The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage-full text
After reading the novel, answer the following questions using quotes whenever possible.
1. Compare and contrast Henry, Wilson, and Jim. What does each character seem to represent? How does Crane’s focus on the inner workings of Henry’s mind give the reader a picture of Henry different from that of any other character?
2. Analyze the effect of Crane’s frequent use of descriptive tags—such as “the youth,” “the tall soldier,” or “the loud one”—to refer to the characters, rather than the use of their actual names.
3. Thinking about Crane’s portrayal of the Civil War as a large historical phenomenon, how does Crane depict the different armies? What differences, if any, does he draw between them? What is his approach to the moral element of the struggle?
4. Consider Henry’s flashback to his conversation with his mother in Chapter I. What is his mother’s attitude about his enlisting in the first place? How does her advice foreshadow the main themes of the novel?
5. In the author’s point of view, is it wrong for Henry to run from the battle? Is it wrong for him to abandon the tattered soldier? More broadly, does The Red Badge of Courage have a moral center, or does it deny that moral categories such as “right” and “wrong” can exist in an indifferent universe?
posted by dconlay @ 10:29 PM
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10 Comments:
1. Henry is a young man who has fallen victim to the propaganda that has been spread in favor of fighting in the Union Army. He believes that in order to be a loyal American, he must fight in the war. He also believes that risking his life in the army will help him become a man, and that it will help him satisfy his need to do something great. Henry seems to represent the naïve, unrealistic, romantic type of courage that young men had. Wilson is like Henry in the beginning in the sense that he also wanted to be a soldier who would fight for his country and that it would make him a man. The difference was that for Wilson, there wasn’t as much thinking involved. He was more simplistic when thinking about war. Instead of having complex ideas of victory and heroism that Henry had, he just wanted to get out there and fight. “This time we're in for a big battle, and we've got the best end of it, certain sure. Gee rod! how we will thump 'em!...and I didn't say I was the bravest man in the world, neither. I said I was going to do my share of fighting--that's what I said. And I am, too,” (p.25). Wilson’s character changes dramatically after he has seen war first-hand. He becomes more reserved and becomes more humble and wise. He represents maturity and manhood because the war caused him to grow up quickly and bluntly. Jim was the veteran soldier who didn’t share in the romantic ideas of war that Henry and Wilson held. He is tall and quiet, and only participates in the war because he knows that it is his duty. He represents morality and a sense of wisdom/experience.
2. The author’s use of the tags: “the youth” “the loud one” and “the tall one” were ways of showing what they symbolized. Since Henry was the youngest character, and since he showed the most immaturity and self-centeredness, his tag reminded the reader of that every time he was mentioned. Wilson was tagged as “the loud one” because his character was the most obnoxious and naïve in the story. His tag also helped show that he was all talk, and didn’t really think about what he was saying. This helped represent him and what he symbolized. “Oh, we've got 'em now!" As he spoke his boyish face was wreathed in a gleeful smile, and his voice had an exultant ring. "We've got 'em now. At last, by the eternal thunders, we'll like 'em good!" (p. 24) Finally, Jim’s tag was the “tall one” because he was a very tall soldier. Emphasizing his height helped to emphasize his character. He was the most morally in-touch character in the story. He had lots of control over himself and his actions, which gave him a sort of “height” above the other soldiers. The author’s use of these tags helped him show what each character represented throughout the story.
3. Crane depicts the two armies differently throughout the story. Crane writes his story from the points of view of Union soldiers. The confederate army is just depicted as a large mass, or the enemy. We never see the point of view of a confederate soldier, and there are no individual confederate characters. This lets us assume that Crane agreed with the Union army, and that he was loyal to the existing United States. The way that Crane describes the confederate army as one large group causes them to be dehumanized. The reader automatically sides with the human characters that have feelings and emotions as opposed to this huge faceless mass. In a moral sense, Crane describes the Confederate army as “robots” that just kill without thinking. “As he listened he imagined them to have rows of cruel teeth that grinned at him,” (p. 58). The Union soldiers on the other hand, have trouble with fighting and killing, and are constantly dealing with inner demons. In order to have inner-demons, you have to have morality to begin with. With this, Crane shows that the Union army had moral values, while the Confederates were brutes that had no moral values whatsoever.
