Dagmara Durlak, III SL, group 1

1. What does it mean to be a war hero? Discuss the problem in the context of Stephen
Cranes The Red Badge of Courage.

Understanding and ultimately achieving courage are one of the central themes
touched upon in Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage. Violence, atrocity and
the harsh reality of war force Henry Fleming to reconsider his own outlook on heroism
and courage.
As the novel progresses, Henry Fleming, a young soldier fighting for the Union,
faces dilemma. He has to answer the question whether he is a coward or a real hero.
As an innocent and inexperienced boy who decides to join the army, Henry has little
knowledge about war and what it really means to be a hero. His understanding of
courage is traditional and romantic since most of what he knows about war comes
from ancient legends which instill in him certain expectations. Henry believes that by
joining the army he will gain the same glory that once had been attributed to ancient
heroes. For the most of his time, Henry is motivated by selfish reasons (he enlists into
the army to prove his courage and subsequently gain reputation). He is convinced that
fighting is the only way to stand apart and gain respect among people. In the book,
Henry is referred to as the youth which emphasizes his inexperience as well as faulty
perception of the reality of war. Henry Fleming believes in traditional models of
courage, honor and romanticizes the image of dying on the battlefield. He is dazzled
with myths about war and great heroes fighting to win themselves a name, which is
misleading. Only Henrys mother seems to realize dangers and duties involved in
being called up. Her opinion stands in sharp contrast to Henrys idealistic view. She
reminds him of meeting responsibilities while serving and being honest. Her attitude
towards war is grounded in reality and thus does not reflect Henrys beliefs and
expectations. With time, his innocence gives way to experience. He gradually realizes
how nave he was before and experiences a shift in his own perception of war and
heroism. One of the defining moments that forced him to change his attitude towards
war is his escape from the battlefield. At first Henry feels little guilt justifying his
fleeing as the instinctive act of self-preservation, but after some time he changes and
realizes that he behaved like a coward. That situation has a profound effect on Henry
and his understanding of courage. Moreover, the striking image of a dead soldier that
he comes across in the woods makes him realise that all human life meets the same
end regardless of whether you are a war hero or not. The decaying corpse symbolizes
the harsh reality of war and the fact that opinions that he held before joining the army
are faulty. Jims death petrifies Henry as well. He comes to realize that there is
nothing glorious or uplifting in a soldiers death. Henry Fleming is stripped of his own
delusions. He starts to question his own courage and wants to prove himself in a battle.
He desires to be wounded because he realizes it is the only way to become courageous
and experience the war truly. At the end, Henry takes the flag and moves alone to
prove his worth anew, but not seeking glory and reputation. He takes responsibility for
people and his own country thinking about greater things, not himself. That scene
serves as an important turning point in Henrys life and marks his manhood.
Stephen Crane in his novel challenges some myths about war and what it means to
be a war hero on the example of the protagonist and his own transformation. Henry is
disillusioned with reality because it does not match up to his own expectations and an
idealistic view of war that he once truly believed in. At the very beginning, he has a
mistaken notion of what war is, but later on he manages to grow out of his naivety.
The truth about war that Henry comes to realize is that soldiers are only instruments
used to achieve a certain strategic advantage and he himself is only part of a machine.
Being a war hero does not mean to die in glory, but to do your part and fulfill all
duties.
2. The kindness of strangers. Compare and contrast Blanche du Bois (A Streetcar
Named Desire) and Lena Groves (Light in August) interaction with society.

Blanche du Bois as well as Lena Grove stand apart as characters that provide a
framework to the stories and whose past experiences and the current situation greatly
influence the course of events in the novels in which they appear. However, these two
female characters vary in their approaches towards life and the way they interact with
society.
After losing her home and post as a high school teacher, Blanche du Bois arrives at
her sisters apartment in New Orleans to find stability in her life. In the past, as a result
of her tragic marriage to a homosexual man, she had engaged in many love affairs
with randomly met soldiers. When she lost control of her life, she decided to seek her
sisters help. However, her staying at Stellas only worsened her already tragic
situation. Blanche has never been honest about her age, she lied also about her past
trying to hide the fact that she was fired due to her love affair with a student. She made
up stories about meeting a gentleman who allegedly wanted her to join him on a
cruise. Blanche has always been dependent on men and their kindness (pursuing
sexual desires) and thus her trust has frequently been abused. Not surprisingly, while
staying at Stellas, Blanche starts to shield herself from a harsh reality and the truth
about her past by denying the facts. She gradually loses contact with the outside world
and eventually falls into madness that is the sign of her ultimate downfall. Blanche is
helpless and no longer capable of interacting with other people as a result of her
complete detachment from reality. At the end, she puts her fate in the hands of others
by letting them to take her to a mental asylum. Blanche is seen as an outcast, a person
that falls victim to society. By living in her fantasy world, she makes it hard to
embrace reality and connect with other people, which is aptly illustrated by an attempt
to stabilize her life with Mitch. He is disappointed with her constant lies about the
past.
Lena Grove is a pregnant girl travelling from Alabama to Jefferson hoping to find
the father of her child. Her situation in many aspects is similar to Blanches since just
like her, Lena faces many troubles in her life (losing her parents) and decides to travel
in order to find some meaning in her life. Moreover, she also was let down by people,
in particular Lucas Burch and as a lonely, pregnant girl does not fit into societal
norms. However, there are many features showing that Lenas attitude and interaction
with society is vastly different from that of Blanche. Lena seems to be unconcerned
with her unsettled situation because her predicament in fact gives her a pretext to
travel. She is searching for a father of her child, but at the same time she does not feel
a real need to force him into marriage. Lena does not see marriage as the only means
to achieve happiness in life. Moreover, she is liberated, not fragile, which is aptly
illustrated by her attitude towards Byron whom she is not afraid to scold for an
inappropriate behavior. Lena knows how to control reality and take advantage of
people to get what she wants. On her way, she encounters many random people who
help her in her predicament (a furniture dealer, Byron or Christmas grandparents).
Though she is left alone with her problem, she is always surrounded by people, unlike
Blanche that despite being around her sister, feels lonely and trapped.
In terms of interacting with society, Lena and Blanche seems to stand in contrast to
each other. Although they experienced failures in their lives, Lena knows how to take
back control of her life and take advantage of her current situation. Blanche, however,
is a wreck particularly because of her inability to make contact with people
surrounding her (living a life of illusion). Lena does not hide her past from others and
thus wins Byrons sympathy. She is resourceful and bold that has a positive impact on
her relations with random people she meets, as opposed to Blanche who most of the
time is helpless, does not want to take up real action to change her situation because
she constantly follows her delusions. Lenas ability to interact with people allows her
to use them to her own advantage. Blanche, however, is lost to such an extent that she
blindly accepts Stella and Stanleys decision to send her away. Furthermore, Blanche
relies on men too much and sees marriage as the only way to achieve happiness in her
life, whereas Laura exhibits more carefree attitude towards that and by seemingly
aimless travelling, she shows that womans happiness is not always dependent on men
and their resources. Her journey is the symbol of hope for a better future.