Courage is obviously a theme of this novel; it's in the title. However, the novel questions what courage actually is. Henry equates courage with manliness. He weighs courage with survival at several points in the story, and sometimes survival wins, which leaves Henry feeling like a coward. His belief about what courage is changes as the novel progresses. While at the beginning, Henry believes courage is fighting bravely, he soon grows to understand that courage is doing what he has to do. Henry proves his courage by not only risking his life for the cause of the Union army, but also by accepting himself for all of what he is.