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The Red Badge of Courage is the story of Henry Fleming, a teenager who enlists with the Union Army in the hopes of fulfilling his dreams of glory.
Shortly after enlisting, the reality of his decision sets in. He experiences tedious waiting, not immediate glory. The more he waits for battle, the more doubt and fear creep into his mind. When he finally engages in his first battle, he blindly fires into the battle haze, never seeing his enemy. As the next enemy assault approaches, Henry’s fears of death overwhelm him, and he runs from the field.
Henry continues his retreat for some time, even after he overhears that his regiment repelled the enemy. When he finally slows and rests, he hears the sound of a renewed battle and, ironically, he returns to the battle from which he has fled. He comes upon many wounded men returning from the front to get medical assistance. One of these wounded soldiers, identified as “a tattered soldier,” befriends Henry and begins a conversation with him; however, when the tattered soldier asks Henry where he is wounded, Henry evades the question by leaving him and drifting into the crowd of soldiers.
As Henry continues walking with the wounded, he sees a veteran soldier of his company, Jim Conklin, who is mortally wounded. Henry follows Jim, and, eventually, the tattered soldier joins them. When Jim suddenly collapses and dies, Henry is devastated. The tattered soldier again asks Henry about his wound. Again, Henry can’t explain that he has no wound, so he leaves the disoriented, wounded, tattered soldier stumbling in the field.
Henry anguishes over his lack of courage, but he can’t overcome the guilt and self-hatred that stop him from returning to his regiment. He hears the noise of a battle and sees reinforcement troops heading toward the front. As he watches, the battle turns against the Union forces, and many of the men begin to retreat. Henry gets caught up in their retreat. He tries to stop a retreating soldier to find out what is happening; however, the soldier only wants to get away, so he hits Henry over the head with his rifle, leaving Henry with a serious head wound. He is dazed by the blow and wanders back through the woods. Henry is then befriended by a cheery soldier who returns him to his regiment.
Henry fears being ridiculed by his comrades on his return, but when he enters his camp, two soldiers, Wilson and Simpson, see his injury and immediately begin ministering to him. They assume that Henry was hurt in battle; however, Simpson asks Henry about his whereabouts, and Henry can’t answer.
As the regiment prepares to move out, Wilson asks Henry to return a packet of letters that he gave Henry before the first battle. (Wilson feared that he was going to die in battle, and he wanted Henry to give the letters to his family.) Henry realizes that Wilson was also afraid of battle, and Henry is overjoyed to think that he now has power, and a weapon, to use to hold over somebody else’s head. This knowledge gives Henry courage and restores his confidence.
Henry converts his fear of the enemy into anger and becomes a leader, fighting boldly at the side of his lieutenant. Henry becomes such a confident, assertive, aggressive soldier that, ironically, he becomes a fighting machine himself. Henry resolves his guilt over abandoning the tattered soldier by deciding to use the memory of this selfish, uncaring act to keep himself humble—to control any egotism he feels because of his now strong fighting ability.
When Henry’s regiment is chosen to charge the enemy, Henry leads the charge with the lieutenant, and, eventually, he even assumes the role of color bearer for the regiment after the color sergeant is killed.
Henry’s transformation from a fearful, lost, doubting youth, to a courageous, confident, duty-bound soldier is the essence of the novel. It is the story of the growth of a young man from innocence to maturity.
Summaries and Commentaries - Chapter 1
Summary
As the novel opens, the soldiers of a regiment are waiting for battle. After one of the men, a tall soldier, suggests that a battle is imminent, other soldiers argue against the notion. One of the young soldiers, Henry, a private, returns to the hut where the regiment is camped and thinks about war. He recalls his desire to enlist in the army, his mother’s refusal to support the idea, and his eventual decision to enlist over her objections. He remembers the reactions of his schoolmates to his enlistment, his mother’s advice to him when he leaves for the army, the reception given to his regiment as it moved toward Washington, the tedious waiting, and the frightening tales of war told by various veterans in the regiment. His mind struggles with the question of what he will do when—and if—an actual battle takes place.
