The Changing Role of the Hero in The Red Badge of Courage Essay

The Changing Role of the Hero inThe Red Badge of Courage With Stephen unfolds The Red Badge of Courage, the concept of the marvelous figure begins to shift farther away from clearly defined characteristics. The persuasion of a single individual rising up to heroically oppress in any situation lost favor with the changing views of the ordinal century leading Crane to address as a motif the quandary of heroism in an unheroic age (Beaver 67) by creating in enthalpy Fleming a figure both heroic and non-heroic all in one. His geographic expedition of the concepts of courage and cowardice shows them to be opposite sides of the same coin as evidenced in the heroic figure. Through Henrys progression in thoughts, Crane explores this changing view of the hero. As the book opens, the y go forthh Henry had believed that he moldiness be a hero (Crane 50), as he set out as a newly enlisted man. Awaiting the call of his first battle, Henry reflected that sometimes he inclined to believin g them all heroes (Crane 75) based simply on their section as soldiers. However, when confronted with the reality of battle, Henry soon noticed that there was a left(p) absence of heroic poses (Crane 86). Trying to cope with his own inadequacy, Henry finds himself constantly lacking in comparison with those around him. As they marched along he thought that heroes could find excuses . . . They could retire with perfect self-respect and make excuses to the stars (Crane 123). borderland among those heroes wounded in battle, they rendered it almost impossible for him to see himself in a heroic light (Crane 125). Henry began to despair that he should ever bring forth a hero (Crane 126). However, through a new confrontation in battle, Henry found himself funct... ...a of his red badge of cowardice known notwithstanding to him, he earned his red badge of courage. However, the necessity of a turn away in character to create the final hero is still evidenced. By showing the close rel ationship between the negative and positive aspects of a single characteristic--in this case confronting battle with either courage or cowardice--Crane opens the access for an infinite understanding of what makes a hero by demonstrating that perfection is not a necessary characteristic. Works Cited Beaver, Harold. Stephen Crane The Hero as Victim. recent Critical Interpretations Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Harold Bloom. NY Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 65-74. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Intro. pappa Covici, Jr. NY Penguin Books, 1985. Credy, Edwin H. Stephen Crane. Rev. Ed. Boston Twayne Publishers, 1980.