De La Salle Senior English / Sr. Pat

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

CHAPTERS 1 AND 2

-army is resting by the river
-tall soldier (Jim Conklin) comes back with rumors that the troops will move out soon
-he tells of a plan he overheard
-one private doesn’t believe him saying they will never move
-the tall soldier defends the rumor and a heated discussion begins
-the young soldier (Henry Fleming) goes back to into his hut to think about what is to come
-the young soldier has been dreaming of battles all of his life and enlisted against the wishes of his mother
-as he is leaving his mother gives him strong advice
-the young soldier sets off for Washington and is treated like a hero along the way
-young soldier has heard stories from experienced soldiers and he is worried that he might run away from the battle
-he asks Jim if he thinks anyone may run or he may run
-Jim’s response, Maybe, and it would depend on the other soldiers
-Henry is reassured that he is only lacking confidence
-soon the regiment begins to march
-Henry wishes he were home instead of marching
-Wilson (the loud soldier) comes to discuss the events with Henry he tells Henry he is sure he would not run from the battle

-Henry is a fresh-faced soldier who is eager and frightened of the battle
-being described as “the youth” lends itself to anonymity as he can represent an every man persona
-Jim Conklin initials are thought by some to suggest his role as a symbolic Christ-like figure
-Henry’s main concern is his ability to act courageously in the face of personal danger
-he doubts his own bravery
-he sees the impending battle as a test of his character
-his enlistment was an attempt to seek adventure, personal advancement and a chance to fight for his country
-soldiers are not well informed about the army’s plans and are eager to go into battle

CHAPTER 3 AND 4

-crossing a bridge in the dark, Henry is afraid they might be assaulted at any moment
-next morning the whole regiment is awakened and begins to run although they do not know why until they hear gunfire in the distance
-Henry decides he has been forced into battle by the government
-walking they pass a dead soldier on the ground
-stopping the soldiers begin to build mound with stones but then are told to withdraw
-they march again but are angry with their commanders
-Wilson tells Henry this battle will be his first and last and asks him to take a yellow envelope back to his family
-regiment is halted and bullets begin to fly by them—lieutenant is struck in the hand
-regiment stand motionless, watching the Confederate in front of them retreat

-the soldiers move closer to battle and Henry realizes the moment of truth is coming
-war suddenly becomes real to him and he doesn’t like it
-Crane’s description of their first taste of battle is chaotic and scattered
-soldiers retreating, but Crane’s imagery focuses on the blurriness of movement and confusion—all focus is lost
-fourth chapter ends with suspense
-novel has been building up to this great moment when Henry will have to prove himself
-air of impatience in the story and waiting for “what”
-ready for battle
-Wilson’s foreshadowing of his own death adds to the grim uncertainty


CHAPTERS 5 AND 6

-someone shouts that the Confederates are coming and the regiment prepares to fight
-a General rides by and tells then that they must hold them
-a Captain tells them to hold their fire
-Henry sees the enemy and fires one wild shot
-he suddenly feels he is part of the group and no longer an individual
-Henry feels rage and wishes he could attack the enemy with his bare hands
-he sees his fellow soldiers get shot and then he sees the enemy soldiers begin to scatter and retreat
-Henry notices the blue sky and wonders at the tranquility of nature amid all this fighting
-Henry sleeps and wakes up with new confidence-war is not frightening to him
-another Confederate brigade approaches—the man next to Henry puts down his gun and runs away and Henry puts down his gun and runs away
-Henry is overcome with fear hearing shells fly over his head
-he sees the battle in action, hears the General giving orders, and feels a great amount of anger towards the General for staying in that place
-the General shouts that they have held the army

-Henry experiences two different reactions to the battle
-first he is calm, feeling apart of the group
-second he feels nothing but fear and the desire to escape as quickly as he can
-neither case is based on rational thinking, he acts according to his instinct and desire for survival
-Crane describes the battle well, although he was never a soldier
-he creates energy and suspense
-Henry’s motives are never questionable—he acts according to the momentary and involuntary actions of his body
-Henry is not heroic or cowardly—he fights because the other soldiers do
-he runs away because the sudden fear he sees in the eyes of his comrade overwhelms him and he wants to escape
-Henry does not have a strong personality of his own
-He represents the common soldier, an average young man expected to survive in increasingly difficult and senseless situations


CHAPTER 7 AND 8

-Henry feels cheated, because they have won the battle
-he justified that running away was better in the long run
-he feels resentment to the soldiers that stayed to fight
-he feels his judgment is superior and wonders how the more foolish soliers will react when he returns to camp
-he walks into the woods and throws a pinecone at a squirrel and notices that the squirrel runs away—this is a reassuring sign to Henry that he acting according to nature’s will
-as he walks he comes to an area of trees that looks like a chapel, he sees a corpse which scares him but he continues to star at the dead man—he backs away slowly, worried that it will come to life
-he hears a loud noise and runs towards it thinking it is a battle greater than what he has just run away from
-Henry sees a group of wounded soldiers and begins to walk with them
-tattered man begin talking with Henry and asks him where he has been hit
-Henry moves away from this man and his questions