As he contemplates the prospects of battle, “a little panic-fear” grows in his mind, and, suddenly, he jumps from his bunk and begins to pace the floor. Other soldiers enter the hut, and the discussion about the prospect of an impending battle continues. The tall soldier, Jim Conklin, who brings the news that a battle is certain, comments on how he expects the new soldiers to react and on how he himself will react under fire.
Commentary
The overriding impression of this first chapter is one of conflict. The Union soldiers await a physical battle with the Confederate troops in the area. The eminent external conflict is paralleled by the fight raging in Henry’s mind. As the book opens, the reader sees the main character, a soldier waiting for his first battle, ironically engaged in an internal conflict with his own thoughts.
The theme of the struggle between confidence and fear and doubt is a major portion of Chapter 1. Henry is so sure about the glory awaiting him in war that he enlists despite his mother’s wishes. His romantic vision of war convinces him that he must enlist in the army. However, this confidence quickly fades, and even in this first chapter, Henry struggles between his romanticized assurance and his lack of confidence about his untested performance.
Henry is almost entirely introspective in this first chapter, which sets the stage for following Henry’s thoughts and emotions throughout the novel. The reader can anticipate seeing Henry, a young man who initially turns inward when confronted by grave issues, develop the confidence necessary to be a frontline soldier. For Henry, initially, this introspective behavior overrides his reasoning ability, and only time and experience will help him face the realities of war. A part of this maturing process involves Henry’s moving away from the questioning of his behavior and motivations, of his comrades’ behavior and motivations, and of the officers’ decisions and plans for battle.
In addition, the themes of duty and honor surface in Chapter 1. Henry recalls the wonderful sensation of honor and pride that he feels as his regiment is showered with attention on their way to Washington. Clearly, Henry prizes valor and feels a sense of honor and commitment toward his regiment; however, these valiant feelings are almost completely overshadowed by fear and lack of confidence. Again, the reader sees Henry as a youth with many opposing feelings and thoughts. This issue of honor, especially as it relates to being courageous under fire, or running from a fight, is a major plot motivator throughout the book.
Other characters presented in Chapter 1 reflect the conflict between youth and experience. The experienced soldiers may be skeptical of the skills and commitment of the untested, new recruits. The new enlistees may doubt the veracity of the tales told by the veterans. Both groups know that, at some point, the reality of a battle will resolve this issue.
The use of dialect is established in Chapter 1, and it continues throughout the book. The soldiers’ conversations reflect the dialect of the speakers. This use of dialogue allows the reader to identify characters through their language, as well as their other behaviors, and allows Crane to contrast the colloquialisms and regionalisms stated with the more philosophical ideas presented through the thoughts of the characters. For example, when Henry contemplates on how he will react in battle, Crane states that “He [Henry] lay in his bunk pondering on it. He tried to mathematically prove to himself that he would not run from a battle.” When the topic of battle comes up in conversation in the bunkhouse (the hut), the tall soldier (Jim) responds to Henry’s question of whether there will be a battle by saying in very colloquial speech, “Of course there is. You jest wait ‘til tomorrow, and you’ll see one of the biggest battles ever was. You jest wait.”
Thinking about war in philosophical terms while lying in one’s bunk does not require one to face war realistically. Crane gets to the reality of war through the use of dialect and colloquialisms of the soldiers, those men who must fight and face death. For them, war is not a philosophical discussion; it is a battle for survival, and the language which they use reflects that understanding. Crane’s use of dialect allows the reader to separate the philosophy of war from the reality which the men will face in battle.
Stylistically, Crane develops images through the use of figurative language, particularly personification (a type of metaphor which gives an inanimate object, a thing, or an idea the characteristics or qualities of a person), in this chapter and throughout the novel. For example, in the passage, “The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting,” the cold, the fog, and the army are described as persons with specific behaviors, feelings, and needs. The use of personification and other forms of figurative language brings Crane’s images of war to life.
