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The Tattered Man
By definition, flags are symbols of something else, such as a state or country. In Red Badge, battle flags symbolize the opposing armies. More importantly, they represent a soldier's need to believe in his army and in the war itself. The flag transcends individual concerns and represents the soldiers as a collective force. The political symbolism of Civil War flags is mostly absent from Red Badge. Instead, they are compared to beautiful colorful birds. Flags in Red Badge are symbols about symbols, about the abstract causes for which soldiers put their lives on the line. When he takes over as flag-bearer, Henry is safeguarding all of the symbols that hold his world together.
Flags Quotes in The Red Badge of Courage
The The Red Badge of Courage quotes below all refer to the symbol of Flags. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 19
Quotes
Within him, as he hurled himself forward, was born a love, a despairing fondness for this flag which was near him. It was a creation of beauty and invulnerability. It was a goddess, radiant, that bended its form with an imperious gesture to him. It was a woman, red and white, hating and loving, that called him with the voice of his hopes. Because no harm could come to it he endowed it with power.
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Chapter 23
Quotes
The youth's friend went over the obstruction in a tumbling heap and sprang at the flag as a panther at prey. He pulled at it and, wrenching it free, swung up its red brilliancy with a mad cry of exultation even as the color bearer, gasping, lurched over in a final throe and, stiffening convulsively, turned his dead face to the ground.
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Get the entire The Red Badge of Courage LitChart as a printable PDF.
Flags Symbol Timeline in The Red Badge of Courage
The timeline below shows where the symbol Flags appears in The Red Badge of Courage. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
In the distant smoke, Henry sees a Union battle flag fall over. Suddenly, a mob of blue soldiers retreats through the woods, running away from...
(full context)
Chapter 5
...scene around him. A battery of artillery guns is lobbing shells overhead. The Union battle flag flies again over distant troops. And to Henry's astonishment, the sun shines brightly in the...
(full context)
Chapter 19
...time. The lieutenant, Henry, and Wilson all scream at the men to push on. Their flag obediently gets moving again and the men follow. Running nearby, Henry feels a deep love...
(full context)
...sees the color sergeant get shot and stumble. He and Wilson each lunge for the flag and they tug it away from the corpse's firm grasp.
(full context)
Chapter 20
Henry and Wilson scuffle to carry the flag, each wanting to put himself at greater risk. Henry pushes Wilson off roughly.
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...and desperate fight breaks out at close range. Henry sits on the ground with the flag, consoled only that his regiment will go down fighting.
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Chapter 22
...again into the field. Henry stands in the middle of the new fighting with the flag still over him.
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Chapter 23
...reckless and unselfish. Henry runs in front of the men of his regiment, carrying the flag and shrieking encouragements.
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...run away. However, a handful of determined enemy soldiers remain behind the fence with their flag waving above them.
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...regiment stops and fires a devastating volley at close range. Henry sees that the enemy's flag bearer is mortally wounded. Henry wants that flag for himself as a prize. But Wilson...
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...talks of battles and outcomes, yearning for news. Settling down behind the fence with their flags, Henry and Wilson congratulate each other.
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