Every person reacts uniquely when under pressure. When it feels like the world is on one’s shoulders, he will often buckle from the stress. However, some are able to overcome these odds.
Some are able to surmount the insurmountable. Whether through the strength of mind, spirit, or body, these rare people are what society likes to call “heroes”. In the novel “The Red Badge of Courage,” Henry Flemming aspires to be heroic under pressure.
In the novel, Henry enlists in the Union Army during the American Civil War because he wants to be a hero. In the beginning, Henry had many preconceived notions about what a hero is.
When Henry first imagines becoming a soldier, he dreams of being the type of hero that bravely faces danger to keep others safe. This romanticized portrait Henry has painted in his head is due to childhood dreams that dominated his early youth.
He dreamed of conquering bloody conflicts through his prowess, always saving his allies and shielding them from the horrors of war. In a way, Henry believes he is a hero just by enlisting. These childhood fantasies are soon dashed when he comes into his first contact in war.
Soon after arriving, Henry starts to doubt his own heroism. This is due to the fear he feels creeping up inside him. Henry’s childish fantasies never left room for fear. Once he first experiences this fear, Henry somewhat brands himself as a coward.
Eventually, Henry begins to realize heroism is not the absence of fear; it is the ability to embrace fear and still move forward. Once he accepts this, Henry takes his first steps to being a true hero.
He learns this lesson the hard way, as during his first battle, he runs away. Henry learns to forgive himself for this cowardice, and uses it to fuel the fire inside him to fight.
As the novel weaves forward, Henry increasingly embraces the fear inside him. If anything, he uses this fear to push himself forward. It is through this that he is able to revoke the fantasies of his youth and take his first steps toward true heroism.
Both Henry’s courage and heroism increase as the novel goes on. Henry is able to recognize his past acts of cowardice and learn from them. He eventually begins to vent all his hatred into his fighting and is eventually recognized as the best soldier in his regiment.
By accepting his past mistakes, Henry is at last able to make peace with himself and look forward. By this simple act, Henry Flemming finally becomes a hero, even if it is not the caricature he envisioned as a child.
When he was first under intense pressure, Henry buckled. However, through his ability to not just look past his earlier mistakes, but learn from them, Henry is able to be the hero he was always meant to be.
In a way, this novel is about the loss of innocence and the transition into adulthood. As a child, Henry envisioned a perfect portrait of war. When he enlists, he finds war to be a much more complicated matter.
Henry finds that war is not as black and white as he once envisioned, and through this recognition, he is able to become a hero.
