Progress of the Regiment: A Framework for Understanding Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage

At the center of both the novel and the scholarship of Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage is the characterization of the protagonist Henry Fleming. Until the 1960s most critic assumed that Henry matured, at least to some degree, and described the novel as a story of individual growth and initiation. More recently an increasing number of critic have found Henrys thoughts and actions to be consistently ironic and self-deluded. My discussion approaches Henrys maturity from a structural perspective. This study will investigate one of these consideration of form how Henrys regiment serves as a major plot element, one that drives the forward action of the novel. The regiment is ever-present either physically or at the center of Henrys thoughts And self rationalizations, it is one of the structural frames around which the novel is constructed. Henrys membership, as a green recruit in a newly formed and untried regiment, led by untested officers, is at the crux of his experiences. During the two days of fighting, the regiment and many of its individuals mature rapidly. The regiments progression, reflected by the development is not just ironic self-delusion, but a realistic presentation of social consciousness and personal maturity. Theses.