red badge of courage
...y about his wounds makes Henry deal with his hidden secret. Knowing it was wrong; Henry fled from his second battle and put more concern over himself and his well-being, than of the other men in his regiment. Henry took the easy way out by not facing adversity in the face but rather giving up and running away. To his misfortune, the men who stood their positions held back the enemy. Henry suddenly felt betrayed and angry towards the men who stayed and fought and felt ashamed of his actions. What was once a smart plan to Henry was now a step back in achieving his red badge of courage, which he has longed yet to receive. Do to his actions, and shame, Henry is forced to lie to cover up his wrong judgment. Henry’s cowardice actions show the reader that Henry hasn’t matured into manhood and he is still out for himself. Through the tattered soldier’s character we see how Henry is affected by his past actions and what it means to him to be courageous, honorable, and even noticed. He let nothing get in his way of his pride. Henry’s actions before faced in the woods with the corpse or to witness his friend’s death were not any of the things he was hoping to achieve in battle. With hope still left for Henry to change he finally starts to realize reality. The tattered soldiers nagging questions, curiosity, and speculation of every other soldier’s wounds bothered Henry so much he left the soldier to die in the woods. Burdened by yet another wrongful action, Henry is set in the right direction. After Henry realized the truth of...