4. Henry’s mother’s attitude about him enlisting at first is negative. She tries to discourage him one last time before he leaves by saying that she needs his help on their farm. “But his mother had discouraged him. She had affected to look with some contempt upon the quality of his war ardor and patriotism. She could calmly seat herself and with no apparent difficulty give him many hundreds of reasons why he was of vastly more importance on the farm than on the field of battle,” (p. 7) Her arguments against Henry going to war help to foreshadow the themes that exist throughout the novel. When she talks about Henry only wanting to go because he is being fooled by the propaganda, she is showing how Henry will discover manhood and maturity while at war by discovering that his life isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of life.
5. In the author’s point of view, the fact that Henry runs from battle is wrong. In the standards that society gives, it is wrong for a soldier to leave his fellow soldiers and run. The author shows that he agrees with this idea when Henry has so much trouble with his conscience after he retreats. He spends a good portion of the novel trying to convince himself that what he did was unforgivable. “He was continually casting sidelong glances to see if the men were contemplating the letters of guilt he felt burned into his brow,” (p. 74). The overwhelming guilt that Henry feels upon returning to his regiment causes him to be extremely unfriendly to the tattered soldier. He becomes so consumed with feeling sorry for himself that he has to abandon the tattered soldier. I think that The Red Badge of Courage does talk about morals and morality, but over all, I think that the author is sending the message that in a world so consumed with war and hatred, categories such as right and wrong, don’t really exist. They can’t exist truly, because everything is so twisted by society and politics, that people end up having these twisted morals that they try to live by, but like the soldiers in The Red Badge of Courage, end up just being left feeling empty.
1. In the novel The Red Badge of Courage, Henry, Wilson and Jim represent various types of naïve approaches to war. The first child, Henry, views war as a method to build a reputation. When it states, “Tales of great movements shook the land… but there seemed to be much glory in them,”(6) the book describes Henry’s views, proving that he only seeks war to gain a reputation. Henry symbolizes the way children perceive war, that is, a struggle, which will automatically lead to boundless glory. In truth, war only leads to pain and suffering. The second child, Wilson, views war as a means to prove his self-worth. Within the book, he uses war to portray himself as a war hero who knows everything about war and has courage for participating in war. This allows Wilson to have a sense of pride in order to prove his self-worth in life. Eventually, he does mature from these opinions as he learns the frightening truth about war and realizes that he knows barely anything about war and that war takes more courage than he thought that it would. Wilson symbolizes the childish and false pride that many use to show their self-worth. Jim, the last child, represents ignorance that soldiers possess in war. He never seems to have or show a reason for joining the war. Therefore, he symbolizes the ignorance that most soldiers carry since he never truly questions why he fought the war. Crane’s focus on the inner workings of Henry gives us a deeper understanding of Henry since we see how he thinks and feels. This one fact separates him from the rest of the soldiers.
2. When Crane uses terms such as “the youth,” “the tall soldier,” and “the loud one,” to represent his main characters, he reminds the readers about the characters’ different approaches to the war. He gives the readers a clear understanding of the characters’ beliefs and how they will change. The youth will change his view of war into a realistic opinion and will realize how true glory cannot be achieved through war. Therefore, he is called the youth since he is continually changing. The tall soldier will not change his opinion since he does not have one. This can be compared to his height, which will most likely never change. He will never be shorter than he already is. He will maintain his height as he will never gain any more views on the war. The loud one will use the war to create self-imagined pride, which will allow him to prove his self-worth, although he will realize that war is something that cannot be grasped and will not prove self-worth at all. His loud voice represents his pride.
3. Crane depicts the battle between each army as a war monster against the human race. He depicts the Union army, the army that Henry fights for, as the army who has its fears and has its losses since it is only human. In fact, many people, including Henry himself, run away from the battle proving that the regiment is truly human since every human has one aspect in common, fear. The opposing army, the Confederates, is portrayed more as a war machine or a monster of war, that will not back away from fighting the Union army. Crane even states, “They must be machines of steel,” (56) and “To the youth it was an onslaught of redoubtable dragons,” (56) depicting the monstrosity of the Confederate army. In a moral approach, this could be showing how Crane views the Confederate army as a representation of evil that has unmannered and barbaric ways, while the Union army is the representation of good, civilization, and humanity.
