Jeffrey Dietz
Character Sketch
Henry Fleming is a young boy who decides to enlist in the Union Army. The Army that is portrayed to him is a grand thing that would give him honor and valor, but he soon realizes it is just long marches, poor food, and poor conditions. The first thing I thought when he was introduced was that he was a timid fellow. Henry was a quiet guy that didn’t say much but listened a lot. The main problem, which he is fighting at the beginning, is the question of whether or not he is going to run in battle. When Henry flees in the first battle he thinks, “He [Henry] had fled, he told himself, because annihilation approached. He had done a good part in saving himself” (60). This quote happens in the beginning of the book when he flees from his first battle. Henry is trying to justify his reason for fleeing, but he realizes later that he shouldn’t have run and he strongly regrets it. It makes me a little angry I guess that he would try to justify such a selfish action, but if I was in his position I don’t know if I could make the courageous decision.
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