Control In The Red Badge Of Courage

In the novel, Red badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, the universal theme, Our lives are often affected by circumstances beyond our control, is illustrated by death, transformation, and the reality of war. All of these things are beyond our limits and can cause change - whether it is good or bad. In The Red Badge of Courage, there are many situations where the book characters go through experiences that affect their lives in ways that are beyond their control. These circumstances can be disappointing or satisfying, depending on the situation.

“The regiment bled extravagantly. Grunting bundles of blue began to drop. The orderly sergeant of the youth’s company was shot through the cheeks.” Death is a big factor in the book, one that can’t be controlled. In chapter nine when Jim is injured, Henry tries to help him but Jim still ends up dying. This causes Henry to feel pain and to be disappointed in himself even though it wasn’t his fault. This was an uncontrollable situation just like many others in the book. But although this situation could not be controlled, getting into it could have been prevented. If Jim had made the decision to not go to war the

“To the youth it was as onslaught of redoubtable dragons. He became like the man who lost his legs at the approach of the red and green monster. He waited in a sort of a horrified listening attitude. He seemed to shut his eyes and wait to be gobbled.” At the beginning of the book, Henry is cowardly and runs away from battle but in the end he turns into a brave soldier and a leader. This is a kind of change that is a satisfying and an important part of the book. “He himself felt the daring spirit of a savage, religion mad. He was capable of profound sacrifices, a tremendous death.” Transformation like this, is something that couldn’t be controlled. Henry could not control his change in thought and spirit. The war became in charge of his feelings and turned him into a