4. In the first place, Henry’s mother was against Henry’s joining in the army. She felt that he would do more good in the farm. When she did agree to Henry’s enlistment, she gave Henry advice stating “If so be a time comes when yeh have to be kilt or do a mean thing, why, Henry, don’t think of anything ‘cept what’s right…” This piece of advice foreshadows the main themes since many of the themes within the book are righteous reasons for fighting, such as courage and defending one’s self. According to the mother, righteousness should be in Henry’s mind in any action that he partakes in during the war.
5. Crane feels that it is wrong for Henry to run from battle. He believes this since he wrote his book based on courage and running from fear or any other issue does not express any courage at all. When Henry ran away from the tattered man, a fear, Henry realized that the tattered man could have died. This instance proved that without courage great deeds could never be fulfilled. It would have been a great deed if Henry saved the tattered man’s life. In fact, when Crane writes his book, he shows many examples of how courage can lead to great successes such as how the final battle was won by the 304th regime because of Henry’s courage. Therefore, The Red Badge of Courage does have a moral center by implying that it takes courage to accomplish great things.
1. In the beginning of the novel Henry talks about winning glory for himself. He wants to be a hero and to be known as a hero. He only wants the glory that comes from war. As the novel progresses and his reginment comes closer to entering battle he becomes afraid. He is afraid tht he wll flee in the face of battle. He doesn’t want to feel alone in his thoughts of fleeing, but after talking to several of the men he does indeed feel alone. Later in the story after he goes back to battle he becomes a great solider and fighter like he wanted to be. Henery seems to represent change and growth and the gaining of courage.
Wilson begins as a loud soldier. He is simialer to Henry because they are both naïve. A little later on you see a side of him that is scared, like Henry. He gives Henry a letter to give to his family if he dies. However, once he enters battle and returns he acts like a mature man. He takes care of Henrys head-wound and offers him is blaknet for the night. Wildon grows in character like Henry does. He goes from a immature boy to a responisble man. No longer seeking glory he valuses his own life less.
Jim is completely different from both Henry and Wilson in the beginning of the novel. He is not at all interested in the glories of war. He does what he is told and goes on peacefully. When he is dieing he runs off into the bushes to die away from everyone else. He doesn’t not want to be a hero and doent not want glory. He is a responisble unslefish person.
By showing the inter workings of Henry’s mind you sympathize with him more than the other characters. You understand more of what he is thinking.
2. By not using the characters names, and instead using the descriptive words Crane make the characters seem part of a big group. It makes you relieze that there are many different men with many different sand-out personalities. You rellize that there are many men all fighting together.
3. It seems that each of the armies have a different personalities. Each regiment has a defferent portrayal on the war. Henry’s seems to be focused on the glorious side of war. IN the face of battle they are frieghtend, however. The other groups of men make fun at them.
4. In in Chapter One he remembers a conversation between his mother and him. She tells him to not do anything that he would be embarssed to tell her. She wants him to do the right thing and not to worry about returning home to her because she’ll be okay without him. "I don't know what else to tell yeh, Henry, excepting that yeh must never do no shirking, child, on my account. If so be a time comes when yeh have to be kilt of do a mean thing, why, Henry, don't think of anything 'cept what's right, because there's many a woman has to bear up 'ginst sech things these times, and the Lord 'll take keer of us all.” (Chapter One) This advice portrays how Henry progresses. At first he is afraid that he will run from battle, which he does. He becomes ashamed of himself for doing this. Eventully he returns to battle and does the right thing like is mother told him to do.
5. I don’t think the author thinks its wrong for him to run from the battle, as long as he redeem s himself by returning. Perhaps it was more wrong for him to abandon the soldier though. I think it does have a moral center. I think it teachers you that as long as you do the right thing in the end its okay that you started off doing the wrong thing.
