Pride, Honor, and Personal Accountability

Arguably, Richard Sharpe places more responsibility on himself than any one person should have to bear. Nevertheless, it is this code that he lives by that is essential to understand if one is to make sense of his motivations and actions. Sharpe feels responsible for the escape of Leroux from the forts, and one can perhaps agree that Sharpe should bear the majority of the blame because he knew that Leroux was capable of trickery, but still he allowed the wounded to be taken from the forts when Leroux was actually the first casualty Sharpe encountered. However, Sharpe also blames himself for the death of Lieutenant Colonel Windham. Here Shape is being too harsh on himself because Windham granted Leroux parole over Sharpe's protest.

Throughout much of the novel, Sharpe is consumed with the desire to defeat Leroux. On more than one occasion, Sharpe...