War is a struggle. Those engaged in war struggle to defeat the enemy and to also overcome the emotional troubles of war. Soldiers battle the desire to live and fear of dying, being a coward and acting courageous, hope and defeat. Even if they are not engaged in fighting they are always trying to conquer an obstacle. There is no way to ignore these obstacles or escape from them entirely. There are, however, ways to break away from them. In The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, Henry Fleming battles against the physical enemy as well as himself. Nature aids Henry in all of his struggles. It provides Henry with an escape, a reassurance that life keeps going, and exists as a place of peace.

Henry dreams of war as glorified battles, bloody conflicts, and struggle. He envisions himself among the extravagant pictures of war that he...