In Stephen Crane’s novel The Red Badge of Courage, the main character--the youth, also known as Henry Fleming--deals with many different themes including: warfare, courage, and isolation. The conflicts included in this essay, written with excessive amounts of imagery, establish examinable themes. Henry handles each theme during his battles bravely; however, during his four-day war experience, he struggles with coming to terms with his fears and fighting for his beliefs. He is literally battling the Confederate Army, all while fighting a figurative battle in his mind. Not fit to be a soldier--and fearing that he will desert--Henry believes he does not have the courage to fight. Also imagining that his fellow soldiers will not desert like he
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“No one seemed to be wrestling with such a terrific personal problem. He was a mental outcast” (Crane 21). The thought of actually “wrestling with such a terrific personal problem” makes one imagine the struggle that must have gone through Henry’s head, as the sole man that would rather not fight. Although his isolation problem starts with his regiment, after Henry deserts his troop and runs off into the woods, forcing him to think more about his lack of courage. He realizes “[h]e ha[s] grown to regard himself merely as a part of a vast blue demonstration” and interestingly enough, the imagery of being part of a “vast blue demonstration”--the Union army--make him feel as though he lost his identity and feel more isolated (Crane 8). However, when he joins his troop again later on, he does find camaraderie with another soldier.. The Red Badge of Courage, when looked at through the connection of imagery and theme, tell a story about a youth who actively seeks courage through camaraderie in his regiment during the war. When having trouble, he seeks solace in deserting his troop and gallivanting into the woods for safety. When combining the three themes of warfare, courage, and isolation, Henry transforms into a dynamic character when sprinkled with imagery as well. Stephen Crane’s use of imagery tied with the themes made the story clearer in the sense of figuring out Henry as a
“No one seemed to be wrestling with such a terrific personal problem. He was a mental outcast” (Crane 21). The thought of actually “wrestling with such a terrific personal problem” makes one imagine the struggle that must have gone through Henry’s head, as the sole man that would rather not fight. Although his isolation problem starts with his regiment, after Henry deserts his troop and runs off into the woods, forcing him to think more about his lack of courage. He realizes “[h]e ha[s] grown to regard himself merely as a part of a vast blue demonstration” and interestingly enough, the imagery of being part of a “vast blue demonstration”--the Union army--make him feel as though he lost his identity and feel more isolated (Crane 8). However, when he joins his troop again later on, he does find camaraderie with another soldier.. The Red Badge of Courage, when looked at through the connection of imagery and theme, tell a story about a youth who actively seeks courage through camaraderie in his regiment during the war. When having trouble, he seeks solace in deserting his troop and gallivanting into the woods for safety. When combining the three themes of warfare, courage, and isolation, Henry transforms into a dynamic character when sprinkled with imagery as well. Stephen Crane’s use of imagery tied with the themes made the story clearer in the sense of figuring out Henry as a