The Red Badge of Courage Chapter 24 Summary

  • The battle is over and Henry now has the opportunity to rethink all that has happened.
  • He feels bad about running away and about deserting "the Tattered Soldier."
  • However, he feels good about everything else, like stealing the rebel flag and destroying the Death Star.
  • He realizes that he, like all men, is a mixture of good and bad, weakness and strength. He realizes that now "he [is] a man" (24.31). (Really, this time. That other scene when he thought this exact same thing was just a practice run.)
  • Henry thinks that because of his experiences, his soul is changed and he can now leave behind the "red sickness of battle" (24.33).
  • Also, the sun comes out, as a little red-headed orphan once predicted.