Recent advances in medical science have allowed for a procedure in which a young deaf girl was given the ability to hear. Before this procedure, the young girl was forced to make her own observations of reality without the complete knowledge of what was going on, and this may have lead to her opinions or beliefs being different from what they actually might have been. After the procedure, the young girl has an opportunity to view the world in a new light, an opportunity to change her reality. .
The two main characters in "Chickamagua" and The Red Badge of Courage, the deaf child and Henry, also experience events that change their respective realities. Although neither character experienced an operation like the young girl, their own unique experiences changed their views of war and their perceptions of reality. One can say that each character was blinded to reality because of their youth and inexperience with life. Similar to the young girl, the characters have certain roadblocks that get in their way. The young boy in "Chickamagua" is a deaf mute, like the girl, but his very young age also holds him back because he hardly has any knowledge of the world. Although he may not be as young as the child, Henry is similar to the deaf boy because his lack of experience in life put him at a disadvantage. The novel is a coming of age tale and it is clear that Henry still has a lot he has to learn about himself. He doesn't know how he will react when faced with an actual battle and is constantly contemplating what he will do when the time for battle comes. .
However, it is this growing process that the characters go through which helps people relate to each story. It is safe to say that each person has gone through a new experience that he .
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or she wasn't too sure about and had to overcome certain fears and apprehensions like the deaf boy and Henry in each of the two stories.