War is a lengthy psychological test for every soldier. War causes unhealthy outcomes. One could experience a sense of anxiety along with questioning his or her meaning to life; another disorder they can encounter, Shell Shock, or as we know it today: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Henry, in chapter two, experiences anxiety. Crane states, “In his great anxiety his heart was continually clamoring at what he considered the intolerable slowness of the generals” (13). Anxiety is a feeling of constant worry and fear. Henry has a fear that the generals are not going to be able to do their jobs correctly in the pace they are moving. About this time in Red Badge, the soldiers have just heard word that they will be going into battle. None of
…show more content…
In Red Badge Henry starts to give up on himself and question why he has come to war. Henry notices how he starts pondering the idea of running away. The situation eats at Henry as he lays there quietly in the dark dreary night. This contemplation adds to his anxiety. One disease the characters are confronted with is PTSD. PTSD is a “mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The disorder can be a progression of extreme anxiety: which in Henry’s case is present. Henry is an anxiety filled soldier who has overcome many obstacles, but he has more to come. The death of several and the fear of his own death has driven Henry to many health disorders, but Henry is not the only one. Quite a few more individuals in Red Badge are in the same boat as Henry. Furthermore, Henry becomes an example for the medicinal world of Crane. Donald Gibson proves the theory of Crane by stating”Because the novel focuses on the internal working of Henry Fleming's psyche, it is not a war novel in any sense; rather, it is a study of its main character’s reactions and responses in a wartime situation”
In Red Badge Henry starts to give up on himself and question why he has come to war. Henry notices how he starts pondering the idea of running away. The situation eats at Henry as he lays there quietly in the dark dreary night. This contemplation adds to his anxiety. One disease the characters are confronted with is PTSD. PTSD is a “mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The disorder can be a progression of extreme anxiety: which in Henry’s case is present. Henry is an anxiety filled soldier who has overcome many obstacles, but he has more to come. The death of several and the fear of his own death has driven Henry to many health disorders, but Henry is not the only one. Quite a few more individuals in Red Badge are in the same boat as Henry. Furthermore, Henry becomes an example for the medicinal world of Crane. Donald Gibson proves the theory of Crane by stating”Because the novel focuses on the internal working of Henry Fleming's psyche, it is not a war novel in any sense; rather, it is a study of its main character’s reactions and responses in a wartime situation”