Chapter 1

Henry is a young boy preparing to go to war, and he is unsure of himself. Throughout this chapter, he questions his ability to undergo war. He is worried that all of his confreres are more experienced than he is. Henry quickly comes to realize that war is nothing like what he had expected. He had anticipated constant bloodshed and chaos, but the regiment had just stayed at camp and tried to keep warm. The youth looked forward to being a glorious war hero, comparing his position to that of the Greeks and Romans. Henry meets a tall soldier known as Jim Conklin, who suggests that there will be a huge battle the next day, based on rumors he had heard. Some of his comrades began conversing about the idea of someone running away or backing out. This helped Henry convince himself that he was not the only one worried about going into battle.

Going into something new can be a nerve wracking experience, especially when you think that you are the only one who is feeling that way. Knowing that others are on the same boat as you can definitely help when reassuring yourself in something. When trying a new sport or attempting a new hobby, understanding that those around you are also inexperienced or slightly nervous is comforting in a way. This how the youth feels when he discovers that his comrades are unsure pf themselves as well.

Chapter 2

Realizing that Jim had been mistaken, Henry decides to cease his pondering over whether or not he would run until actual battle. In the meantime, he continues to compare himself to those around him. Henry is unsure if his comrades, like himself, are showing eagerness for war yet are concealing their worry of going into battle. Once again, the youth became bored, in a way, from staying at camp and waiting around. Henry's whole idea of war seemed distant. It has not become a thrilling, intense battle. It was plainly a monotonous, impatient experience. Henry notices that everyone is bustling with conversation over the events that lay ahead of them. Separating himself from the others, Henry submits himself to his personal debate. Despite his attempts to put this internal conflict off, he couldn't help but question what was happening. He keeps asking himself whether he will back out and run when battle time comes. The other men entertain themselves by watching a fat soldier attempt to steal a young girl's horse, who stops him from stealing it anyway. Henry, however, intended to avoid his companions, so as to stay away from any more doubt. Nevertheless, he engaged in conversation with two of his comrades, who explained that they wouldn't be able to live with themselves if they ran, leaving Henry even more baffled.

Doubting oneself can be a burden to the ultimate goal. In this chapter, the youth continually sets himself back by worrying what he will do when it is time to battle. Sometimes, we doubt ourselves and push ourselves farther away from what we are trying to do. Just like we find comfort in knowing that those around us feel the same way, we feel discontented when everyone else knows what they are doing. Before taking a test, for example, when our classmates are discussing how they studied and everything they remembered, we may become nervous. If one person had not studied for that test, that person may become uneasy at the thought of everyone else knowing what to do.

Chapter 3

The youth's regiment continues to move along in the dark night. As the route becomes more gruesome and tiring, the men become less eager and started to complain. Henry starts to worry that they could be fired upon at any moment. As Henry is swarmed in with the regiment, he observes everything around him. After a while of trooping, the youth presumes that the prospect of war is not near. However, a distant gunshot sound causes him and the others to think otherwise. The soldiers begin to run. Henry then realizes that even if he wanted to run, he could not due to the fact that the soldiers around him would trample him. He attempts to justify his thoughts by telling himself that he was enlisted against his will and this is the government's doing, not his. Henry also notices that the area around him is full of nature, and does not seem like a place for war. Rather than admiring the landscape around him, he feels intimidated by it. Soon, the men pass by a dead body, causing Henry to believe that their leaders are leading them to certain death. With the sound of gun fire approaching, the youth's companion, Wilson, hands him an envelope addressed to his family. He reasons that if he does not make it home, he wishes that those letters are given to his family.

In difficult times, we may lose our sense of self. Instead of understanding an underlying issue, we are quick to assume. One form of this is blame. Henry blames his burdensome situation on the government that drafted him. He also blames his leaders for increasing his risk of death. This can also be seen when in a fight or doing a strenuous task. We blame what we are doing on something that may be completely unrelated. We see this repeatedly from the youth.

Chapter 4

The brigade halts with battle surrounding them. All around him, the youth can hear and see gun fire starting to hit. One of the men was shot in the hand, and laughed it off. This helped the others to relieve their tense nervousness, to an extent. The The regiment began to attack and be attacked, and Henry continued to observe his surroundings. He looked over the area in detail, and noticed that men had drawn awry and wild forms. The only thing Henry was able to conceive in the midst of all this, was that he would be the least vulnerable if he lead the men to run.

