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Pablo Cipres

Mrs. Stier

Junior English

February21,2018

Unit 3 Performance Assessment

Everyone needs courage in their lives at least once. The novel The Red Badge of Courage

is about the American Civil War which happened in 1861in the battlefield. The author of this novel

is a writer named Stephen Crane. In this novel it shows examples of Realism. Realism is a period

when the emphasis is on development of believable characters and novels were written in common

language or dialect. The importance of courage is a major theme of The Red Badge of Courage.

Dialogue, characterization and irony are employed to express the theme. The time these acts were

going on prominently from 1860-1890.

There is a lot that goes on in this novel and with the main character Henry Fleming. One

of the main parts in the story is when Henry remembers his widowed mother asking him not to

enlist and how upset she was when he told her. Next major part in the novel is when the enemy

attacks again, this time Henry panics and flees. He justifies leaving as a wise decision based on his

survival instinct. Coming up in the story Henry is jealous that the wounded men have a ‘Red Badge

of Courage’ and wishes he was also wounded. Jim Conklin is wounded and henry watches him

die. Henry makes an effort to get a red badge so he sees a group of men fleeing, he tries to stop

one so that he can find out why they are leaving. The fleeing man hits Henry on the head with the

butt of his rifle causing a head injury, which is Henry’s red badge of courage. When Henry comes

back to his regiment, the other men think that Henry’s injury was caused by being grazed by a

bullet in battle.
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For the first literary term in this book is dialogue. Dialogue is used throughout the novel to

express the theme of courage. In this part of the novel Henry showed courage by moving towards

the line of fire and surviving which made him feel like he had been a barbarian. “There was some

grim rejoicing by the men. By thunder, I bet this army’ll never see another new regiment like us”

(Crane 94). In this quote, Henry is proud of himself and his regiment, for showing strength and

courage. He also knows that all his troops are ready and he puts trust in his regiment. The lieutenant

of the youth is dismay of their Acts, but when the word gets out that they’re going to charge the

enemy, the officer is vitalized by the opportunity. However, Henry and Wilson don’t elaborate

what the general said. “I don’t believe many of your mule drivers will get back” (Crane 97). This

quote is complex because the general made a statement to Henry and Wilson basically saying a lot

of troops are going to die from the plan they were plotting, this shows courage from Henry and

Wilson to proceed with the plan even though them knowing there will be a lot of bloodshed.

Characterization is fluttered in the novel, which still shows courage throughout. In this

quote it portrays a perfect picture of characterization, show characteristics of the battle of how the

sun felt, and the view. “The sun spread disclosing rays and, one by one, regiments burst into view

like armed men just born of the earth. The youth perceived that the time had come. He was about

to be measured. For a moment he felt in the face of his great trail like a babe, and the flesh over

his heart seemed very thin. He seized time to look about him calculatingly” (Crane, 78). The idea

of birth is strongly contrasted with death; the men are rushing into battle, yet they are described as

newborn infant. In the second quote it shows much emotion from henrys part. He is seeking for

answers towards why he is feeling this type of way. “Absurd ideas took hold upon him. He thought

that he did not relish the landscape. It threatened him, a coldness swept over his back, and it is true

that his trousers felt to him that they were no fit for his legs at all” (Crane 65). Henry attributes
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whatever emotions he’s feeling to the landscape around him. He’s trying to find some explanation

for the roller coaster of emotions he experiences.

Metaphor is the literary element used by the author to express the theme of courage. In

this quote, Henry’s Flemings were hesitant and also speculating whether or not he will run when

faced with battle is decided in this moment; yes he will run and does it without any hesitation.

“He, too threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face he ran like a rabbit”

(Crane 37). In this quote it shows that every solider is not courageous in battle. In this quote

Henry is expressive of that feeling in battle, one is not so much an individual as a part of a larger

organism. “He became not a man but a member. He felt that something of which he was a part a

regiment, an army, a cause, or a country-was in a crisis. He welded into a common personality

which was dominated by a single desire” (Crane 31). He was part of this “common personality”

a part of a subtle battle brotherhood and a mysterious fraternity born of the smoke and danger of

death. He knows that he can’t do very much on his own; rather than his whole regiment as a unit.

Whether they win or lose. The other men form into one and fight together, however Henry still

focuses on his individual response to the war and splits from the whole. Henry leaves his

regiment when he thinks they have lost and goes out on his own.

The Red Badge of Courage is a very well written novel by the literature and emotions

shown in the novel. The author expresses emotions of courage very grand, he also makes you

feel like you’re in the situation of Henry, and the novel paints a picture in your head. The most

interesting part of the novel for me is when Henry gets hit by the butt of a gun and his regiment

assumed that he had gotten skimmed in the head by a bullet, because his red badge he had gotten

was based on a lie.

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