The Red Badge Of Courage How Does War Change

Does War Turn a Boy Into a Man?

Did the war change Henry? Did it make him mature much faster? Do you think it made him grow up quicker? Many events in the book The Red Badge of Courage proves that Henry is no longer the scared boy he was when he first enlisted for the war. I believe that war can turn a boy into a man. Make a boy become an adult. War is something that is tragic but also can be rewarding. You have to make choices out on the battlefield in a matter of seconds. Some of the choices could affect many people and not just yourself. There are plenty of examples in the book that prove war can change a man. Henry has changed for the better because he now thinks of others, he has to make important decisions, and finally; he becomes courageous.

In the beginning of the book, Henry only thought about one thing, himself. Henry makes choices without realizing how they can affect other people. When Henry leaves the battlefield in the beginning of the book, he doesn’t even think about how it affects others. He doesn’t realize that he could get punished for being a coward and leaving the
battle. He doesn’t realize that he could have started a domino effect where other people could see him leave and want to leave the battle also. After a little bit of time and thinking, he goes back into war. He pushes his feelings aside to help defend his army. He ends up thinking about his actions more and what would happen if he decided to pursue those actions. He and his friend at the end, end up waving the flag around and being brave by doing so. Henry has come a long way from running away from his problems and lying about his wounds to defending his army and waving the flag in victory.

A decision on the battlefield can be a life and death decision. Henry has encountered many difficult choices he has to make throughout his time fighting. At first he was careless and didn’t think twice about anything he did. He left the battlefield and lied about his injuries without even thinking about how it would affect others. Henry then starts to realize that all his choices would affect other people. What moves he made while fighting could change many things. He decided that fighting with his men would help them win other than him running away and hopping no one saw him run.

Henry being courageous in the beginning of the book almost seemed impossible.
War can make a man forget about other things going on in life and just focus on the war. He wasn’t brave when he left the battle. He wasn’t brave when he lied about his wounds when asked what happened.When he comes back to war for the first time is when he first become courageous. When he runs around with the flag in his hands is also an act of bravery. In the beginning of the book I asked myself, “Would his mother be proud of him leaving the war?” I knew that she wouldn’t because that makes him a coward. He went to war which was very brave of him but he regretted it once it was time to fight. I know now that his mother would be very proud of him and how far along he has came on his journey of war. She would be very proud to have a brave son that is willing to fight for his army and for his
people.

All these examples and events that had happened in the book all lead up to one thing, war does change a boy for the better. Henry has became an adult in the time that he was in the war. He now is considered brave and courageous. He makes decisions based on how it will not only affect him but also other peers. He thinks about others and how everything he does in a battle can affect the whole war. Henry has went from a boy to a man in a matter of days because of the war. The war does in fact change you for the better.