The Red Badge of Courage: Characters

Henry Fleming (the youth) – Henry Fleming is a young private who volunteered for the infantry against his mother’s wishes. Having “dreamed of battles all his life,” Henry has romantic notions of war influenced by Greek classics such as the Iliad. These ideas of war are challenged by his actual experiences with war. Henry’s resulting psychological turmoil is the focus of the narrative, especially his anxiety about lacking the courage to fight. Henry’s emotions are never settled: after he flees from battle, Henry is overcome by guilt and self-pity; when he shows courage under fire, he recovers his pride. Within a few short days, he transforms from a hot-headed, idealistic young boy into an experienced soldier who feels like a grown man. Over the course of the story, Henry tries out many philosophical approaches to discover his individuality and place within the war, as if searching for answers to the question he asks at one point: “Why—why—.” In the face of gruesome casualties and the chaos of war, Henry also struggles to interpret symbols such as the flag for meaning. But their meaning keeps changing, and Henry flip-flops between self-confidence and insignificance, between courage and cowardice. Henry seems mature by the end of the novel, but this may be just another moment of calm in a much bigger storm.

Wilson (the loud young soldier, the youth’s friend) – Wilson is a new volunteer and Henry’s closest friend in the regiment. He begins as a brash and confident soldier, but by the start of the first battle Wilson is deeply afraid that he’ll die. Because of the narrator’s limited point of view, Wilson disappears from the story while Henry is away from his regiment, but he too matures through personal conflicts. From being a “loud young soldier,” Wilson becomes a quiet, generous, and reflective man. Like Henry, Wilson eventually fights fiercely, selflessly, and well. In the novel, Wilson serves as a reflection of Henry. His differences from Henry add perspective to Henry’s character and experience.

Jim Conklin (“the tall soldier”) – Another friend of Henry‘s in the regiment, Jim offers Henry a pragmatic viewpoint on courage at the beginning of the story: run when others run, fight like mad when they fight. He also embodies the consequences of this viewpoint. Jim is so terribly injured in the first battle that he is almost unrecognizable to Henry. As the injured “spectral soldier,” with his eyes gazing deep into the unknown, Jim is like a window into death. But if he finds any secrets or meaning as he stares into death, Jim never passes them along. The spectral soldier represents a meeting point between life and death, and between Henry’s glorious ideals of war and the shocking gruesome reality of the real thing.

Tattered man – A nameless, dirty, and twice-shot soldier who meets Henry in the procession of the wounded. By asking Henry about the fighting and Henry’s non-existent wounds, the tattered man works like Henry’s external conscience. Henry thinks that the tattered man knows his secrets, though Henry is probably projecting his guilt and shame on to others. Even though the tattered man selflessly tries to assist the wounded Jim and then needs help himself when he is on the verge of dying, Henry deserts him: a juvenile attempt to escape his own shame. The memory of the tattered man and Henry’s abandonment of him plagues Henry’s conscience.

Henry’s mother – Appearing only in an early flashback, Henry’s mother objects when he volunteers for the army. Henry’s mother does not share her son’s glorified visions of war. Instead, she advises him to avoid shameful acts and corrupt men—advice about self-preservation, not glorious self-destruction. Capping it off, she also makes him promise to mail back any socks or shirts that need mending. Henry’s mother’s comments contrast Henry’s ideals of war with the mundane realities of life as a soldier.

Insulting officer – An anonymous officer who says of Henry’s regiment that “they fight like a lot ‘a mule drivers.” Having just won their fight, Henry feels otherwise. These two difference shows how the meaning of battles and war are subject to different interpretations based on the perspective of the interpreter. From the officer’s perspective, courageous individual efforts are insignificant parts of a larger strategy. From Henry’s perspective, he (Henry) is a hero. The insulting officer also exposes Henry’s motivations to fight—not for patriotic ideals, but to get his revenge and prove the officer dead wrong.

Cheerful soldier – An anonymous soldier who shows up to guide Henry after he is slammed on the head by a rifle butt, and, dazed, is searching for safety. The cheerful soldier embodies the selflessness and altruism of Henry’s heroic ideals. The soldier is described with religious overtones, particularly his paternal kindness, disembodied voice, and almost miraculous ability to guide Henry back to his regiment. This symbolism counters the deep uncertainty about religious expressed in the story, such as the dead soldier in the “chapel” of trees.

Lieutenant – A mid-level commander in Henry’s regiment named Hasbrouck. He is described as fiery with an endless supply of foul language. The lieutenant represents the qualities of selfless valor and leadership that Henry and Wilson want to emulate. Though shot in the hand and again in the arm, the lieutenant remains committed to rallying his regiment to fight and charge. In contrast to Henry’s fixation on personal glory, the lieutenant sees the regiment as a unit, and does not get mired in contemplating his wounds or his actions.

Dead soldier – An anonymous, deceased Union soldier whose decomposing body Henry finds in the woods. The dead, decomposing body’s position in a “chapel” of trees implies a profound uncertainty about the promises of religion; could this body, being eaten by ants, really have a soul in heaven? The rotting, ant-strewn corpse also shows that nature is unrelenting. Ultimately, the dead soldier shows that Henry’s hopes for a glorious death are naïve.