Crane’s use of both figurative language and rhetorical devices is constant throughout the text, primarily because he wants the reader to see that the beauty of nature will prevail, no matter what types of negative behaviors humanity introduces into the environment (in this case, waging war). Nature’s beauty provides a contrast of beauty to the drabness, darkness, and destruction which humanity introduces into the environment.
Glossary
• private
an enlisted man of the two lowest ranks in the U.S. Army.
• corporal
the lowest-ranking noncommissioned officer, just below a sergeant.
• omen
a thing or happening supposed to foretell a future event, either good or evil; augury.
• returning with his shield or on it
a reference to the ancient Greek idea that the only honorable way to return from battle is to be holding your shield or to be carried back on it .
• a shirking child
a child who neglects an obligation.
• pickets
soldiers stationed at an outpost to guard the troops from surprise attack.
• Yank
a Yankee, a Union soldier.
• Huns
a warlike Asiatic people who, led by Attila and others, invaded eastern and central Europe in the fourth and fifth century A.D.; here, a reference to the rebel forces made by veteran Union soldiers to frighten the new recruits.
• haversack
a canvas bag for carrying rations, generally worn over one shoulder.
• Richmond
the capital of Virginia and of the Confederacy.
• Johnnies
Confederate soldiers.
• fresh fish
a derogatory term for new soldiers.
• Regiment
a military unit consisting of two or more battalions and forming a basic element of a division. (U.S. Army A battalion is a tactical unit made up of three or more companies, batteries, or analogous units: it is normally commanded by a lieutenant colonel and is the basic building unit of a division. Mil. A division is an army unit larger than a regiment and smaller than a corps, to which various numbers and types of battalions can be attached as required.)
Summaries and Commentaries - Chapter 2
Summary
The regiment continues to rest, and Henry remains deep in his own thoughts, contemplating the possibility of battle and questioning his ability to cope with battle when it comes. The other soldiers, in Henry’s view, don’t seem to share his worries. Indeed, some are jovial and appear to be excited about the prospect of engaging in combat. Henry concludes that his comrades are all heroes without fear, but on further reflection, he feels that, perhaps, they are all as fearful as he, yet they suppress that fear.
Early one morning several days later, the regiment stands ready to move out. As the regiment waits in the predawn, a horseman brings the news to move the regiment to a new position. As the night turns to morning, the regiment crosses the hills. At the end of the day’s march, the regiment camps in a field. Henry rests, and as he rests, he thinks of his life on the farm and wishes he were there. His thoughts are interrupted when one of the loud, boisterous soldiers, Wilson, walks by, and Henry begins a conversation with him.
Wilson speaks confidently of the upcoming battle. When Henry asks him if he might run when the fighting begins, he laughs the comment off. However, when Henry presses him on the issue, Wilson angrily challenges Henry’s authority to question his bravery. That night, Henry falls into a sleep disturbed by doubts and fears.
Commentary
Chapter 2 continues to focus on Henry’s internal conflict about his bravery, or lack thereof. Henry is fixated on proving his courage, and his obsession with the issue causes him to become distant and removed from the other members of the regiment. He feels like an outcast, as if he is strangely not like the other soldiers. Henry’s feelings of isolation foreshadow his physical separation and retreat from the regiment later in the novel.
A mainstay of Crane’s stylistic techniques is his use of imagery to develop the mood of foreboding which permeates the novel. Chapter 2 contains several good examples of this imagery. Selected vocabulary words, similes (the comparing of one entity to another dissimilar entity, usually using the words, “like” or “as”), metaphors (the comparing of one entity to another, dissimilar entity by suggesting that the first entity is the other entity), and other figures of speech develop this somber, dark mood. For example, Henry lives in a “mystic gloom,” a phrase which exemplifies Crane’s talent in selecting the perfect words to express a mood. An excellent example of Crane’s use of simile occurs in his description of the regiments: they “were like two serpents crawling from the cavern of the night.”
Imagery for the impending battle is also developed using similar techniques. Fire and monster imagery combines with dark and gloom imagery. The battle is “the blaze” and “a monster”; the combatants are “serpents crawling from hill to hill”; Henry’s regiment is a “blasting host” (a killing machine); “red eyes” (enemy campfires) watch across rivers. All these images, which are metaphors, create an oppressive mood of foreboding.
