How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life – of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire. […] But […] he had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past. He had put them as things of the bygone with his thought-images of heavy crowns and high castles. There was a portion of the world's history which he had regarded as the time of wars, but it, he thought, had been long gone over the horizon and had disappeared forever (1.18).
Henry blames his cowardice on his culture rather than on himself. In his mind, the time for heroism and bravery is passed.
Quote #2
From his home he had gone to the seminary to bid adieu to many schoolmates. They had thronged about him with wonder and admiration. He had felt the gulf now between them and had swelled with calm pride. He and some of his fellows who had donned blue were quite overwhelmed with privileges for all of one afternoon, and it had been a very delicious thing. They had strutted (1.34).
Henry joins the army in order to make the transition from boy to man. At what point in the novel does he actually become a man?
Quote #3
On the way to Washington his spirit had soared. The regiment was fed and caressed at station after station until the youth had believed that he must be a hero. There was a lavish expenditure of bread and cold meats, coffee, and pickles and cheese. As he basked in the smiles of the girls and was patted and complimented by the old men, he had felt growing within him the strength to do mighty deeds of arms (1.36).
Henry is trying to craft a new image of himself. By joining the army and donning that uniform, he fancies himself an entirely new man.
Quote #4
He told himself that he was not formed for a soldier. And he mused seriously upon the radical differences between himself and those men who were dodging implike around the fires (2.34).
Henry defines masculinity by what he sees in his comrades. When he sees that he differs from them, his own manhood is called into question.
Quote #5
The lieutenant of the youth's company was shot in the hand. He began to swear so wondrously that a nervous laugh went along the regimental line. The officer's profanity sounded conventional. It relieved the tightened senses of the new men. It was as if he had hit his fingers with a tack hammer at home (4.18).
This is the image of "real men" for Henry: laughing and swearing in the face of injury and pain.
Quote #6
A mounted officer displayed the furious anger of a spoiled child. He raged with his head, his arms, and his legs (4.27).
This is not the first time Henry’s image of ideal masculinity is tainted with figurative language describing babies or infants. Crane calls into question his main character’s understanding of what it means to be a man.
Quote #7
He felt the subtle battle brotherhood more potent even than the cause for which they were fighting (5.15).
This is an important line, as it reminds us that Henry’s reasons for fighting have more to do with courage and masculinity than anything else. When we talk in "Character Analysis" about Henry’s motivation, we explore this idea further.
Quote #8
There was something curious in this little intent pause of the lieutenant. He was like a babe which, having wept its fill, raises its eyes and fixes upon a distant toy. He was engrossed in this contemplation, and the soft under lip quivered from self-whispered words (20.20).
This is a great example of Crane’s vs. Henry’s viewpoint. Henry sees men like the lieutenant as the epitome of masculinity, but the figurative language used evokes the image of an infant with a toy.
Quote #9
It had begun to seem to them that events were trying to prove that they were impotent. These little battles had evidently endeavored to demonstrate that the men could not fight well.
When on the verge of submission to these opinions, the small duel had showed them that the proportions were not impossible, and by it they had revenged themselves upon their misgivingsand upon the foe.
The impetus of enthusiasm was theirs again. They gazed about them with looks of uplifted pride, feeling new trust in the grim, always confident weapons in their hands. And they were men (20.30).
The regiment’s confidence in its own manhood fluctuates as often as Henry’s temperamental moods. It all seems dependent on luck and battle outcomes, leading us to wonder how substantial all this supposed "masculinity" really is.
Quote #10
Wallowing in the fight, they were in an astonishingly short time resmudged. They surpassed in stain and dirt all their previous appearances. Moving to and fro with strained exertion, jabbering all the while, they were, with their swaying bodies, black faces, and glowing eyes, like strange and ugly fiends jigging heavily in the smoke (22.11).
Oddly enough, while aspiring to the epitome of masculinity, the men lose their humanity and become more like animals than humans.