1. Henry is a young man who lived with his mother, but he enlisted himself to go fight in the war. Henry represents innocence because he has no idea what a war looks like through his eyes. He did not kill anyone or seen anyone being killed in the beginning of the novel. Henry doesn’t know what the war would bring him and he runs from his fear. “He yelled then with fright and swung about. For a moment, in the great clamor, he was like a proverbial chicken. He lost the direction of safety. Destruction threatened him from all points.” (Chapter 6) Wilson is a brave person in the beginning of the novel. He is ready for anything that the war would bring him. Later on, he becomes kind enough to take care of Henry when he was hurt. “His friend waved his hand impatiently. ‘Right down there by yeh.’ ‘Well, but hol' on a minnit,’ continued the youth. ‘What yeh goin' t' sleep in? I've got your—’ The loud young soldier snarled: ‘Shet up an' go on t' sleep. Don't be makin' a damn' fool 'a yerself,’ he said severely.” (Chapter 13) Wilson represents growth in his heart and his mind. Wilson changes from the beginning of the novel to the end, which surprises Henry. Jim represents a model soldier for Henry. Jim is kind to his companion and brave enough to fight in the war. “‘Where yeh been, Henry?’ he asked. He continued in a monotonous voice, ‘I thought mebbe yeh got keeled over. There 's been thunder t' pay t'-day. I was worryin' about it a good deal.’” (Chapter 9) All three characters build up courage and friendship during the novel. Henry is different from other soldiers in the war because he has not idea what to do in the beginning of the novel. He follows what other people do. “Others began to scamper away through the smoke. The youth turned his head, shaken from his trance by this movement as if the regiment was leaving him behind. He saw the few fleeting forms.” (Chapter 6) The readers can see that eventually, he follows his own courage and shows it to other soldiers and lieutenants. Crane writes Henry’s progress inside his mind throughout the novel and not other characters.
2. Instead of using names to refer to the characters, Crane uses descriptive tags to give readers the image the author wants to give. Depending on one’s way of thinking, “the youth” can be pictured as an innocent man who has no experience with war and “the youth” just volunteer to be in war because he wants to be involved in the excitement. “This voice of the people rejoicing in the night had made him shiver in a prolonged ecstasy of excitement. Later, he had gone down to his mother's room and had spoken thus: ‘Ma, I'm going to enlist.’” (Chapter 1) Henry is like a young child who gets excited easily, but does not look at the consequences it may hold. “He was being looked at by a dead man who was seated with his back against a columnlike tree.” (Chapter 7) Jim, “the tall soldier,” gives the reader an image of a person who is faithful to his companion and a brave hero who works hard to save the country. “There was a curious red and black combination of new blood and old blood upon it.” (Chapter 9) “The loud one” can be imagined as a man who has a reputation for being brave and never backs down. “‘Run?’ said the loud one; ‘run?--of course not!’ He laughed.” (Chapter 2)Later in the novel, Crane renames Wilson from “the loud one” to “the loud young soldier” and “friend.” This tells readers that Wilson has another personality, which is kindness. “‘Well, come, now,’ continued his friend, ‘come on. I must put yeh t' bed an' see that yeh git a good night's rest.’” (Chapter 13)
3. Crane depicts different armies by showing which armies were favored during the war and giving them names. “‘Well,’ he said, ‘I had to order in th' 12th to help th' 76th, an' I haven't really got any. But there's th' 304th. They fight like a lot 'a mule drivers. I can spare them best of any.’” (Chapter 18) Each group has a reputation for their work they have done. The differences do draw between them because the officer thought the 304th, which is Henry’s group, was a failure in the battle. The regiment 304th had to work hard in the war to bring up their reputation to prove they can be successful. The moral element of the struggle is to work as a team and be better than the other regiments.
4. When Henry wanted to enlist for the army, his mother disagreed with him. “‘Henry, don't you be a fool,’ his mother had replied. She had then covered her face with the quilt. There was an end to the matter for that night.” (Chapter 1) His mother wanted to protect Henry from any danger or injuries from the war. When Henry enlisted for the war, his mother accepted his decision, but she was not pleased. She starts to give him advise about what to do and what not to do. “‘An' allus be careful an' choose yer comp'ny. There's lots of bad men in the army, Henry. The army makes 'em wild…. Keep clear of them folks, Henry. I don't want yeh to ever do anything, Henry, that yeh would be 'shamed to let me know about.’” (Chapter 1) Her warnings foreshadows the main themes by giving hints to the readers that Henry will not use his mother advise because he did not follow her instruction in the beginning when his mother didn’t want him to enlist for the war. Henry has difficulties fighting in the war because he did not take his mother’s advice, but he develops courage throughout the battle.