-Henry’s ashamed of his actions, but will not accept his shame as normal
-he tries to rationalize his choices, arguing that the other soldiers were wrong to stay at the battle
-he needs more reassurance
-he looks to nature for reassurance and find solace in the tranquility of nature
-he finds a sign in the squirrel
-he must now try to reconcile his opinions on bravery with his own act of cowardice
-corpse in the woods is a tragic reminder of Henry’s mortality and his cowardly behavior
-corpse is a blotch on the landscape
-it is a horrific sight to him because in the dead soldier he sees what he might have been
-walking with the wounded soldiers, he feels he has no right to be with them because they stayed and fought
-he is too ashamed to admit he is not wounded so he runs away
-he is as afraid of being found out as he was of being killed in the battle


CHAPTER 9 AND 10

-leaving the tattered man, Henry continues to walk with the wounded soldiers, but is still uncomfortable with them
-he wishes he had a wound, thinking the these soldiers are happy
-he calls the wound “a red badge of courage” –a bloody proof of bravery in battle
-ghostlike soldier walks beside Henry
-Henry recognizes him to be Jim Conklin
-he tells Henry he was shot and is afraid of falling and being run over by an artillery wagon—he asks Henry to take him off the road before the wagons come
-Jim begins to run into a field and Henry follows him trying to stop him
-Jim finds a place in the field in which to die
-Henry walks again with the wounded
-tattered man talks about home; that he is wounded; Henry should be careful especially if he has an internal wound
-Henry runs off again

-Jim Conklin returns in a Christ-like pose—marching to his death
-Henry wants to help him, but can do little—he is grief-stricken by Jim’s death and this only adds to his shame
-Henry has a full-fledged secret and resents the tattered man for trying to uncover it
-he doesn’t want to see death again and he feels compelled to escape
-he is concerned about being found out as a fraud, and worries that faking a wound is the most cowardly behavior possible
-Henry longs for the “red badge of courage” as proof of his bravery
-he feels he does not deserve to escape cleanly from battle and want to hide his cowardice
-he is jealous of the other soldiers’ wounds, thinking that they are something to be earned


CHAPTER 11 AND 12

-Henry sees wagon retreating and begins to feel that perhaps his actions were okay
-he sees forward-moving infantry and wishes he could change places with one of the soldiers
-he feels a sudden desire to fight but has no rifle
-it will be extremely difficult to find his own regiment at this point
-he doesn’t want to return after he ran away
-he feels that if he is not like the other soldiers, he will never be made into a hero
-the men in the blue uniforms come running back towards him and he is lost in the midst of them
-he grabs one of them and tries to ask him what is going on, the man picks up his rifle and hits Henry over the head so Henry will let him go
-Henry is overcome with pain and weakness and falls to the ground
-he gets up and continues to walk on—wound is painful
-another soldier walks with him and sees that he is badly injured
-he takes Henry to his regiment

-despite Henry’s fear and shame, the war still provokes a strong desire to fight
-he want to join the other infantry
-his injured head gives Henry something to think about
-if causes Henry to feel pain
-one soldier thinks he fought with his regiment and was grazed by a bullet
-Henry does not seek to manipulate, but he does not wish to clarify his recent actions


CHAPTERS 13 AND 14

-Henry fears the mockery of his fellow soldiers but can’t resist the fire and promise of food and rest
-he sees Wilson and tells him that he was wounded
-the corporal tells him that he was just grazed by a bullet, leaving a wound similar to being hit with a club
-the wound is bandaged and Henry falls asleep on Wilson’s blanket
-Henry, not feeling well the next morning, allows Wilson to adjust the bandage
-Henry observes the Wilson is no longer loud and he has lost much of his pride and conceit
-they talk of the upcoming battle, and Wilson says his attitude has changed since the last battle
-Henry tells Wilson that Jim C. is dead
-Wilson says they lost half the regiment, but they keep coming back

-Henry earns respect from his comrades for his false “red badge of courage”
-the wound gives him an excuse to avoid speaking of his escape from battle
-he worries that he will be found out
-he is somewhat paranoid and surprised by Wilson’s new attitude
-he wonders if Wilson is suggesting that all the returning men actually had run from the battle
-Henry is entrenched in the world of secrets and falsehoods
-he lied about his injury, invented a story about being shot
-Henry clearly hides behind the blood received from the blow
-he uses it as proof that he fought the enemy


CHAPTER 15 AND 16

-standing in formation, ready to march, Henry remembers the envelope Wilson game him
-he doesn’t give it back immediately because he realizes no one knows his secret and he doesn’t want to remind Wilson of his emotional state
-he does think the envelope could be a weapon he can use against his friend
-Henry thinks his is experienced, seen the battle, not as fearsome as he expected
-he remembers other soldiers running from the gunfire and thinks they are weak and cowardly
-he insists he ran away with dignity
-Wilson comes and asks him for his envelope and Henry returns it without comment
-the regiment takes the place of another group of soldiers, wait, listen, begin to march again at length
-they argue that the generals are incompetent, but a lieutenant commands them to be quiet