Another dimension of Crane’s writing that becomes obvious in Chapter 2 is the use of the third person terms for major characters. The tall soldier (Jim), the loud soldier (Wilson), and the youth (Henry) are identified in this manner to allow Crane greater latitude in making objective comments about the characters’ behaviors. Only through conversations between and among characters are characters’ real names revealed. Not identifying characters by name engages the reader’s imagination to draw pictures and conclusions about these characters. By appealing to the imagination in this way, the reader is drawn closer to the characters.
In Chapters 1 and 2, Crane uses various characters to show the reader different responses to the central issue of the novel—bravery under fire. The practical confidence of Wilson contrasts with the all-encompassing doubt that Henry experiences. At the same time, the reader recalls the somewhat humorous, carefree, easy-come-easy-go attitude of Jim Conklin’s reply to Henry at the close of Chapter 1 after Henry asks him if he might run when the battle starts. These responses represent the spectrum of feelings which combatants in war may feel. That Crane chooses to focus on Henry’s response to war, that of fear and doubt, implies that this is a response that all soldiers have to war at one time in their careers.
Glossary
• a blue demonstration
the perception that, at this point, the regiment is preparing for a protest rather than for a battle.
• gods of traditions
behaviors that are expected with certain activities.
• colonel
a high-ranking military officer ranking below a brigadier general.
• company wags
humorous soldiers; jokesters.
• brigade
a unit of the U.S. Army comprising two or more regiments.
• dregs
bitter-tasting particles of solid matter that settle to the bottom of a bottle of wine.
• Napoleon Bonaparte
1769-1821; French military leader and emperor of France (1804-1815); here, Wilson’s sarcastic response to Henry for questioning his courage.
• the red eyes (also described as red blossoms)
the campfires of the enemy as seen across the river.
Summaries and Commentaries - Chapter 3
Summary
The regiment rests during the second day of their march, and that night, they cross a bridge and sleep again. On the morning of the third day, they again move out and march to a forest. They remain there for several days.
On “one gray dawn” the whole regiment begins to run as if running toward a battle, but there is no battle. The regiment walks and then halts, and the soldiers continue to move from place to place. There is much grumbling among the men because of the constant walking and stopping. On occasion, the regiment sees skirmishers in the distance and hears the sounds of battle. The regiment comes upon a dead soldier, and Henry tries “to read in dead eyes the answer to the Question.” Henry continues to challenge, internally, the intelligence of the generals who are directing the troop movements, and he feels hatred toward the lieutenant who enforces troop discipline by keeping him marching in rank.
Henry considers that if he were to die quickly, he could end his anguish. The regiment comes upon a battle in the distance, and the men begin to prepare for battle. As the chapter ends, the loud soldier (Wilson) tells Henry that he expects to die in battle, and he hands Henry a packet which he asks Henry to take to his family.
Commentary
Throughout most of Chapter 3, the major characters behave just as they have in Chapters 1 and 2.
Jim continues to accept everything that happens as part of a grand plan. He shows no worry. In Crane’s words, “The philosophical, tall soldier measured a sandwich of cracker and pork and swallowed it in a nonchalant manner.” And later in the chapter Crane writes, “He [Jim] accepted new environments and circumstances with great coolness, eating from his haversack at every opportunity.”
Henry’s characterization is also consistent. His fears persist, and his self-doubt hasn’t changed. His reactions to his environment—both to the countryside and the Confederate soldiers—become predictable. For example, when the regiment covered the same ground in both the morning and afternoon, Henry was comfortable the second time around because he had been there before. He knew the land. As Crane says of Henry, “The landscape then ceased to threaten the youth. He had been close to it and become familiar with it.” However, as the troops entered fresh fields, Crane says, “. . . his [Henry’s] fears of stupidity and incompetence reassailed him.” At one point his fears become so great that he wants to die so that he can silence his doubts. Henry’s thoughts in this chapter continue to develop the themes of fear, doubt, duty, confidence, and glory, themes which have been apparent from the opening chapter.
