Themes And Symbols In The Red Badge Of Courage - 992 Words

Symbols have a huge role in the everyday life. Somebody gives their loved one a red rose to express the love that they have for them. While the bride and the groom wear white apparels to their wedding to represent the new life, that they are starting together. In the novel, The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane, a boy named Henry Fleming learns to face his fears. In the novel, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, Gene goes back to his old school and recalls the events that happened to him while he was in school. Both novels have an important symbol that contributes to the theme. Symbolically speaking, Crane’s novel shows symbolism through an idea known as the red badge of courage. The red badge of courage, being the†¦show more content†¦However, he witnesses several men getting injured and seeing this contributes to his fear toward war. Henry’s emotional badge of courage is his cowardness which is seen when he explores the way wars are fought . He seems to be in a state of shock when watching how his friends of the regiment die ruthlessly in a battle. Henry, being able to escape from the battlefield, serves as an evidence that he was not ready for the lifestyle in a war. Soldiers dying out of pain, the extreme weather conditions, and the lack of supplies was horrifying for Henry. Henry’s red badge(s) of courage support the theme of overcoming his or her fears. Henry escapes the battlefield because he could not handle the terrors of the war, but the taunts of the society and the desire to get a red badge of courage compelled him to come back. Henry returns to war prepared to fight the enemy. It is an understanding that in order to defeat an individual’s fear, motivation and inspiration is required. Henry’s desire to get a red badge of courage inspires him to face his fears of war. Similarly, Knowles’ novel portrays a symbol of maturity through the Winter Session of the Devon School. Gene and hi s friends go through the Summer Session doing activities that carefree children would do for fun. When the Summer Session ends and winter comes, everything changes at the Devon School, including Gene’s school life. At the start ofShow MoreRelatedSymbols And Themes Of The Red Badge Of Courage By Stephen Crane872 Words   |  4 Pages Symbols Help Understand The Theme Symbols and themes play a major role in understanding novels. The symbols and themes can help with getting a better understanding of the novel. A novel that has many symbols is a novel called The Red Badge Of Courage. The author of the novel is Stephen Crane and the genre is historical fiction. In the novel the main character is Henry Fleming. Henry is also known as The Youth. Henry joins the Union in the Civil War. Henry joined the army to have glory. When HenryRead MoreThe Red Badge Of Courage By Stephen Crane917 Words   |  4 PagesGrowing Up From Boys to Men Symbols and themes play a major role in novels. 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