Chapter 5

After a while of waiting, the enemy began to approach. As Henry assisted the regiment in the fight, he felt less alone, and more as if he was just as alike as the other men. Previously, Henry had wondered what had shaped these men into their war-like personalities. Now that Henry was really a part of it, he felt the rage that pervaded these men. He suddenly felt angry at the war atmosphere that enveloped him. He also witnesses a soldier attempting to back away from the front line, however is caught by the captain and proceeds to get beat. Following this, the captain is shot and the regiment continues to fire. All around him Henry could see dis contorted bodies and corpses lying on the ground. Henry realizes that the battle was not only directly where he could see, but all over the area. Eventually, the enemy retreats and Henry hears cries of victory from all over the brigade. He continued to be observant of the nature around him, and found it odd that in the midst of all this chaos, it had remained calm and steady.

Chapter 6

Henry is pleased with himself for standing and fighting, and sees himself as a valiant soldier. However the opposing side approaches again, much to the upset of Henry and his company. They had expected to not have any battle for at least another week. The men began to complain about not having enough support. Henry no longer felt the eagerness he had felt when battling alongside the other men, instead he felt a numb, nervous weakness. In the face of this exhaustion, he felt as if he stood no chance and was but a small being. And so, he ran. Without hesitation he ran far and wide, assuming there were other men present just behind him. Henry managed to convince himself that he was one of many who had fled. As he ran, he denounced nearby brigades at battle. Henry expresses his pity for the soldiers who are standing and fighting, assuming that their position relative to the enemy would cost them greatly. However, shocking the youth, he hears the general in the distance call that the enemy had retreated.

In this chapter, we can recognize that many of our decisions are made in the spur of the moment. Henry decides to run from the battle in fear, not paying any attention to potential consequences. He was exhausted and afraid, so he decided to run. There are many personal experiences in which we feel a sudden urge to stay away from something or make an irrational decision despite what it may turn out to be.

Chapter 7

Henry's personal conflict rages on, however, this time with less doubt. Rather, Henry expresses his scorn towards the soldiers who stayed and fought. He rationalizes his actions by reflecting upon their stupidity. Henry says it is human nature to flee from danger, and become angry at his comrades. Consumed with these thoughts, the youth starts towards the woods. Letting his mind drift away from this aggravation, Henry focuses on the landscape around him. He throws an acorn at a squirrel, and the squirrel runs away in fear. Henry uses this occurrence to prove his theory. When one senses fear or danger, their natural instinct is to run. As Henry continues to observe the nature that surround him, he is suddenly stopped by a sickening sight. Henry sees a corpse of a man dressed in uniform. Horror-stricken, Henry begins to retreat, still facing the dead body. He then breaks into a run, fearing that the figure will come alive at any moment.

In this chapter, Henry convinces himself that he did the right thing by scoffing at the decision of his comrades. He begins to list out the faults and foolishness of the others. At times we claim that we are doing the right thing by explaining why other are wrong. Henry also credits his decision to human nature. We tend to do this as well in situations where we are unsure of where to go or what to think.

Chapter 8

After a while in the forest, the youth begins to move towards the sound of war, or what he calls a "crimson roar". He realized that the nature around him had become less apparent, and over-taken by the cries of battle. He no longer found comfort in the landscaping, but rather confronted. As he travels along, the youth notices a group filled with tattered and wounded soldiers. Some seemed near death, while others had merely suffered a shot to the arm. Regardless, they all had obtained battle scars. Henry joins this crowd, soon to learn, mistakenly. One of the frayed soldiers begins to speak to Henry about the events that had just occurred. He timidly enters conversation about how the fight had gone down. The youth responded with curt answers. The man continued to blather on about the wounds he had obtained and such, while Henry hurriedly continued to walk. In due course, the soldier asks the youth what wounds he had acquired. Henry became flushed and nervous. Merging himself into the crowd, he avoided the soldiers question.

In this chapter, Henry returns to battle after his long confrontation with nature. However, he quickly comes to realize his state relative to the others. Henry had not fought, thus had no wounds. Naturally, his comrades would question him. Henry tried his best to dodge these questions. A lot of time, when we are confronted with something that we are rather ashamed of, we find that the best route is to simply avoid it. Depending on the situation, this may or may not be the best decision. We are told that the truth may do more harm than good, but that can vary. For example, if we have done something wrong and know it we try to forget about it and move on. When someone brings it up to us or asks about it, we change the subject as soon as possible. This is exemplified by Henry in this chapter.

