Crane uses such elements of figurative language as metaphors to create a paranoid tone as Henry tries to find his character amidst the impersonal environment of war. “His emotions made him feel strange in the presence of men who talked excitedly of a prospective battle as of a drama they were about to witness, with nothing but eagerness and curiosity apparent in their faces. It was often that he suspected them to be liars. He did not pass such thoughts without severe condemnation of himself….He was convicted by himself of many shameful crimes against the gods of traditions.” (9-10). Henry feels threatened by the army he has enlisted in.
The Forgotten Age of men in WWI had to return to a harsh, unforgiving world in which they had no experience. Old men had it better off, because they knew how to deal with their pain and stress from the war. Unfortunately, the young men could not handle their emotions so they could go into the normal world. To these lamentable young men the world was foreign and strange, many of them did not return from the war but the few that did faced more hardship than their fallen comrades. Erich Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front showed the true inner battle of emotion, these young men went through during and after the war that the prepared, older soldiers did not face.
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, for his country, were all illusions he was creating for himself. Being a young man from a small house in New York, all that Henry Fleming new about war is what he imagined it to be in his head. He perceived war to be a great struggle between two opposing forces fighting for their own beliefs(Ch.1 ).
While that is true, the most important issue and debate brought up is the rapid transformation of our young soldiers while they have to face the atrocities of war. Although, Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen originate as bitter enemies, they conclude there relationship as friends who have maturely evolved due to there encounters in war and self reflection. For the first time, we see that they have matured even though what sparked this evolution was relative immaturity on the part of both characters as one stole and the other over exaggerated and was not able to cope with his own situation. "Because late that same night he borrowed a pistol, gripped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose." (63) The insecurity here on the part of Dave Jensen is truly amazing.
In the beginning of the novel the young student was ambitious, but as time goes on Paul’s attitude toward life completely changes. In the beginning, he felt that there was hope fo... ... middle of paper ... ... horrors of war such as, his parents who still view war as glamorous and idealistic. War takes a heavy toll on soldiers who fight in it and in these dangerous moments anybody would have gone insane. It takes a very special type of soldier to be able to handle both the psychological and physical challenges that a soldier has to face in everyday battle. A soldier such as this must be capable of handling the sight of a mutilated comrade and not immediately chatter to pieces.
Henry then meets up with his friend Jim Then halfway through the book he confronts his cowardice and gains a realistic and sense of duty and responsibility. When the novel ends he has conquered his fear. Then Henry meets Wilson, the loud solider, who I think represents the two sides of human nature. Wilson is a mean and tough guy that no one likes and then towards the end of the book he finds that he really cares about Henry. While Henry is dealing with all of his emotions they are moving into war.
It shows one of Henry’s defense mechanisms and how he can use his arrogance to hide his innocence. Regiment 304 moves on to battle the next day. Henry is getting very scared, but is too ... ... middle of paper ... ...hey are going to be fighting is going to be very tough, and the general is looking for spare regiment. The leader feels that there is no way Regiment 304 will survive the battle alone, and calls the soldiers ‘mule drivers’, thinking that they are slow, and rather stupid. When Henry and Tom hear this, they are very upset.
His adolescent mind cannot comprehend the horrific scenes of battle, in preparation, he must increase his life visually before he is encouraged to fight for his country. The soldiers in Henry’s regiment tell their stories of battle and how different it really is compared to Henry's life back home. “He was nobody; now he is suddenly special, and this is what he wants.”(Breslin 268) . As Henry continues to be told the stories of men dying, people suffering, and the conditions of war, Henry’s vision of war changes. By understanding how war really is, it enables Henry to become more of a man while he is preparing himself mentally for his first experience in battle.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Remarque is a novel dealing with one young mans transformation from an average person into a hardened man that eventually turns away from the society that he once was a part of. Remarque wrote this novel to emphasize the disorder and chaos that is created in war. This sense of disorder was felt within the soldiers as well as the civilians that have no part in the fighting. Civilians often had a glamorous portrayal of war that was preached to many but it soon became a harsh reality, the horror for the many that saw it. The novel centers on a young German soldier, Paul Baumer and his experiences throughout a period of World War I.
Although one might think there was one cause of World War I, th... ... middle of paper ... ..., the US had the need to feel sympathy for them especially Paul Baumer. Everyone who fought in World War I had to be apart of the nightmare of war. Paul felt betrayed by people because what he thought war was like with patriotism and heroism was false, therefore shattering his dreamt experience. Since the beginning, Paul seemed to have matured and became more of a man unlike his childlike actions joining right from school. His experiences along with millions of others during this war caused change in society and perspectives on what happened.