Henry Fleming Character Analysis

Henry Fleming was a youth that had wanted to enlist. Some of his personality traits are one that needs courage. He lacked courage that was needed for him during the war. This would come to him during the time of him facing the battles. Henry is an idealistic and completely self-absorbed teenager. As such he needed to drop that attitude in order to become the man he wanted to be. He wanted nothing more than a chance to show off and be thought of as a brave and daring male.

Henry has to overcome the notions of what it means to be courageous and what it takes to become a man. His concepts of manliness are idealized as his feelings about bravery. He thinks that his culture has tamed men of their urge to fight battles. He sees his fellow men as being weak and pale and overly …show more content…
Wilson becomes a self-sacrificing friend to Henry. He guides him the same way Jim in regards to what it means to be a man. Also what it means to be courageous. Henry even surpasses Wilson by the end of the story, by letting Wilson to shut his mouth when he has a moment of doubt. The image of the two men together bearing the Union flag is entirely appropriate for losing battle.

I did not like the way the book ends. The way it ends with Henry walking into the rain shower, he was hoping to rid himself of the red sickness of battle. The nightmare of the battle and the turmoil that he went through was in the past. As he continues on the road back to his camp, he looks to the sky, and he feels "an existence eternal peace just as the sun breaks through the clouds.

After the charge Henry's self-confidence grew and he got the courage that he always desired in order to become the man he wanted and his comrades helped him to grow and mature. This made him grow strong and confident and self-assurance like he never felt before. He was able to learn to be one of the best fighters a "wild cat" as the lieutenant called