Red Badge of Courage

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…of this narrative Henry is torn between the boy he is and the man he wants to be. The man emerges through a brief handshake with the "cheerful soldier." This handshake is the turning point for the value Henry places on himself. The handshake shared between the "cheerful soldier" and Henry, swings him back into the warm community of men. These men, Henry's regiment, can be looked at as the saving grace of Henry's self-confidence.