Chapter 10 (RBoC)

With Jim Dead, Henry starts to brood and the tattered man takes it upon himself to try to cheer him up. He tells Henry that he needs to move on and Jim should be fine, where he died. He also can't believe where he got his strength from.

" 'I wonner where he got 'is stren'th from? I never seen a man do like that before. It was a funny thing. Well, he was a reg'lar jim-dandy.' "

They walk away from Jim wondering where he came from, and the tattered man gets Henry's attention to tell him he doesn't feel well. When Henry thinks the tattered man is about to die, he's scared to see another death that day. But the tattered soldier tells him he isn't going to die yet, because he has kids at home he has to get back to. Then the tattered soldier begins to tell Henry how he got injured during the battle (shot in the head and arm) and says if Tom Jamsion didn't tell him he was shot, he would most likely still be fighting now.
The tattered soldier then proceeds to ask Henry if he is alright, because he doesn't look to well. He also tells Henry that once one of his buddies got hit in the head and that soldier said he didn't hurt anywhere, but then he died. Henry, being the man he is, turns away from him and then the tattered soldier starts to act like Jim: his speech being slurred and repeating things. He also starts to call Henry Tom Jamsion.
Henry is enraged by everything the tattered soldier told him and envies the dead. Henry is deeply affected by the tattered soldiers comments and also doesn't think he will ever recover.

Response- I think Henry needed to hear what the tattered soldier has to say. He keeps telling Henry what he doesn't want to hear. It's the bitter truth, and Henry can't run away from it. I also think that Henry is displaying a lot of cowardice.

Themes-
*Manhood~ Henry is most definitely not showing growth in being a man... he has stepped back to childhood.

Motifs-
*Youth and Maturity~ In this chapter the tattered soldier represents what being mature is, living with the truth. Henry is youthful, and can't accept reality. That is why I think Stephen Crane keeps referring to Henry as "the youth."

Question- When is Henry going to get off his high horse of ignorance, and face the music?