Henry IS :: essays research papers

It is obvious that after reading The Red Badge of Courage, there are some(prenominal) different interpretations as to what kind of person Henry is. Some argue that Henrys change at the end of the novel turned him into an remark earning, noble man. While one battle can change a man, there are al modes the underlying traits that will never fade away. The set out of the novel is where Henrys psychological background is set. Henrys personality is brutally self-centered, the only when person in his mind is himself, and thats the way it always will be. When Henry informed his m different that he was leaving to go to war, he was upset with her reaction. He expected a huge outstanding scene with his mother in tears and begging him to stay home. To his dismay, Henry received a stoic response, in which his mother told him to simply be careful. It was evident through the subtly of his mothers response that she was likewise upset by her sons decision, and chose to support him as a good m other would. Henry was too busy distressing about the dissatisfying reaction from his mother to realize that she was hurt and distraught. This example is just a beginning to the selfish thoughts that pollute Henrys mind. Henry was overly obsessed with obtaining a high reputation on the battlefield. He hoped that an impressive performance during battles would immortalize him as a champ among the rest of the soldiers. Henry holds his well high throughout the entire beginning of the novel, and while he makes mistakes, he does not blame it on himself. Also, Henry ran away from battle, which ends up with one less(prenominal) person in line to fight. Henry was not thinking of the other soldiers he put at risk when he fled, but only his avow fear and life. Although he was just one soldier, one soldier can make a difference. When Henry fled from battle, afterwards he blamed it on the other soldiers who did not follow in his footsteps. He found them to be fools for not protecting themsel ves from death as he did. In order to further outgrowth his high self-image, he faked a wound. Getting hit in the head by the butt end of a rifle is not a hero like quality, so he went along with the lie of getting shot. Luckily, the unsuspecting soldiers believed that a bullet grazed his head, and the bump on his head wasnt the only factor to how huge Henrys head looked.