The traditional hero doesn’t bend the rules or break laws. They are brave, considerate and full of courage. They are strong both mentally and physically, and don’t turn their backs on what is right. They won’t turn their back on a fight, they seem to show no fear of death. They are the “ideal person’, and are seemingly lacking any negative emotions. They actually seem inhuman at times. Courage, is the ability to do what is right, to take action when it is need. You can fear many things, but still have plenty of courage. Literature like Beowulf produces the idea of a traditional hero.
In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry and some of the other soldiers are the opposite of the traditional hero. They say they are willing to give their lives for their country but then they all run in fear, during the battle. “Another commander of the brigade, was galloping about bawling…In this rush they were apparently all deaf and blind…”(p.30) The men were all fleeing in terror, ignoring their duty to their country. They didn’t even pay attention to those around them that were in need of help (or were in danger).
“There was an appalling imprint upon those faces…in the eyes wild with one desire…the sight of this stampede.” (p.31) They do not represent the traditional hero, they run away, in fact they act like animals running away from a predator. The thing is though, they are human, and it is human instinct to run away from danger, it may seem primal, but its the truth. Crane is showing us that all the soldiers are human, they are the normal man. They show fear, they run, because they aren’t these incredible heroes that should be worshiped, they are the normal man, trying to make a difference. They are the non-traditional heroes.
Henry is not a traditional hero, he at first wishes to stay and fight (p.33), and does for one battle, but later he is overcome with fear and flees with the other. “He lost his direction of safety…Directly he began to speed toward the rear n great leaps…on his face was the horror of those things which he imagined.” (p.39). Crane doesn’t make his main character the traditional hero. he makes him just a young boy who was looking for glory, and realized what the dangers really are. By making him human, Crane is glorifying the normal hero, one that has fear, but still can have the chance to shine. Possibly one of the greatest pieces of evidence that Henry is not a traditional hero, is that he calls the soldiers who remained, “machine like fools” (p.41), those soldiers who stayed behind lack the fear that the others had. He can’t comprehend how they are calmly shooting those men, how they face danger and do not cringe.
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April 9th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I completely agree with your post! Except I have a bit of a problem with the “machine-like fools” text that was used to support it. In the context, and given the writing style, I belive that it wasn’t really Crane uplifting that human hero, but indeed it was to show his contempt for people who do heroic acts like this. Crane doesn’t support Henry either, because he is a foolish kid rationalizing with himself to make him out to be a hero. I think that that Crane is trying to tell us that there are no heroes, being realistic about it. When you die, you die, when you fight for something you fight for something.
Of course, I don’t completely agree with Crane either.
April 9th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I absolutely love your definiton of a hero! I think it fits the common stereotype very well. I love how you used Beowulf as an example; I did too. After reading that story, it’s hard not to think of him as one of the first examples of a hero. I have a question… if someone is willing to give their lives for their country, isn’t that a form of heroism? Of course, I see the counter argument that they ran away instead of going into battle to fight. I just think this idea is contradictory and ironic. If a person is willing to die for their country, yeah, they should fight for it. But, how can they fight if they are dead? Maybe they ran only because they knew they couldn’t win the fight. I love the fact that you talked about the characters representing the normal man and not the stereotypical hero.
“he makes him just a young boy who was looking for glory, and realized what the dangers really are. By making him human, Crane is glorifying the normal hero, one that has fear, but still can have the chance to shine.” I love this line by the way!!! This is a great point. It is so true.
One thing I questioin is this: “he calls the soldiers who remained, “machine like fools” (p.41), those soldiers who stayed behind lack the fear that the others had.” I’m just not sure exactly how this supports your point very well. If the one who runs isn’t a hero, then why are the ones who stay “machine-like fools?”
April 9th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I have to say, I completely agree with you. I like how you point out the fact that Stephen Crane uses realism and a very evident manner, by making the reality of war convincing and believable. When Henry has to finally face death, I think you did an excellent job by pointing out his feelings he feels are raw and real feelings. Before he envied those who were wounded or killed during battle, because he felt they were heroic. Yes, they were were heroic, but he realizes that being a hero doesn’t have to mean sacrificing yourself for some higher cause. I believe the word “hero” has become over used to the point the meaning of hero has become construed. The ideal we think of when we instantly hear the term “hero” is someone being brave, winning a battle; someone wearing tights a cape and rescuing a “damsel in distress.” I believe a hero is far simpler than that. A hero can be someone who feels a certain emotion, over comes a struggle they were afraid to deal with, or holding on to one’s beliefs or ideals (such as faith or dreams) and doesn’t allow anything to jeopardize that. Good job! (and if you’re wondering why there is this twice, I typed it on word copied and pasted it, but stupid me pasted it under the comment section of the wrong blog.) =]
April 10th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I think you had some good points in your entry. I really liked how you distinguished the traditional “superhero” from real life heroes such as Henry and the soldiers in The Red Badge of Courage. Your definitions of heroism and courage really paint a complete image of your interpretation. I think you have good examples of Henry’s moments of weakness, which prove that he is a non traditional hero and human, but lacked some evidence of Henry’s courage and heroism. Good Job.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I really like your post and I agree with your ideas on what a hero really is. I think that you were right when you were talking about the fears of the soldiers and how the soldier was just a boy realizing the dangers of war. You put the definition of hero in a different perspective and I thought you did a really nice job.