Question

The following question references the novel The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.

Answer 1

Answer:

Henry had just fled for his life from the front lines of the conflict. He tossed the pinecone at the squirrel as a type of experiment to see whether the squirrel would escape or remain and fight. He felt better about abandoning the struggle after seeing the squirrel flee. He believed that Nature was confirming that he should defend himself rather than remain and naively accept death.