Eshana Batra
WR 100 Byttebier

Manhood by the virtue of Martyrdom

The mental and physical suffering of the protagonist, Henry Fleming, in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage drives him to his ultimate quest for manhood. Henry, often referred to as ‘the youth’, enlists in war with the belief that he’ll achieve manhood through a valiant soldier’s life. The premise of his enlistment is his endeavour to attain self-worth and a heroic stature, a microcosm of the need for human beings to achieve recognition. The novel is spanned across two days of heated battle between the Confederate soldiers and the Union during the American Civil War (schmoop,2012). This essay will bring to light Michael Walzer’s opinions on the rules of war and moral decencies in battles in situ to Henry’s red badge of courage. Walzer, a political theorist, insists on the importance of ethics and need for conventions for the abolition of war rather than it’s toleration. As Henry is exposed to the realities of war, his conceptualization of manhood evolves from a naïve lust for glory to a noble and selfless rationale of life. This essay will identify the changes in Henry’s perception of manhood as a result of his experiences on and off the battlefield by analyzing his inner turmoil of self-doubt and insecurity.

The heroism associated with military exultance intoxicates and thus misleads Henry into believing that war brings glamour and honor. This resonates with Walzer’s argument that “military honor is still the creed of the professional soldier” (Walzer, 1977). Henry’s decision to enlist in the war is spurred from his desire for a reputation and place in society, as opposed to the ‘farm boy image’ that he has lived with thus far. Furthermore, his naïve belief in traditional models of courage and honor add a mystical element and dimension of humor, both far from the reality of war. Through his expectation of emotionally charged parting words to “return with the shield or on it”, he receives a blunt response, “[destroying] his plans” to exercise manhood in war (Crane, Page. 6). Crane represents Henry’s fantasies and hopes through the romantic images of Greek culture, sarcastically smirking at Henry’s hopes and what war will reveal. Henry “swells with calm pride” as he bids “adieu to his schoolmates”, outlining what he thinks to be his transition from a boy to a man (7). In stark contrast to Henry’s optimism and excitement for war stands Henry’s mother, who is shown to have a more realistic sense of war. Crane exemplifies his thoughts and ironically debases all those who enlisted in war like Henry. His mother immediately objects to Henry’s decision by asking him “not to [be] a fool”, conveying her concern and denial of losing her son. The “two tears that leave trails” on his mother’s scarred cheeks are a result of real emotion and knowledge of the realities of war, where Crane symbolizes the psychological and emotional damage of war through the trail of tears. Moreover, Henry’s mother warns Henry not to disgrace himself or do anything that he’d be “’shamed to let [let] her know about”, highlighting her, and indirectly, Crane’s bureaucratic perspective of war, asking him to finish his duties and return home safely (6). Crane furthermore introduces the theme of insignificance in war when Henry’s mother tells him that he is “jest one little feller amongst a hull lot of others”, a painful realization that will come in time for Henry. Through the relationship between Henry and his mother, Crane portrays the mundane realities of life as a soldier.

The bitter conditions of war and the inner turmoil that Henry battles lead to his decision to run away from the regiment. Henry panics and flees with other soldiers, displaying “zeal of an insane sprinter” in hope to win the race to survive and dodge “death that was about to be [thrust] on him” (33). Running away from this war becomes his curse, where upon hearing the information that his regiment won, he “cringes with crime” (35). Crane displays an emerging psychological trauma through Henry’s various attempts to justify his lack of courage and strength by calling upon his intelligence as the driving force of his escape. He resents the “stupidity” of those who stayed behind and internally castigates them for not being “wise enough to save themselves from the flurry of death” (36). By denigrating and equating their courage to stupidity, Henry places himself on a pedestal, thus restoring his pride. Furthermore, Crane highlights delusion and conceit by opening Henry’s thoughts to the reader, where he illogically conjures up an explanation by observing a squirrel’s behavior. By throwing a pinecone at a squirrel and observing the associated “chattering fear” with which it runs away, Henry proves the “law” of nature as the squirrel was “ordinary – doubtless no philosopher of his race” (38). Henry’s judgment has a comical quality to it, where Crane seems to isolate himself from Henry’s thought process to highlight his absurdity, indicating war and it’s tumultuous effects on his persona. Henry feels satisfied in “saving himself” and “triumphant with his exhibition”, two feelings of self-exaltation that serve to become his manhood (36). Through the satisfaction and quiet delight that Henry gets out of this revelation, Crane may be trying to convey that manhood isn’t just about valor and strength, but cunning and intelligence.

