Henry Flemming, an inexperienced soldier, is the main focus of Stephen Crane's novel The Red Badge of Courage. Following the common misconception shared by many people of the time, at the beginning of the novel, Henry believes that war is a place where one can become a hero, demonstrate courage, and gain the honor and glory that many can only dream of . Throughout the novel we witness Henry's vision of the changing war as he is exposed to the true horrors it holds; As he is exposed to these horrors, Henry undergoes mental changes: from being the coward fleeing the war, he eventually becomes a hero. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Henry is in a camp with his group, when a soldier arrives and exclaims that the enemy was near; it was a false alarm, but very soon the regiment would find itself in the thick of the battle. When captured in the middle of the battle, Henry runs into the forest, fleeing the battle. While in the forest Henry finds a squirrel, to which he throws a pine cone, when the squirrel runs away it leads Henry to the conclusion that running away was a natural instinct. While leaving the woods, Henry comes across a trail that wounded soldiers use to free themselves from the battle. One of the wounded soldiers confronted Henry, asking him where he had been wounded. To avoid embarrassment, Henry ran away from this soldier. Then he meets a friend of his, a soldier named Jim. Henry realizes that Jim is injured, Jim's wounds are fatal and in a last attempt to avoid dying in front of a friend Jim runs into some bushes where Henry watches him die. This changed Henry's view on the war; he no longer saw it as a glorious chance to become a hero, he saw the more gruesome side that can only be witnessed in the war itself. After Jim's death, Henry decides that the wound is a red mark of courage. Henry leaves Jim and meets another of his friends, to whom he lies, including about where he was. Henry's change was evident in the next battle where he fought with machine-like movements, firing and reloading, shot after shot. A soldier stops Henry from shooting, telling him that the enemy has begun to retreat. This soldier calls Henry a hero; however Henry would not accept it. Henry is preparing for the next battle; he realizes that no one in his group is expected to survive. In the battle Henry manages to carry the Union flag; this made him a big target, but he still wore it with pride. Henry's regiment, against all odds, managed to overwhelm the enemy, successfully defending itself and winning the battle. After winning this battle, Henry and his regiment felt very accomplished. This led Henry himself to realize that his outlook and approach towards war has changed. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Red Badge of Courage gives the reader great insight into the mental conflicts that soldiers were commonly exposed to. We saw Henry exposed to many negative aspects of the war, but he also had many positive experiences. This book allowed a unique view of the Civil War through the eyes of a soldier. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in learning about the Civil War and the life of a soldier involved in it. There was excessive use of slang words in dialogue between characters; this made it difficult to understand and read at times. This book is a good example of how the environment of.