-Henry, losing his shame and humiliation, develops a new arrogance
-He wants to taunt his friend, who had taken care of him, for his weakness of character—he doesn’t, not because he takes pity, but because he can think of nothing to say
-Henry shares his strong opinions about the war
-he has self-righteous view and other soldiers ask if he thought he fought yesterday’s battle along
-Henry’s anxiety about his secret being found out returns
-his concern is he knows he is lying to his comrades and he feels pains of guilt when the battle is mentioned
-he appears over-confident and certain of his skill concerning the battle
-Henry is accustomed to battle and does not fear it, but is worried about his own pride than death
-he enters this battle willingly hoping to achieve heroic status


CHAPTERS 17, 18 AND 19

-Henry is physically tired at having to fight off the enemy again and wants to rest
-he fights as though the enemy is a monster and another soldier yells at him to stop firing because he is firing at nothing
-other soldiers star at him because Henry has fought wildly
-the lieutenant says they could sin the war if all of them fought so eagerly
-Henry and Wilson go for water and hear two men discuss the battle
-general asks which troops the officer can spare and he answers the 304th because they fight like “mule drivers”
-Henry and Wilson return to their regiment, realizing their own insignificance and tell others they are going to charge
-regiment attacks, running into the woods, many of them are killed
-lieutenant shouts for them to keep moving; them must cross the field or them will all be killed
-Henry runs as fast as he can; the flag beside him gives him a sense of patriotic joy
-the color sergeant dies and Henry wrenches the flag away from him

-Henry’s in the rhythm of war, thrusts himself completely into his anger and sustains his strength during the fight
-he is not concerned with self-protection; he just wants to kill the enemy
-he learns that his regiment is not as important as others and he is insignificant, which reinforces his dissatisfaction with the soldier’s life
-he wants to prove himself, but he knows he will not have a deep effect on the war
-they charge again and Henry has conflicting desires
-the flag is a symbol of why Henry continues to fight
-he doesn’t understand the war, but has a love, worship and appreciation for the flag waving beside him


CHAPTER 20 AND 21

-Henry and Wilson fight over who will carry the flag
-their regiment crumbles away and the soldiers march back
-Henry is disappointed, but the group meets a group of enemy soldiers
-the two groups start firing and the enemy disappears
-the regiment is joyful, feeling renewed enthusiasm at their success
-marching they pass a group of soldiers that taunt them and they feel anger towards this group
-they stop and rest and the general says that this group did not go far enough
-the colonel says they went as far as they could
-Words of anger pass through the soldiers but a group of other soldiers tell Henry and Wilson the colonel telling the lieutenant that Henry and Wilson did a great joy carrying the flag
-he said they ought to be made major-generals and both men are pleased as their anger fades

-Henry’s pride is wounded by his regiment’s failure and the suggestion that they cannot do any better
-he wants to disprove the general’s words
-he is more focused on his own pride and individual achievements and not on the war as a greater phenomenon
-they defeat another regiment and stop to rest with a sense of accomplishment
-they feel the reproach of the general, and Henry is filled with anger, feeling the colonel is his true enemy
-angry emotions propel him to fight; the greater purpose of the war not even in his thoughts
-Henry and Wilson finally receive the recognition they think they deserve
-they long for respect and acknowledgement
-they cannot hide their happiness at being singled out for their efforts and success


CHAPTER 22, 23 AND 24

-Henry sees two regiments fighting but cannot tell who is winning
-his regiment is attacked and they are intent on disproving the term “mud-diggers” which has been applied to them
-Henry is still carrying the flag and is resolved not to lose any ground
-they charge, move forward, reach the enemy
-Henry sees the enemy’s flag and wants it; he runs towards it
-the other enemy soldiers scatter and Henry sees the other color-bearer on the ground, fighting to protect his flag, as he is dying
-Henry and Wilson both rush for the flag and grab it as the other color-bearer dies
-they capture four gray soldiers
-one gray curses his captors, another converses easily with them
-Henry has time to think about the battle from which he ran and feels a hint of shame
-he feels that he has become a man, the earth is open to him, and he looks forward to a life of peace

-Henry’s thoughts are still centered on proving his worth as a soldier
-they all want a symbolic victory
-the enemy flag represents this achievement of their success
-Henry and Wilson are heroes of the group so they both lunge after the flag as if fulfilling a personal duty
-Henry’s experiences, coming of age in this novel, are reached in these final chapters
-he is not altogether different now than from the start of the novel
-he is somewhat wiser to war and understands more about himself and his own potential
-he continues to have all the emotions he had at the beginning of the novel, but now he realizes he can move beyond them and have some control over his own actions
-we do not know the eventual fate of Henry
-he does not exist outside of the framework of this war except for a few memories of home
-his time in the war is a turning point in his life, but he does not fully comprehend how the war will affect his future
-he has a new appreciation for peace and for the serenity of nature