What is the conflict in chapter 3 of Soldier's Heart?

There are numerous conflicts defined in chapter 3 of Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart. The majority of the conflicts illustrated are internal conflicts. Internal conflicts are conflicts a person has within himself or herself. These conflicts tend to be ones which illustrate a figurative fight between a decision a person must make and his or her morals.

The chapter opens with Charley making a statement about thinking "he would remember the train ride forever." The conflict here exists based upon the idea that Charley thought at the time that the experience on the train was meant to be remembered. This statement actually proves that Charlie's initial thought about remembering the train ride is false. The train ride in the end was not worth remembering.

As the train moves on, Charley thinks about slavery and the fight he is a part of. He states that he "He'd never considered it [slavery] before." This exists as a conflict because his current situation forces him to consider his actions in the war. The idea of owning a person forces him to think about his own actions as a soldier.

Another conflict Charley faces is when the train comes to the poorer areas of the whites. The children are half-naked, and the adults are in rags. This makes Charley think about how his own family lives. He finds the difference between his own home and the poor upsetting.

One final conflict comes at the close of the chapter. Charlie begins a letter to his mother and brother. He opens the letter with the following: "I'm a man now, and seeing and doing a man's things out in the world. I've seen things you wouldn't believe..." Here, the conflict is obvious--Charlie is a man now, something that the war forced upon him. This maturity did not come at a natural pace.

What is the conflict in Soldier's Heart and how is it resolved?

The answer to the first question is "both." Soldier's Heart intricately weaves together both external and internal conflicts throughout the story. The external conflict is a standard combat soldier's conflict. Charley is a soldier in the Union army, and he has to fight against Confederate soldiers who want to see him dead. Charley is again and again placed in battles of historical significance, and he is forced to fight for his life and the lives of the men around him. Being surrounded by all of this killing and death spurs an internal conflict in Charley. He initially believes that the war and the battles will be easy wins and filled with glorious events. He has romanticized what combat is; however, he quickly learns that war is graphic and horrible. He has to internally wrestle with his own mortality in addition to knowing that friends of his are constantly being killed. Charley will also internally struggle with reconciling knowledge he gains about his enemy: he has a wonderful exchange with an unnamed Confederate soldier, where he learns that his enemy is much more like him than he once believed.