describe the elements of death and war in cranes THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

Describe the elements of war and death in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. This book is divided into two parts. In the first part the main characters, Henry Flemings. illusions disappear when confronted by the reality of battle(WAH 642). During the first battle he sees vague figures before him, but they are driven away. In the next battle he is so frightened that he runs away becoming one of the first heroes …

…the course of his experiences Henry learns at first hand of the indifference of the universe, the chaos of the world, the illusory nature of religion and patriotism and heroism, but he learns these lessons in the heat of the moment, when recognition is virtually forced on him(reports of war 146). Henry becomes a representative of mankind. The individual memory becomes a metaphor for collective memory, history. Everythings a lie. Not even heroism can last.