FREE ESSAY ON RED BADGE OF COURAGE

RED BADGE OF COURAGE

A Battle for Adulthood
Throughout the novel The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane, a theme is
portrayed within a battle that takes place during the Civil War. It is that each person
must find the courage to win his or her won battle for maturity or adulthood. A soldier,
who is also the main character, Henry Fleming, exemplifies this theme.
Henry Fleming begins as an immature soldier who enlists in the army without knowing a
reason why. Henry has a romantic view of the war, and expects it to be glorious: "They
[battles] might not be distinctly Homeric, but there seemed to be much glory in them. He
[Henry] had read of marches, sieges, conflicts, and he had longed to see it all." Henry
obviously lacks maturity because he was very determined to enlist in the army, but tries
to blame the government for being at war. 
Henry starts to realize that there are no heroes and that there are no individuals: "He
had grown to regard himself merely as a part of a vast blue demonstration." Therefore he
is beginning to fight the battle within himself into adulthood. Henry looses some of his
selfishness and gains concern for others, another stepping stone: "He felt the subtle
battle brotherhood more potent even than the cause for which he was fighting." Henry
deserts a dying soldier and runs from a battle, but recognizes that running away was
wrong. It isn't a mature action, but he is mature to realize the magnitude of running.
With the knowledge of his past mistakes, Henry goes into battle without thinking about
the past and fights heroically. After a general makes a derogatory remark about Henry and
his comrades, it reveals Henry's change of attitude. He accepts the comment without
rebellion and fights with courage. Because of the success of fighting bravely, Henry has
the self-esteem to deal with his mistakes as an adult. As a mature person he can learn
from his mistakes.
By the end of the novel, I feel Henry has changed and he knows it. He has become a
soldier that gained courage, responsibility, and can admit his wrongdoing. He can never
make up for deserting the dying soldier, but now entering adulthood he can "put his sin
at a distance." By gaining new qualities and confronting his cowardice, he is truly
mature: "He felt a quiet manhood, nonassertive but of sturdy and strong blood. He was a
man."