AP English

I define heroism as humanity at its best, someone who bravely puts they’re all into improving the lives of others. Likewise, a coward is one who is cares only for himself, and is willing to put others at risk in order to maintain his well being. Beowulf is an example of a traditional hero, because he bravely put himself in grave danger to defeat the evil Grendel. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter is a hero, as she continues to live her life despite her disgrace so she can provide for her child.

      Henry shows cowardice by running away from the battle. A true hero would have stayed and fought to protect his friends and his self-respect, but Henry thinks of neither of these things. In his first fight, Henry feels like a cog in a great machine. Ironically in his second fight, he turns and calls his comrades “Methodical idiots! Machine-like fools!” Henry suddenly loses that feeling of connection with his comrades, and flees. Although his side is winning, he believed the enemy was more powerful than him, forgetting that he was not the only man on the field that was fighting for his life. He selfishly and cowardly flees the battle, keeping his body in tact, but shredding his self-respect.

A comrade is defined as a person who shares one’s interests and activities; a friend or companion. Henry considered Jim and Wilson to be his comrades, however Jim and Wilson are brave and fight, while Henry runs away in cowardice. Jim, Henry’s supposed “friend” stayed, fought, and died on the battle field while Henry fled, leaving his “buddy” to battle alone. Wilson, one of Jim’s friends, also stayed and fought. Henry and Wilson become comrades because they both have lost their friend Jim. However, this is where the similarity between the two stops. Jim and Wilson were Henry’s friends, but Henry’s lack of fighting experience keeps them from being true “comrades”.

Crane’s depiction of death is natural and an inevitable part of life. This makes the war seem animalistic and primitive. This can be seen when Henry finds the decomposing body of a fellow soldier in the woods. There are ants devouring the corpse, symbolizing the guilt that would devour Henry if he did not return and fight. Jim’s death shocked and horrified Henry, as it does the reader. Crane uses death to link the reader with Henry, as we all have experienced death in one form or another. The reader needs this sort of link with the cowardly Henry in order to understand his actions. By showing us this animal-like death, it poses the question “What would you have truely done if you were in Henry’s position?” Would you have bravely stayed and fought, surrounded by a haze of death, or would you have followed your instincts and high-tailed it out of there? By showing death as primal and animal-like, it makes us realize that Henry’s so called “cowardice” was also mearly primal and animal-like instinct. Humans, being primarily prey creatures for animals like lions and tigers, have developed a fight or flight response; that is, if given an escape route, we will flee, and when backed into a corner we will fight.