THESIS

In the book The Red Badge of Courage, Henry and Wilson always have each others backs and look out for each other even though they have differences and conflicts between each other. They both are experiencing the same feelings through out the war and because of this they gain a brotherhood through out the story between one another.

1st Point:

Henry and Wilson have their differences between each other in different parts of the story. Just a few examples of them would be towards the beginning of the story when Henry is just looking around noticing everybody in his regiments different personality and see’s that Wilson is pretty loud and obnoxious, were Henry on the other hand is shy and stays to himself.

“There was a youthful private who listened with eager ears to the words of the tall soldier and to the varied comments of his comrades. After receiving a fill of discussions concerning marches and attacks, he went to his hut and crawled through an intricate hole that served it as a door. He wished to be alone with some new thoughts that had lately come to him” (Crane 1.14).

2nd Point:

A conflict that Henry and Wilson have is when they are both on the battle field and they both see that their guy that is holding the American flag is shot, they both hurry and try and carry the flag. They argue and shove about it for awhile until their Lieutenant splits them up and sends one of them to the frontline and one to hold the flag.

“The youth and his friend had a small scuffle over the flag. "Give it t' me!" "No, let me keep it!" Each felt satisfied with the other's possession of it, but each felt bound to declare, by an offer to carry the emblem, his willingness to further risk himself. The youth roughly pushed his friend away”(Crane 20.3).

3rd Point:

Even though they may have these differences and conflicts in the end they are both able to help each other out when they’re going through rough times. Some hard times would be when Wilson isn’t quite sure he is going to make it through a this battle he is fighting when he has already seen a few men die, so he gave Henry a yellow envelope and asks Henry if he dies to give it to his family.

In chapter 13 when Henry returns to camp with a head injury that Wilson notices first. Wilson talks to the commanders and they agree that it was a graze. So Wilson helps out Henry by wrapping and taking care of his injury then puts him to sleep.

“The loud young soldier watched his comrade with an air of satisfaction. He later produced an extensive handkerchief from his pocket. He folded it into a manner of bandage and soused water from the other canteen upon the middle of it. This crude arrangement he bound over the youth's head, tying the ends in a queer knot at the back of the neck.

"There," he said, moving off and surveying his deed, "yeh look like th' devil, but I bet yeh feel better" (Crane 13.29).

“"It's my first and last battle, old boy," continued the loud soldier. "Something tells me--"

"What?"

"I'm a gone coon this first time and--and I w-want you to take these here things--to--my--folks." He ended in a quavering sob of pity for himself. He handed the youth a little packet done up in a yellow envelope” (Crane3.60).