Red badge of courage chapter 9

In this section, Henry is confronted with the overt consequences of battle. The death of Jim Conklin especially rattles him. The tall soldier, Henry’s friend from home, has been wounded twice, and the "badges" he carries prevent him from walking and thinking clearly. His face turns gray as he tells Henry that he fears being trampled to death by the speeding artillery carts. This shows that the phantoms of battle and death, the gray unknown, do not escape even those who have a red badge of courage. Henry, though he finally wants to act for the first time since the battle, cannot do anything for his friend. I think the sparse vocabulary represents Henry's inability to process the realities of war as well as his disoriented friend.