Growing Up Throughout the novel The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is in a constant struggle between his illusions of war and reality. When Henry first decides to enlist their is a perception of war that he has in his mind; he later finds out that war is not as glorious and courageous as his mind had perceived. As the novel progresses Henry comes to realize that his idealized notions of war and death, …showed first 75 words of 975 total…

…showed last 75 words of 975 total…sense that in the beginning of the novel he believed in great wars, which were fought for a common goal. These wars were fought by courageous men who would die for their beliefs. Then Henry realizes that there is no such thing as bravery in war. Men only do what they have to, to survive. Henry’s romantic notions of war have not played out, yet he found out what true war was really about.