Leave me be!

Chapter 9

As the youth moves away from that section of the crowd so as to avoid the tattered man, he notices that every man had obtained some form of a battle wound. They all had a sort of injury that represented valor from the war. Henry becomes envious of these men, and starts to wish that he, too, had "a red badge of courage". As the youth moves along, he recognizes his friend, Jim Conklin. He seemed to be in an awful state, with a blank expression. Henry cries out to his friend, and Jim explains that he was shot. The youth guarantees that he will be all right, and he would do anything in his power to protect him. At first, Jim seems comforted by this thought. The youth assists him on the route. After a while, though, Jim starts to oddly protest being helped. He insists that Henry leave him be. He became very persistent on the others staying back. He led the way, until he suddenly halted. Even in the strange state he was in, he did not cease to tell the others to stay away. A little while passed, and a certain muscle contortion caused him to strike the ground. Upon his friend's death, Henry became livid with rage.

In this chapter, Henry faces reality. At the beginning he seems to envy those who had received "the red badge of courage". However, he witnesses first-hand the death of a soldier. Realizing his fate, Henry becomes upset. Not only at the death of a companion, but at the idea of battle. Although these men could leave war with the valor and battle wound that came with it, they would also be forced to live with those awful deaths. We see this in our lives when we only see one part of something, and are quick to assume. We focus on what we want, and manage to overlook the reality of things. This is shown clearly in these events.

Chapter 10

The tattered man begins to marvel at how strongly Jim Conklin passed. Henry walks on with the tattered man as he talks about injuries that may have been sustained. He also brings up his two children at home, and how he could not afford to die. As he discusses certain close encounters with death, he eventually brings up the youth's state. He suggests that Henry is ill on the inside, and may even have it worse. Henry becomes more aggravated with each word. The tattered man was only setting a platform for Henry to expand on his lie. Hearing the man question him and prattle on about potential wounds, really just made Henry more enraged. He feels as if they are deliberately shaming him, even though they have no knowledge of his running. This can be thought of as a form of survivor's guilt, except, the youth ran away intentionally. Knowing that all these men had risked their lives for one another and stood their ground to fight built up a sense of indignation in Henry. He felt awful that all these men were suffering while he was fine from his purposeful actions.

Even we, at times, suffer from our own survivor's guilt. Of course, it may be a bit more minimal in our case. For example, if a friend does something for us that puts themselves at risk, we may feel bad. Whether it is because, we feel like we wouldn't have done the same thing or we didn't have as much on the line, we still express unsettlement.

Chapter 11

This chapter mostly takes place in Henry's mind. He is trying immensely hard to justify his running in his mind. At the start of the chapter, he notices the enthusiastic soldiers prepared for battle, and feels ashamed of his inadequacy to fight. Escaping his thoughts for a moment, he peers over at the battle. He wonders if they will win. This creates anxiety within Henry. In a way, Henry does not want them to win. This reason being, if they lose the battle, the men tend to split up. Henry would be able to get away with running a lot more conveniently. If they were to lose, it would make the youth seem less cowardly in his decision to run. He felt as if all the men going forward to attempt to win were destroying his chances at a successful life. If their brigade won, his regiment would remember him as the soldier who ran as they celebrate victory. He briegly alleviated his guilt by, once again, blaming his comrades. However, he continues to feel terrible. He sees himself as selfish and faint-hearted. At one point, the youth envies the men who have lost their lives, because they no longer have to deal with this mental battle. Henry soon realizes that there is no way the enemy will win the battle. He takes this time to come up with a story to explain his actions. When he fails to concoct a sufficient excuse, the youth worries that he is doomed to embarrassment.

In this chapter, the youth experiences a range of emotions. There are several instances in which we become confused by our own emotions. To start off, Henry feels ashamed of his actions and feels bad for leaving his companions to fight. He then wishes them ill, and hopes for loss. He then views himself as an awful person, and hates himself for what he has done. He then somewhat accepts his actions, and tries to figure out what to say to his regiment when he returns. This rollercoaster of thought could be really damaging for Henry. As humans, we can overthink things and become baffled by what we are feeling. Although things may seem like they cannot get any worse, we have to learn to accept certain circumstances.