5. In the author’s point of view, it is wrong for Henry to run from the battle because Henry chose to fight in the battle and he should take his responsibility for his choice. “‘Henry, don't you be a fool,’ his mother had replied.” (Chapter 1) His mother disagreed with his decision, but he enlisted without getting permission from his mother. Therefore, he must take responsibility for other lives in the regiment. It’s not right to abandon a soldier during a battle, but it is okay to have Henry run away from the tattered soldier because they were not in battle and the tattered was bothering Henry. It caused Henry to be endangered, but it’s his responsibility for his own safety. It depends on one’s opinion if the situation is right or wrong, but each novel has a moral the author wants to tell to the readers. The novel has a central moral, but it is up to the readers to see if it right or wrong.
1. Henry, Wilson, and Jim are different in that some chose to be in the situation they’re in and others didn’t. Jim didn’t ask to be in the situation he’s in as a slave. On the other hand Jim and Wilson enlisted to be in the one they’re in. Henry, Wilson, and Jim were all three dragged into something they never wanted. They are stuck in a situation that can only lead to bad things in the end. Henry represents the youth at the time of the civil war. Just fresh out of school looking for an adventure. The call of the war calls to him as it called to many to join and fight for their country. Wilson represented the slightly older people. He craved the adventure of war but understood a tad more of the meaning of war. Jim represented the people that had a lot to gain or loose in this. They had their freedom to think of. Crane’s focus on Henry let us get a glimpsed into the mind of a kid amidst war. We got to see what it meant to him in his point of view.
2. It gives us more of an understanding of what they’re like. It allows us to visualize them as well. It gives a deeper look in to who the person is and forces us to pay attention to who they are to be able to follow the plot. Crane is painting us a picture of what is going on. He uses descriptive language to draw us more into the story. We pay more attention to what is going on.
3. Crane depicts the different armies as a huge mast looking to destroy. There is no real distinction between any of the armies fighting. They are all the same and working towards the same goal which is to destroy the opposing army. They seem like animals. They care nothing for another’s life their main goal is just to win at all cost. One of the officers of Henry’s group was willing to sacrifice them for the greater good.
4. His mother doesn’t want him to join the army because she’s afraid that he’ll get hurt or develop some bad habits from the other men. She wants him to stay home and help with their farm but he wants to win battles and know the taste of victory. She insisted that he stay behind and help her out instead of fighting. She gives light to the fact that men are cowards and greedy by nature. She foresaw a change in Henry’s personality and she’s right. His view of view of war changes his outlook completely. He learns that war isn’t all that it is cracked to be. It has a lot of death he never really connected with war.
5. It isn’t wrong for Henry to run from the battle. He is only trying to look out for himself which is alright. Other writers had taken a big view on war but Crane focused on the single psychology of one soldier, Henry, during his first experiences of war and blood shed. In this small look at things, Crane shows Henry’s mind as a web of delusion, pride, and romantic inexperience, confront by the hard lessons and face of war. Crane does not portray a world of complete morals, but instead a universe completely indifferent to human existence.
1. Henry, Wilson and Jim are all soldiers in the 304th regiment. They’ve eaten, slept, lived, and trained together for many months now. Crane refers to Jim as “the tall soldier”, Henry as “the youth”, and Wilson as “the loud one.” Jim seems to represent the good in everybody. Henry seems to represent the fear in everybody. Wilson seems to represent the adventure in everybody. Henry and Wilson are similar in the way that they view they war. They fantasize about how they are going to be heroes in every battle, and no one will be hurt. They don’t see the ugliness in war whereas Jim is more realistic. He said, “You can now eat and shoot . . . That’s all you want to do.” The way Crane goes inside Henry’s mind really gives the reader a picture of Henry different from any other character because you know his thoughts, which are words that are sometimes not spoken to others. His character is just so deep that it’s intriguing. “He lay down in the grass. The blades pressed tenderly against his cheek. The moon had been lighted and was hung in a treetop. The liquid stillness of the night enveloping him made him feel vast pity for himself. There was a caress in the soft winds; and the whole mood of the darkness, he thought, was one of sympathy for himself in his distress.”
