Red Badge of Courage Critical Review Analisis

The critical review that I have read says that The Red Badge of Courage was the most realistic depiction of the civil war. The story was written after the Civil War and yet it still manages to capture the feelings and attitude of the entire thing. I would agree that the story was very realistic and factual. It was very interesting and from what I know about the war, was very true. The story was very descriptive, especially about the soldier’s mental state of mind and what they thought about during the war. The critical review says, though the novel treats war realistically, it is primarily a psychological portrayal of Henry's terrifying experience of combat during two days. I would definitely agree with this. There was not much action in the story and it even got kind of boring because nothing would ever happen. The story was all in Henry's mind. I did not enjoy this and thought it needed more action and fighting to keep the reader interested in the story. This would have made the story much more enjoyable in my opinion and would have made me much more interested in the story line of the book. The author of the critical review says that he is not sure if Henry has developed in to a hero by the end of the story. I would have to say that Henry is indeed a hero by the time the story reaches its conclusion. Henry has gone so far from when he first joined the battle. He has a completely different mental state of mind, and makes a difference in the war. Henry did not know what to do at first, but by the end of The Red Badge of Courage, he has changed and developed in to a completely different person. Henry finally found his courage and is now one of the best fighters in his division. I think that he developed in to a hero. I think that I agree with most points made in the literary analysis that I have read about The Red Badge of Courage.