This novel documents Henry's growth and maturity as a soldier through the changes in his personality and behavior. During this transition, Henry's emotions run the gamut from glory to fear to depression to anger to exhilaration to courage to honor. His personality and behavior move from innocence to experience, in essence from doubt to duty.
Henry's maturing process occurs very quickly. In the span of just a few days, Henry experiences a lifetime's worth of growth — from his enlisting for self-centered reasons of glory, to the exhilaration of his first battle, to his running from his second battle for fear of being killed, and, ultimately, to his facing the enemy and leading a charge as he becomes one of the bravest soldiers in his regiment. Several examples from the novel illuminate the changes which take place in Henry's character and in their relationship to the themes of doubt and duty.
Henry's confidence, a confidence somewhat related to an understanding of duty, but also based on the curiosity of youth, is addressed early in the novel. Henry is confident that war will bring him untold glory. Henry's confidence is not shaken by his mother's "impregnable" concerns, so he proceeds with his plan to enlist despite her wishes.
In Chapter 2, however, the focus of Henry's character development moves quickly to Henry's doubts and fears as the regiment moves closer to battle. His thoughts jump from longing for home to conjuring up monster images to describe common occurrences. Fear almost consumes Henry. Henry's doubts continue as he reacts to his environment — both the land and the people. At one point, his fears become so great that "he had concluded that it would be better to get killed directly and end his troubles."
