their complaints about having to fight again so soon after the previous battle. Henry felt uncertain about his fate, and “began to exaggerate the endurance, the skill, and the valor of those who were coming.” He felt fearful for his regiment’s situation, so he “amputated himself from it.” {{Make sure to explain how the evidence you selected supports the argument you're making}}

Henry successfully faced his fears fighting in the first battle of the war, providing an answer to his longstanding question about whether or not he would flee from a battle. However, when his second test of courage took place sooner than he anticipated, he realized his fears and fled. He was influenced by the reactions of his comrades, and his fear for
himself.