Novel Review Character Development

Character Development: Novel Review

Novel Review: Character Development

The novels, The Red Badge of Courage' by Stephen Crane and 'The Things they Carried' by Tim Obrien, are among the best depictions of the role played by introspection in helping individuals better understand themselves. This text depicts the journey to maturity of the protagonists in both novels, and how their development contributed to the full meaning of the work.

Character Growth and Maturity during War

In the novels, The Red Badge of Courage' by Stephen Crane and 'The Things they Carried' by Tim Obrien, the authors effectively make use of introspection to depict their journey towards a greater understanding of themselves. This text demonstrates how they were able to achieve this. More specifically, it assesses how the concept of introspection has been used by both authors, and how it affected their later actions. It begins with a brief plot summary of the two stories.

The Red Badge of Courage

Plot Summary

The story centers around four members of the Union Army in the field of battle at the height of the American Civil War. The protagonist, Henry Fleming, who had been cautioned by his mother against joining the Army, stands untested at war, and finds himself questioning his own courage and potential. As the battle rages on, he is confronted with hard truths about the consequences of war, having to battle the loss of his close friend, the pain of injury, and the sight of bodies lying lifeless all over the battlefield. At first, Henry is unable to grapple with these lessons; he is frustrated and angry, and even runs from battle at some point. Later on, however, he is able to get over his fears, and to thrive as a soldier in battle -- he shows courage and is a major inspiration to other soldiers; however, he still feels guilty about deserting his regiment at the start of the war.

Character Development as the Novel Progresses

The author uses dialogue to depict the change in the protagonist' thoughts and beliefs as he moved from being an inexperienced soldier into a courageous and respected fighter. As the book opens, we see Henry eagerly awaiting his first battle and almost convinced that glory awaits him at the end of it all. His surety about success is evident from the dialogue he has with his colleagues as the novel opens -- he says that with the right equipment, he was sure that he could fight and kill just as well as his more experienced colleagues (Crane 11). This statement perfectly symbolizes Henry's naive belief that war exists to create heroes out of ordinary men, and that men, once transformed into soldiers, are assured of prestige and the society's honor.

When this does not happen at the field of battle, we see Henry get angry and frustrated, and at some point even wish that he were dead because death would portray him as a hero in the eyes of history, having paid the ultimate sacrifice (Crane 73). This frustration, and a naive fear of being associated with loss and failure lead Henry to abandon the tattered man (his colleague) -- in his view, if he disappeared, everyone would think he was dead, and would regard him as a hero.

Henry's thoughts, however, evolve as the novel progresses, and he begins to feel guilty about abandoning his team for personal glory. This feeling of guilt invokes images in him, including that of an injured soldier who had no one to turn to for help because his friend had done him an ill-turn, and that of another soldier crying out loud for help (Crane 38). With this, Henry comes to the realization that by striving for public glory, he was turning a deaf ear to the suffering of his colleagues. His thoughts and expectations about war change and he recognizes, in the closing sections of the book, that in war, one did not need to return with a red badge of courage; one's simple participation is sufficient symbol of their courage (Crane 146).

Besides the use of dialogue, the author's wording (choice of words) also sufficiently depicts Henry's evolution from an inexperienced soldier to a courageous, experienced combatant. As the book opens, the author repeatedly refers to Henry as a 'boy', perhaps because of his inexperience and lack of knowledge in battle -- in one instance, one of the more experienced soldiers, addressing Henry when he asked whether he thought there would be war soon, says, "Oh, you'll see fighting this time my boy" (Crane 10). This reference, however, changes as the novel progresses, and in the end, we see the protagonist referred to as a man -- "he felt a quiet manhood, non-assertive, of sturdy and strong blood" (Crane 146). Henry now begins to understand himself as a man, and he recognizes that as a man, it was not all about being rewarded with a badge of honor for one's prowess; rather, it was about executing one's duty of service to country. As a man, Henry did not need to prove himself to anyone; this thought led him to stay at the front in battle and to always act as a source of encouragement to his colleagues.

The Things they Carried

Plot Summary

This story by Tim Obrien revolves around a combat mission executed by members of the Alpha Company during the Vietnam War. The protagonist, Tim Obrien, describes what the mission was like, and the specific things that the soldiers carried to war. These included both tangible things such as candy, rifles, morphine, matches, and marijuana, and intangibles including love, guilt and fear. As the novel progresses, O'Brien evolves from being a simple, cowardly young boy into a courageous soldier, yet the traumas that he experienced during the war continue to live in him. Over three decades after the completion of the war, O'Brien still finds himself unable to forget the negative experiences of the war, and adjust to civilian life; thus, he opts to store the same in his memory.

Character Development as the War Progresses