The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane

The Red Badge of Courage: Flashbacks 1 key example

Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Farewell to Mother:

The novel’s first chapter includes a brief flashback in which Henry recalls his decision to leave his family farm and, despite the objections of his mother, enlist in the Union army. Henry is excited by the battle stories that have traveled from the front lines to his small town, but his mother does not care about the outcome of the war and simply wants to preserve her son from danger. When Henry gets ready to leave in his uniform, his mother is not happy but dismayed:

When he had stood in the doorway with his soldier’s clothes on his back, and with the light of excitement and expectancy in his eyes almost defeating the glow of regret for the home bonds, he had seen two tears leaving their trails on his mother’s scarred cheeks.