Comrades

Question: Check out this definition and etymology at Dictionary.com and compare that with Henry’s relationship to his comrades in the first fifteen chapters

Answer: A comrade is a person who shares one’s interests and activies or is a friend or companion. A comrade is also known as a roommate. Comrade is a word used address a fellow member of the communist party. Before knowing the definition of comrade, I thought it was a really good friend. The dictionary definition makes the word “comrade” seem sort of impersonal. It isn’t described as being a good friend, but merely as someone who shares the same interests or a “roommate.” But, the definition doesn’t suggest that the relationship is very personal either. In The Red Badge of Courage, everyone that Henry runs into is his comrade (by definition). Each person he encounters or knows shares his same activities as they are all in the war and fighting for the same thing. One part that struck me as being more personal than the dictionary definition is when the narrator says “The youth desired to screech out his grief. He was stabbed, but his tongue lay dead in the tomb of his mouth. He threw himself again upon the ground and began to brood” (56). The narrator even goes on to point out some of the other things Henry is doing to show his greif. Henry was thoroughly upset when his friend died. The dictionary defintion feels so impersonal to me, that if a “comrade” died, it wouldn’t be as much of a big deal; it would be more of a normal occurence during wartime. When Henry meets up with people passing by and tries to ask them questions, he grabs a man’s arm. This next instance seems a little too impersonal to be a “comrade.” This is becuase the narrator says, “He adroitly and fiercely swung his rifle. It crushed upon the youth’s head. The man ran on” (67). The man Henry encountered was a man that was also in the war. By definition, this is his comrade. Although the definition seems impersonal, a “friend” or “roommate,” or even a person with the same interests wouldn’t whack someone on the head with a rifle. Finally, on page 69, I found an example of what I would call a comrade. The narrator says, “At last he heard a cheery voice near his shoulder; ‘Yeh seem t’ be in a pretty bad way, boy?’ The youth did not look up, but he assented with thick tongue. ‘Uh!’ The owner of the cheery voice took him firmly by the arm. ‘Well,’ he said, with a round laugh, ‘I’m goin’ your way. Th’ hull gang is goin’ your way. An’ I guess I kin give yeh a lift.’ They began to walk like a drunken man and his friend.” To me, this is a comrade. This is a friend, a person who shares the same interests and is willing to help out. He doesn’t leave him stranded and isn’t too overly personal with him. This example seems as if it goes along with the dictionary definition very well. The word “comrade” isn’t actually used until Chapter 13, where more and more people are brought together at once. After Chapter 13, the “comrades” seem to be more like the dictionary definition of a “comrade.” None of them are too personal, or too overly impersonal. Each person seems to be together as a group. One example is when the narrator says, “He thought he must hasten to produce his tale to protect him from the missiles already at the lips of his redoubtable comrades. So, staggering before the loud soldier, he began: ‘Yes, yes. I’ve-I’ve had an awful time. I’ve been all over. Way over on th’ right, I got shot….” (72). Of course, this man is just making small talk, which it is something that might be done between comrades (not too personal, not too impersonal). In each of these instances, the characters are reavealed in very random ways. Nobody is with Henry the whole time. Each person just sort of shows up and then leaves. I’m actually not sure if this would be a comrade or not. There is nothing in the definition about this aspect. Of course, a friend can be a temporary friend or a friend forever. A roommate can live with you for a week, or for the rest of your life. That part is up in the air.