Whilst Henry may feel more of a man due to his “superior perceptions and knowledge”, he struggles internally between self-preservation and courage (37). His predicament is heightened when he comes across a “tattered man, fouled with blood”, for his appearance and talk remind Henry of his idealistic views of manhood and glory with which he leaves home. Henry is quick to conjure up envy regarding the “two wounds” that are bound with “blood- soaked [rags]”, for it proves the soldiers’ strength and display of heroism – “red badge of courage”. The tattered soldier is persistent in knowing “where [Henry is] hit”, so that Crane’s stylistic repetition of this question shows the persistent haunting that Henry will feel forever (43). Henry’s guilt and shame is further heightened when he encounters Jim, a childhood friend, who is shot and on the verge of dying. Henry tries to help Jim to make up for not helping the regiment, desperately seeking answers from him: “what’s the matter”, “where is [he] going”, “what is [he] thinking about” and so forth (45). This mere attempt at redeeming himself leads to his longing to eliminate his psychological burdens where he is determined to return to the regiment and rid his shame, longing for a wound to validate his courage. This scene evokes guilt and strips Henry of any self-esteem and positivity he conjures about himself after running away. In an attempt to escape his own conscience, Henry abandons the tattered man. Living in isolation away from the war and observing dead bodies on the ground makes him “wish he were dead”, as he envies them for having fulfilled their duties, or rather, destiny (49). Henry begins to think of the “magnificent pathos of his dead body” which uplifts him and gets him into a frenzy of “successful charge” (51). Henry is back to his initial definition and quiver of war desire, where his manhood is achieved through his strength and boldness. The isolation from the realities in the battlefield brings him back to his idealistic approach to what manhood should be like. The contrast in Henry’s settlement of manhood as that of intelligence and self-preservation to his initial fantasy of tenacity and glory suggests the instability that war veterans go thorough due to war. Crane suggests, through his condemnation of Henry’s fantasies by stating that the “difficulties began to drag him”, that all veterans are unstable (51).
The indecisiveness in comprehending what manhood embodies aggravates his desire to achieve a heroic status. Upon arrival on the battlefield, the chaos of the “hither and thither” running, “artillery booming”, and “landmarks vanishing” entrap Henry’s being making him agitated to the point that he grabs a fleeting man’s arm and in return, receives a “crash upon his head” by the soldier’s rifle (56). In an attempt to regain full consciousness, Henry is suddenly reminded of the “meals his mother cooked at home” and the “swash of the fragrant water upon his body”, where these deliberate flashbacks are a satirical reminder of the price at which the thirst for glory comes (57). The impinging of memories of comfort adds verisimilitude to the macabre of war and allows Crane to indirectly mock the futility of his attempts to achieve manhood. This is further depicted in the wound of shame that Henry receives and allows to be misunderstood for one of courage and fortitude. While Henry is aware that his glory is part of his guilt, the respect that he receives and the subconscious “flower of confidence that grows within him” add to the rejuvenation of his crumbled confidence. He believes that he is a “man of experience” for he had “been out with the dragons”, thus making sure his boyhood fantasy of challenging the ultimate symbol of danger has been materialized. The fact that Henry is able to live with the lie to promote his self-worth and capability to exhibit manliness as long as he has a “gaping audience” illustrates his need for achieving importance, even if it is through self-deception and self-restraint. Walzer’s objectivism on war convention states that the soldiers should portray self-restraint and self-discipline as a code of conduct of war that “distinguishes [their] life’s work from mere butchery”. The code of conduct is a soldier’s own moral responsibility even though war is not. Henry’s behavior is questionable as whether it is conducive with a morally correct code of conduct of honesty in war. Crane seems to defend Henry by promoting the need to fan some vanity and self-praise to cope with the mundane routine of their lives and maintain sanity under dire circumstances. However, one is forced to ponder whether Henry’s method of dealing with the stress of war and aspiring manhood is honorable and morally right.

However, he is misled again, for it is not until he is placed in the realities of the battlefield that he discovers what manhood truly means to him. Partaking in battle brings within Henry a “temporary but sublime absence of selfishness” (91). The harsh realities of the battlefield help him to lose his individuality and headstrong notions of heroism and glory, for he quietly becomes a part of the machine-like routine of the war. This upcoming passion for working as part of a team is illustrated through the “scowl of mortification and rage upon his face” in revenge to the officer who calls his regiment “mule-drivers” (99,71). His emergence into the regiment and accepting fate that his life is of little significance helps to restores peace within his mind. Henry believes that he has undergone a radical change because of his experiences in the field, where “he [feels] a quiet manhood, nonassertive but a sturdy and strong blood” (103). He is almost certain that he is rid of his innocence and insecurities, abandoning his dreams of “vague and bloody conflicts that thrilled him” that he possessed at the beginning of the novel (9). Furthermore, he is now able to “touch the great death”, highlighting his removed fear of the inevitability of death, where his purpose to live as an “ideal man” is redefined to a mere acceptance of fate (103). Henry also learns and makes a habit to “study his deeds and failures”, thus highlighting his newfound sense of awareness and want for redemption (102). Despite the character development from a selfish boy towards a selfless man, Crane states that Henry feels “unregreting and gleeful” of his memories, thereby questioning whether it is possible to learn from his mistakes (102). He ironically asserts and leaves the reader to debate whether such development is possible when Henry is still contemplating about his dreams and romanticizing heroic concepts, for which he feels “gleeful”.

Crane’s concluding remarks suggest that as long as war persists, there will always be a win-loss situation, which will translate into fantasies and dreams of heroism. This resonates with Walzer’s cynicism about war being an artificial construct of “hell”, where the only solution is to have a “war to end all wars”. Walzer’s belief that the greatest kindness to bring war to a speedy conclusion, where the “only victory is lasting peace”, as experienced with Henry when he introspects and in his quititude, finds manhood and satisfaction. His lessons in manhood, morality and martyrdom teach him to be a cog in the wheel in achieving and finding glory in servitude of mankind. The onus of not accepting his responsibilities in war and fighting the fear that he had, thereby living in struggle between the head and the heart, disintegrated his existence. This dilemma alienated Henry from society, confining him to his thoughts and guilt that amalgamate to serve as his prison. The resultant suffering brings him back to the battlefield where he is able to once again, prove his valor by fighting due to the rage he feels for the dead. By virtue of self-sacrifice, he learns to find the joyous power and glory that he was seeking within himself.

Bibliography:

Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. 4th ed. New York: W.W Norton & Company Inc, 2008. Print.

"schmoop.com." schmoop.com. (2012): n. page. Print. <http://www.shmoop.com/red-badge-of-courage/>.

Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust War. New York: Basic Books, 1977. 34-40. Print.