Conscience

Conscious is that voice inside you that tells you what is right and what is wrong. For example, when you are young and you go to your friend’s house. You see your friend’s doll or robot lying here on the floor. You really like it, but you don’t take it. What is stopping you? Yes, it is conscience that stops you. You might say that it is only because you don’t want to get in trouble, but deep down inside it is because we can tell what is morally right from wrong.

 Lets say that you actually did steal the toy and manage to get away with it from being caught. You will never feel right when you play with the doll. There will be this voice that reminds you that the toy is not yours. Even if it is the best toy in the world, it will loose its fun. Eventually, you would want to return the toy. This is all caused by the guilt you feel, and the guilt is caused by the conscience in you.

In the Red Badge of Courage, Henry struggles with his conscience because he did not stay and fight the battle. He tried hard to convince himself that what he did was right, but he is still worried and uncomfortable. What is the need to convince himself? If he truly believed that what he did was right, he would feel good in what he did. All of this comes down in conscience.