Henry’s reaction to entering new territory is predictable, especially considering that, for any soldier, entering new ground may bring combat. The troop movement described in this chapter is especially trying for Henry because entering of new ground could bring with it his first taste of combat. It is only natural, therefore that a new recruit would be very fearful of new territory and very comfortable covering old ground. The issue here is fear of the unknown, a fear common to all people, and soldiers face a higher price for venturing into the unknown than do regular citizens. As a soldier gains experience in covering new territory, he gains control of his fear. This pattern of reducing fear through gaining experience characterizes Henry’s transition throughout the novel.
Henry’s youthful confidence reasserts itself in a strange way in Chapter 3. At one point, Henry fears even the shadows in the woods, and he concludes that he and his comrades are trapped. He blames the generals for allowing this to happen. Henry thinks, “The generals were idiots to send them marching into a regular pen.” He feels that “There was but one pair of eyes in the corps” (his). This implies, of course, that Henry thinks that he knows more about waging war than the officers do. This observation comes from a soldier who has never been in a battle. Even so, this reaction is probably not unusual for a very nervous, worried young man who continues to anticipate an impending battle and all the dangers associated with it.
Jim and Henry’s behaviors in this chapter simply continue what has been established about them in previous chapters. However, at the end of the chapter, Wilson does something that shows the reader a different side of his character. Hearing the sounds of battle, Wilson speaks openly about his fears of death. This is the first time in the book that a character other than Henry expresses fear about the impending battle, and the reader sees that Henry is not truly alone in his thoughts.
Wilson’s comments represent the comments of all men in battle. If Wilson the pragmatic, somewhat boastful soldier fears death, then it follows that this fear probably resides in all soldiers facing battle. If this is the case, then this fear is not a sign of weakness; on the contrary, it is probably a sign of normalcy. This revelation is important for soldiers who equate fear with weakness and, as a result, begin to develop self-doubts. At this point, Henry is such a person, and Wilson’s comments provide some solace for Henry.
Stylistically, Crane again uses metaphor and other kinds of figurative language to develop the images which grasp the reader’s mind. The regiment is sometimes a person, sometimes a monster, sometimes a reptile. The reader loses sight of the fact that the regiment is a unit of individual men. This continued use of personification creates the feeling that a battle is a battle between regimental monsters. For example, Crane describes the regiment’s crossing of a river in animal terms when he writes, “The regiment slid down a bank and wallowed across a little stream.” These references and images symbolize the monsters within Henry—monsters of fear, doubt, and loneliness, which he continues to try to suppress, but which don’t retreat. Wilson’s death revelation provides additional fuel for the growth of these monsters.
Crane uses animal imagery to describe the elements of war, including armies and weapons. The use of animal imagery allows Crane to separate the inhumanity of the war animal from the humanity of the individual soldier. Indeed, an army (the animal) has appendages, including divisions, regiments, and companies. These appendages work together to provide a system for this animal, this monster, to do battle with an enemy animal. Crane uses this animal imagery to contrast the army with the individual soldier. The animal seems to have no concerns for anything; individual soldiers show all emotions. The soldier must cast aside his individuality to become a part of the animal needed to do battle.
Glossary
• skirmish/skirmishers
a brief fight or encounter between small groups of troops/ the troops who take part in a skirmish.
• perambulating veterans
strolling troops.
• the colors
the flag.
• the Question
the question which all soldiers face: What will death be like?
• the generals
the highest-ranking officers, above the colonels.
• the lieutenant
an officer ranking above a second lieutenant and below a captain; here, a first lieutenant.
• battery
a set of heavy guns; cannons.
Summaries and Commentaries - Chapter 4
Summary
The entire brigade finally stops near a grove of trees, and the soldiers watch other regiments of other brigades do battle ahead of them. As they watch and wait, they share rumors regarding how other companies, regiments, battalions, individual soldiers, and officers have been doing in battles. There is disagreement as to how effective some have been and how strong the enemy is.
