These two characters represent real people that have to deal with the situations in front of them, and it is because of this reason that the two stories can so easily relate to people. Like other people who at one point or another have had to overcome some kind of challenge, the deaf boy and Henry also faced their own obstacles.
One main characteristic that both characters can relate to is how young each actually is and how little they know about the situations they are getting into. When something is new it is natural for people to be frightened, anxious, curious, or feel a number of different ways, and the same can be said for each of these two characters. The young boy in "Chickamagua" was old enough to understand his father's military books and pictures, and he followed in this heroic tradition by making a wooden sword which he used as a tool for his make believe battles in the forest near his home. The boy is very young and while wandering through the forest it seems that he is unaware of what is going on around him, even sleeping through a battle nearby. One can see how this relates to Henry because, although not a small boy, he is just as inexperienced as the child in terms of battle. This is represented in the way that Henry repeatedly goes over battle situations in his head. He is constantly debating within himself whether or not he will run, and this very clearly shows that Henry, or as Crane labels him "the youth", truly doesn't know what to expect from battle and himself. There is an uncertainty surrounding both characters because of their lack of experience in real life situations. .
Also, both characters experience similar events and their reactions make sense according to each person's age. While in the forest the boy sees a rabbit, gets scared, and flees in an unknown direction in an attempt to escape the creature. Henry, while confronted with his first enemy attack, also flees as a result of his fright.
