One of the hardest truths that Henry from The Red Badge of Courage must face on his journey through war is Natures complete disregard for human affairs. Whether it be every day circumstances or the blazing furnace of war, Nature does not change for anything or anyone. Nature still has its seasons and balance of life always, and never wavers. Nature is the perfect symbol for peace and balance in a setting of pure destruction and despair. Shortly after running from battle, Henry finds himself in some woods, where we see his first realization into Nature’s tranquility. Henry talks about the peace of Nature and observes a squirrel running away in fear when Henry throws a rock at it. The realization Henry has is that Nature has its own
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In chapter 8 Henry thinks to himself, “But he said, in substance, to himself that if the earth and moon were about to clash, many persons would doubtless plan to get upon the roofs to witness the collision.” So, in defense of Nature if the circumstances were changed and Nature was at war, Man would not even so much as watch. This only further cements the theme of Nature and Man being together yet separate. However, it is not always the case than Man ignores the events of Nature, with thunderstorms and other catastrophic events that take place Man cannot afford to simply pay no attention to Nature. Why then doesn’t Nature pay attention to Man? The solution may be found in the scale of which the events take place. For example, Man resides in Nature and therefore is stipulated in part to the events of Nature, but Man is also finite and takes up a small percentage of Nature, especially during the events of this story. Man, is not at war all over the planet and does not affect all of Nature and its need for survival. But even on a larger scale, if we put Nature in the context of the whole universe then it makes it so much more understandable. The laws of Nature must continue throughout the infinite universe that the reader only gets a fraction of a percentage to witness in the novel. Nature, therefore cannot pay attention and be subject to change to the events of a war taking place in one country on a small part of the world, in the vastness of the Universe. The laws of Nature and its cycle of life are far too important for its own sake and the sake of life of all beings and creatures on this planet and throughout the
In chapter 8 Henry thinks to himself, “But he said, in substance, to himself that if the earth and moon were about to clash, many persons would doubtless plan to get upon the roofs to witness the collision.” So, in defense of Nature if the circumstances were changed and Nature was at war, Man would not even so much as watch. This only further cements the theme of Nature and Man being together yet separate. However, it is not always the case than Man ignores the events of Nature, with thunderstorms and other catastrophic events that take place Man cannot afford to simply pay no attention to Nature. Why then doesn’t Nature pay attention to Man? The solution may be found in the scale of which the events take place. For example, Man resides in Nature and therefore is stipulated in part to the events of Nature, but Man is also finite and takes up a small percentage of Nature, especially during the events of this story. Man, is not at war all over the planet and does not affect all of Nature and its need for survival. But even on a larger scale, if we put Nature in the context of the whole universe then it makes it so much more understandable. The laws of Nature must continue throughout the infinite universe that the reader only gets a fraction of a percentage to witness in the novel. Nature, therefore cannot pay attention and be subject to change to the events of a war taking place in one country on a small part of the world, in the vastness of the Universe. The laws of Nature and its cycle of life are far too important for its own sake and the sake of life of all beings and creatures on this planet and throughout the