Standing out more than the other soldiers in his regiment, Henry defines his courage at many different points throughout his experiences. Although Henry is just a boy, his self-image is shared very descriptively as Henry tells his mother that he is going to join the army. His mother completely rejects his adult decision to become a soldier, but her thoughts were like bricks that couldn't be moved. Ensuring that Henry was not making rash decisions that he would regret, his mother respects his ideas and allows him to pursue his goal. Henry's mother shows that she will give dignity to his decisions: “She then covered her face with the quilt. For that night the matter was closed." (Crane 5). For Henry's sake of becoming a man and boosting his self-image, his mother puts her worries aside and lets him go to war. Therefore, Henry, with his war decisions he continues to lack knowledge of reality. His adolescent mind cannot comprehend the horrific scenes of battle, to prepare he must visually expand his life before being encouraged to fight for his country The soldiers of Henry's regiment tell their battle stories and how different it is from Henry's life at home. “He was a nobody; now he's suddenly special, and that's what he wants.” (Breslin 268) Being told the stories of men dying, people suffering, and the conditions of war, Henry's view of war changes. Understanding what war is really like allows Henry to become more of a man as he mentally prepares for his first experience in battle. On the other hand, Henry doesn't know how the future will turn out. The risks he will have to take and the struggles he will have to overcome to survive in battle will reveal themselves...... middle of paper ......ers, 1988. Print.Jones, Peter G, War and the novelist: evaluating the American war novel. University of Missouri Press, 1976. 5-6. Rpt. in Literary Topics for Students, War and Peace. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 449-450. Print.Pizer, Donald. Realism and Naturalism in Nineteenth-Century American Literature, Southern Illinois University Press, 1984. 22-28. Rpt. in Literary Themes for Students, War and Peace, ed. Anne Marie Hacht. vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 447-449. Press. "The Red Badge of Courage." Literary themes for students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 439-447. Press. "The Red Badge of Courage." Novels for students, ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 253-264. Print.Richardson, Marco. “The red badge of courage”. American writers. Ed. Jay Parini. vol. 1. New York: 2003. 237-255. Press.