2. I think Crane wanted to do that because it showed more of the characters personality or looks. I did not like that he used these descriptive tags to refer to the characters instead of their actual names because I became very confused as to who was who. It was annoying, and I believe it made me read slower because I kept having to back up and read to find out who was talking.
3. Crane depicted Henry’s regiment as “the blue lines.” “But the regiment was not yet veteranlike in appearance. Veteran regiments in the army were likely to be very small aggregations of men. Once, when the command had first come to the field, some perambulating veterans, noting the length of their column, had accosted them thus: "Hey, fellers, what brigade is that?" And when the men had replied that they formed a regiment and not a brigade, the older soldiers had laughed, and said, "O Gawd!" Also, there was too great a similarity in the hats. The hats of a regiment should properly represent the history of headgear for a period of years. And, moreover, there were no letters of faded gold speaking from the colors. They were new and beautiful, and the color bearer habitually oiled the pole.” The enemy was described, “A formidable line of the enemy came within dangerous range. They could be seen plainly--tall, gaunt men with excited faces running with long strides toward a wandering fence.” The differences he draws between them were their height, their uniforms, and their approach to the war—excited with no fear in their eyes. His approach to the moral element of the struggle is that every man in the war is out there fighting just to find himself and clear his soul.
4. "Ma, I'm going to enlist." "Henry, don't you be a fool," his mother had replied. Her attitude was this: "You watch out, Henry, an' take good care of yerself in this here fighting business--you watch, an' take good care of yerself. Don't go a-thinkin' you can lick the hull rebel army at the start, because yeh can't. Yer jest one little feller amongst a hull lot of others, and yeh've got to keep quiet an' do what they tell yeh. I know how you are, Henry. "I've knet yeh eight pair of socks, Henry, and I've put in all yer best shirts, because I want my boy to be jest as warm and comf'able as anybody in the army. Whenever they get holes in 'em, I want yeh to send 'em right-away back to me, so's I kin dern 'em. "An' allus be careful an' choose yer comp'ny. There's lots of bad men in the army, Henry. The army makes 'em wild, and they like nothing better than the job of leading off a young feller like you, as ain't never been away from home much and has allus had a mother, an' a-learning 'em to drink and swear. Keep clear of them folks, Henry. I don't want yeh to ever do anything, Henry, that yeh would be 'shamed to let me know about. Jest think as if I was a-watchin' yeh. If yeh keep that in yer mind allus, I guess yeh'll come out about right. Her advice foreshadows the main themes of the novel because it ends up being as bad as she said it would and socks and shirts are always needed. Friends are also few like she said.
5. In the author’s point of view, it is wrong for Henry to run from battle because it shows weakness of the mind. It is also wrong for him to abandon the tattered soldier because all the soldier ever did was try to help him. I think that The Red Badge of Courage has a moral center. “For a time the youth was obliged to reflect in a puzzled and uncertain way. His mind was undergoing a subtle change. It took moments for it to cast off its battleful ways and resume its accustomed course of thought. Gradually his brain emerged from the clogged clouds, and at last he was enabled to more closely comprehend himself and circumstance.”
1. Henry seems to represent the developing resiliency and pride of the American people; he is youthful and imaginative but maturing in this direciton. Wilson represents the loud-mouth of American culture, making unfounded assertions but not backing them up. Finally, Jim is fundamentally the opposite of Wilson, acting without speech. Crane's focus on the inner workings of Henry's mind give a personal and true view of the character. Nothing about Henry is hidden from the reader, which may or may not be true for the other characters.
2. Crane's frequent ues of descriptive tags such as "the youth" serves to generalize the story, making it more representative of this chapter of American history.
3. Crane depicts the armies of the Union and the Confederacy as different groups of simple, generally likeminded people; he disregards formal tags and insteads refers to them as "men in grey" or "soldiers in blue." He seems to reduce armies to the simple men of which they are composed.
4. The mother is against Henry's enlisting in the war but believes he should "listen to his heart". Her advice foreshadows the horrors that would ensue. She assures him that returning to her to aid her to the end of her days is a courageous and honorable act as well, should the war prove too dangerous or terrifying. She also warns him not to do anything he would "be ashamed of."
5. The author seems indifferent to Henrys' fleeing from the battle; it was neither right nor wrong. The abandoning of the tattered soldier was not seen as wrong by the author either, as the nature of the universe gives no firm ground to righteous inclinations. In this respect, The Red Badge of Courage denies that the concepts of "right" and wrong" can exist in an indifferent universe.