The lieutenant of Henry’s company is wounded while waiting and is treated by the company’s captain; at the same time, the front line troops seem to be in disarray. Officers of that brigade are both cursing and cajoling their men to keep fighting, but there are many in retreat. The troops in the reserve brigade, including those in Henry’s regiment, watch the action with both awe and fear. As yet, however, the enemy causing all this chaos hasn’t been seen.
Commentary
Crane continues to develop the theme of fear by allowing the soldiers to comment on rumors. For example, one soldier says, "They say Perry has been driven in with big loss” and “Hannises’ battery is took.” The reader also sees the battle through the eyes of a novice and shares the fears of the youth. The reader shares Henry’s curiosity as he watches the frontline troops do battle.
Crane’s technique of allowing the reader to watch the battle through the eyes of another in some ways limits the reader’s perspective, but, in other ways, it increases the concern for personal safety. The theme of fear, in this case fear of the unknown, grows because the soldiers don’t see, and have not, as yet, seen, the enemy—the force, the monster, causing all this chaos, and the reader, as a result, hasn’t yet seen the monster, either. Indeed, the fear of the unknown is greater than the fear of facing the enemy directly. This fear of the unknown is a normal human behavior, one with which all people can identify, and, as a result, the reader empathizes with Henry.
Glossary
• a company
a body of troops, specifically, the lowest administrative unit, as of infantry, normally composed of two or more platoons and a headquarters.
• rebel army
the Confederate Army.
• bushwhacker
a name given to Confederate soldiers by Union soldiers.
• a storm banshee
in folklore, a banshee is a female spirit believed to wail outside a house as a warning that a death will occur soon in the family; here, it refers to the shrieking sound of the artillery shells coming in over the heads of the troops.
• captain
an officer ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major.
• color sergeant
the sergeant in charge of carrying the flag for a unit.
• the composite monster
the enemy armwy.
FOR DISCUSSION
1. The novel's famous opening paragraph ends with these words: ". . - And at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile camp fires set in the low brows of distant hills." How does this sentence set the tone for the rest of the novel? Do you find echoes of this sentence in the subsequent pages?
2. In the first paragraph is Crane's first usage of the word "red." What else in the book does he describe as red? Is his usage of the word sometimes surprising? How so? H. G. Wells refers to this as Crane's "force of color." What do you think Wells means by this?
3. Why does the narrator always refer to the protagonist as "the youth." We only learn Henry's name from his fellow soldiers; why does the author do this? How does this affect the story?
4. Henry's first encounter with a corpse both startles and numbs him. Crane describes it this way, "[Henry] vaguely desired to walk around and around the body and stare; the impulse of the living to try to read in dead eyes the answer to the Question." What do you think the Question is? Why do you think Crane chose to capitalize this word?
5. In Chapter 3, the regiment's preparation for battle is described: "During this halt many men in the regiment began erecting tiny hills in front of them. They used stones, sticks, earth, and anything they thought might turn a bullet. Some built comparatively large ones, while others seemed content with little ones." What does this say about the different way men prepare themselves for war? Who is noticing this difference, the narrator or Henry himself? Are they the same?
6. Chapter 4 ends with, "The youth achieved one little thought in the midst of this chaos. The composite monster which had caused the other troops to flee had not then appeared. He resolved to get a view of it, and then, he thought he might very likely run better than the best of them." What does this imply? What is the monster? Why is Henry capable, or believes he is capable, of seeing it when the others are not?
7. Joseph Conrad described Stephen Crane as a man "with an incomparable insight into primitive emotions, who, in order to give us an image of war, had looked profoundly into his own breast." Why is Crane's rendering of war so moving? How does it successfully portray the horrors of war in a little over two hundred pages, when most war novels are epic in length and scope? Why do you think Crane chose to write his novel this way?
8. Why does Henry leave his regiment? Is it an act of courage or cowardice? How does Henry perceive it himself?
9. What ultimately is Henry's red badge of courage? Is it his wound to the head, or is it something else?
 azurewealtheow · Fri Nov 17, 2006 @ 05:06am · 0 Comments |
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