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Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound, a "red badge of courage", to counteract his cowardice.
Henry's new-found confidence allows him to face a tough reality: that as a soldier, he must kill or be killed. His confidence allows him to feel anger toward the enemy, rather than fear. At this point, Henry, if not a hero, is certainly a courageous, confident soldier.
He learns to reflect on his mistakes, such as his earlier retreat, without defensiveness or bravado, and abandons the hope of blustery heroism for a quieter, but more satisfying, understanding of what it means to be a man.
Jul 20, 2008 · Henry Fleming is quite a complex guy. He both pities and envies the other soldiers who stayed and fought. He feels guilty that he left them, but superior that he made the natural decision...
- Elizabeth Blair
Henry eventually recognizes the man as a badly wounded Jim Conklin. Henry promises to take care of Jim, but Jim runs from the line into a small grove of bushes where Henry and the tattered man watch him die.
- Stephen Crane
- 1895
Henry's emotions are never settled: after he flees from battle, Henry is overcome by guilt and self-pity; when he shows courage under fire, he recovers his pride. Within a few short days, he transforms from a hot-headed, idealistic young boy into an experienced soldier who feels like a grown man.
Henry Fleming (the youth) Henry Fleming is a young private who volunteered for the infantry against his mother 's wishes. Having "dreamed of battles all his life," Henry has romantic notions of war influenced by Greek classics such as…
