Compare And Contrast Soldier's Heart And Red Badge Of Courage

Soldier’s Heart and Red Badge of Courage are works that seem to reflect off one another. The two stories have such a minor amount of difference that it can be difficult to discern between the two. On the other hand, these works have numerous similarities, which would lead one would to believe that they were made with the identical idea in mind. Overall, two works have few differences but various comparisons. To begin, variances in the two are so few that it could be they stole each other’s idea. One the most noticeable of differences is that the main characters are from different states. Charley, from Soldier’s Heart, is from Minnesota, while Henry, from Red Badge of Courage, is from New York. Another difference is the way they handle the war. For example, Charley stays and fights through all his battles in the war, and Henry runs from his first battle and becomes a deserter. Finally, one of the big differences is that we get to see Charley after the war. Soldier’s Heart allows us to see how Charley struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after the fighting ends. However, in Red Badge of Courage, we never get to see how the fighting affects Henry. These alterations show that even if the works are closely tied together, they are still different.

First, both men volunteer to fight in the war. Charley lies about his age so he could volunteer to fight and Henry volunteered when he turns eighteen. Additionally, both Henry and Charley are from the North. Both men fight for the Union in the Civil War. Finally, both get injured while fighting. Charley is stabbed by a Bayonet while fighting the Rebels, and Henry is hit in the head with the butt of a gun while trying to find his regiment. The resemblances of the two works allow us to see how they both were made to illustrate the actual events of the Civil