Kjones
1)Henry, wilson, and jim are all different people, though they share many similar characteristics. Henry represents the "youth" of America, and the false images war can bring into a young mans mind. Wilson, is rather a loud-mouth character and shows the part of american society who can talk a great deal but not follow up thier owrds with actions. Jim is "the tall soldier" and the honest middle of henry and wilson. he understands the reality.
2) Cranes frequent use of thse descriptive tags is simply a way adress the characters. but on a DEEPER note, these titles represent the characteristics of the state the country is currently in. he is identifying the characters this way to show the realms and attitudes they derive from.
3)crane's portrayal of the UNion forces and the confederates is rather broken down. He does not imply the differences they fight for but compares them in their wills and motives. they are just men , on both sides, fighting for a cause.
4) when henry first choses to enlist in the war, his mother is, of course, against it, what mother wants to see her child in a situation on deaths doorstep. Though , motherly obligations aside, she wants to see her son do as he chooses and follow his convictions, and to not do anything he would regret. Though her advice does set the stage for what henry will come to see in this war.
5)In the authors point of view he shows neither neither praise or repremand for henry's decision to run from the war. all in all he is rather indiffrent. The red Badge of courage , does Deny the categories of "right" or wrong", the indiffrent attitude of the autor and the concept in general does not imply that these moralstandpoints can exist in the setting.
1. Henry is the young character of the novel, who seems to be ready and willing, but full of fantasies and imagination. Wilson is loud but he only talks and does not act. Jim seems to be the adult character, because he simply does not look to become great, and does not talk big, he simply acts. Henry represents the conversion to manhood, Wilson represents naivety, and Jim represents maturity. Crane's focus on the inner workings of Henry's mind gives us a picture of Henry which is different from any other character by allowing us to see the change from Henry to Jim, that is, from boy to man or immaturity to maturity. In a way, he also connects maturity to courage, and thus the focus on Henry also gives illustration to the installation of courage into a human.
2. Crane uses descriptive tags such as "the youth," and "The tall soldier" to refer to characters to make the story less based on the actual characters themselves, but rather how they react with their inviroment. This treatment of the characters helps bring about his ideals of courage to the story.
3. Crane depicts the different armies as different uniforms. The confederates are not even called confederates, but are instead refered to as the soldiers in grey, while the union is referred to as the soldiers in blue. He draws little to no differences between them, the only difference really being the two different colored uniforms. He makes no approach to the moral struggle of the civil war, he does not touch on the subject or discuss it. He simply writes about the soldiers and their fight, and the gaining of courage.
4. Henry's mother suggests to him not to enlist, as she thinks its a bad idea. Her parting advice was to never do anything he would be ashamed to tell her, thus suggesting that he should be courageous in all of his actions in battle. She tells him she'll be fine even without him, so he should be brave. This forshadows the rest of the novel, as later he deals with his courage. He does commit acts that he would be ashamed to tell his mother. He later forgets about himself, and throws himself into the fights, forgetting about what he might leave behind. Thus, his discussion with his mother forshadows what will happen later.
5. From Crane's point of view, there was no right or wrong in Henry's fleeing from battle. There was no wrong in him abandoning the tattered soldier, because Crane was completely indifferent and held to dispositions. The Red Badge seems to deny moral categories in the idea that the universe itself is indifferent. In the end, there is no right or wrong with the universe; all things continue moving regardless.
1. Henry, Wilson, and Jim all seem to represent the aprehension people have about conflict and life in general. Crane's focus on Henry's mind his unique becaues we can see what hes thinking.
2. He uses nicknames becaues they are more descriptive. They better reflect who the person is than does a simple name given at birth.
3. He depicts the different armies as compromised of brave soldiers. He draws significant differences between them. He approaches the war as a moral element in that morals guide what the characters do on the battlefield and in life.
4. His mother was sad about him enlisting. Her advice forshadows how the conflict will eventually play out and how its consequences will be.
5. In the authors point of view, it was not wrong for Henry to run away from battle, but it was wrong for him to abondon the tattered soldier. The book tends to deny that morals are absolute and leans more toward the theory of relativism.
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