Chapter 12

When the youth finally gets a look at what is going on on the battlefield, he sees that the enemy is advancing. Men were scattered and running all around him. Henry had several questions that he simply could not compile. Henry spotted a burly man whose arm he profusely grabbed. He began to ask what had gone wrong. The man yelled at the youth to let go, but Henry gave paid no attention. He continued to clutch the man by the arm. The man had become livid. His temper rising, he swung his rifle upside the back of Henry's head. The youth sunk to the ground helplessly. In this weak state, he began to steer away from the battle. He shuffled along feebly, yet tirelessly. At last, a jovial man approached Henry and offered to help him on his way. He asked Henry several questions, but not prodding ones like the others. He asked the youth questions that would help him, such as what regiment he belonged to or how he ended up in that situation. The man helped Henry towards where his regiment had resided, and went on his way. After a bit, it occurred to the youth that he never saw, thus would never know, the man that had just practically save his life.

Henry is very disorientated in this chapter. He relies greatly on the knowledge of those around him to lead the way. In the end, however, he realizes he will never be able to fully appreciate what awesome deed someone had done for him. We see this in our own lives when someone is truly good-hearted with the best intentions, but we recognize this too late.

Chapter 13

After the kind man departs, the youth totters over to his regiment. He is apprehensive of what his comrades will say when they learn about his actions. This confrontation is not necessary, however, because he is swiftly instructed to halt by a familiar voice, Wilson. When he realizes it is Henry, he demonstrates his and the regiment's relief. They had all assumed he had been killed. Henry was only able to convey one thing. He explained that he had had a terrible experience and was all over. As he was separated from his own regiment, he tells Wilson that he fought alongside another one. He also claimed that he was shot in the head. The men see to him right away. They begin to tend to the wound and provide Henry with a blanket and coffee. After being wholly taken care of, he gratefully went to sleep. He was reunited with his regiment at last.

After Henry's tale passed for the truth, he began to feel less guilty. The youth was finally reconnecting with his feelings. His regiment had accepted him and he had no intention of informing them of his previous actions. Although lying usually takes its toll, getting away with one can prove to be extenuating. The youth will most likely stick to this story, as most humans tend to do if it is believable.

Chapter 14

To start off the chapter, Henry awakens in the middle of the night and looks around at the men asleep around him. He imagines them to be corpses, and slightly freaks out. By the time he has regained himself, all the men are beginning to get up and move around. Wilson checks on Henry and advises him to take it easy for the rest of the day. The youth notices a shift in the personality of his friend. He was no longer the loud soldier who was filled with pride of his own courage. Rather, he had become an honorable soldier who acted solemnly and with confidence. After conversing for a while over the happenings at battle, the youth suddenly remembers Jim Conklin. He announces to his friend that Jim had passed. Nearby, an argument between a few of the men had broken out. Wilson headed over to settle them down, he saw little good in quarreling amongst one another when there was a much bigger battle to be fought.

This chapter exemplifies how someone can change after a matter of time. We learn that Wilson has a completely different aura of confidence, and he recognizes that in himself as well. When we are not around someone for an amount of time, things that happen and change in their lives can affect that person. We do not always see the full side of someone's life.

Chapter 15

As the regiments awaits their command to march, the youth remembers the yellow envelope Wilson had given him early on consisting of death letters to his family. However, his friend had not died, so these were no longer necessary. Henry considered patronizing his friend over these letters. He could have called him out and made him feel embarrassed at having given the youth those letters. Nevertheless, Henry decided against it. He felt superior to his friend at that moment. This overshadowed any feeling of shame he might have felt previously. He felt credibly respectable, and overlooked his past, foolish mistakes. In the middle of contemplating all this, Wilson suddenly cried out to the youth. He took the initiative to ask for the letters back. His face was flushed red. Henry took out the packet and handed it to his friend slowly. He took his time as he was trying to conjure a cocky remark. However, he failed to make one. Instead, he generously let his good friend be without humiliation. The youth finally felt worthy of gloating to the people at home of his courageous stories of war.

Henry finally feels competent enough to brag to those at home of his battle experience. When we accomplish a good deed, we retain a sensation of generosity, and naturally feel proud. The youth is able to use this to mask his past mistakes, as we may do to forgive ourselves sometimes.