In the novel, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, the author captures the harsh realities of war and the limitations between relationships during war. Part of what may have influenced him to write for this time period was the health conditions of his brother at the time, suffering a similar fate to the made-up character Catherine Barkley. Focusing on these factors and drawing from his own personal experience, Hemingway creates the idea of love to seem as though it is only temporary. Key themes such as abandonment, war, and even death play a crucial role in laying out the plot of the story and development of characters because it serves as an escape. War essentially is something that all mankind wishes to suppress, however is inevitable …show more content…
Catherine’s perspective on their relationship differs from Henry’s because she uses their connection to escape the realities of being engaged to a dead soldier. She has become “much more hardened by war” through her loss since her fiance was killed in battle at Somme (Telgan 6). In grieving over her recently deceased fiance, Catherine ambitiously and desperately seeks the comfort of another to breakout of her tragedy. For example, when she is with Henry she tells him that “You’re my religion…You’re all I’ve got” (Hemingway 37). By stating that Frederic is all that she has, the reader can infer she cannot handle losing another person she loves to the war. Catherine has dealt with this feeling of abandonment and hopes to escape its chains by diving into another relationship soon after meeting Frederic. Similarly, Catherine’s fate proves that her love for Henry can only be temporary because Henry has to leave her to finish his duties in the war. Equally important, Catherine appears completely aware that she and Henry are, at first, engaging in a playful game of flirtation, when referring to her original interactions with Henry as a period when she was slightly “out of it” (Hemingway). Instead of being swept off her feet by Henry’s constant assurances of love, she draws the line, ultimately telling him when she has had enough of it for the night; reminding him that their promising love is an illusion. Even after Henry distinctly declares that he loves her and that their lives together will be that of a “happily ever after,” Catherine’s resistance outlives Henry’s by far from when they were first falling for each other. Catherine expresses these occasional moments of doubt, telling Henry that she gets the feeling that horrible fates await them. Her suspicion may simply be a general alarm about the war-torn world since Hemingway portrays that “War is not
Henry and Catherine hold a steady, loving and trustworthy relationship even through the tough times of war. Even though there are disputes on whether Henry and Catherine really loved each other, they held a good relationship. They tended to each others needs. Catherine took it slow while Henry wanted to rush into things to quickly. "Hello," I said. "When I saw her I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me." (91) Catherine and Henry were inseparable. Throughout the novel, their relationship became more serious and Henry had finally decided that he was in love with Catherine Barkley. "I really love you. I'm crazy about you." (92) This quote displays how Henry just can't get enough of Catherine how he wants to rush into things to quick. Henry doesn't like Catherine for who se really is but is taken over by the power of her looks.
Assadnassab, Sara. "Hemingway´s Depiction of Women in A Farewell to Arms.”. http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1773/2005/117/LTU-CUPP-05117-SE.pdf (accessed April 17, 2013).
Catherine has an extremely naive, novel-like view of love. “[Henry’s] name was not in the Pump-room book, and curiosity could do no more. He must be gone from Bath.yet he had not mentioned that his stay would be so short! This sort of mysteriousness, which is always so becoming in a hero, threw a fresh grace in Catherine's imagination around his persona and manners, and increased her anxiety to know more of him,” (34-35). She is obsessed with Henry’s “mysteriousness”, not so dissimilar to the heroines in her novels, who were all in love with tall, dark and mysterious men. Although her naivete and imagination almost get her in trouble with Henry when she thinks his father has killed his mother, her naive obsession with him is the only reason their relationship ever
Escape from Reality in A Farewell to Arms & nbsp; In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, Fredric Henry gets involved with Catherine Barkley to escape the insanity of war. Frederic loves Catherine. Catherine loves Frederic. The extreme situation of war and fate allowed both of them to be thrown together and fall in love.
...periences in life. The most important one is search for freedom. Catherine is always locked up in her chamber, or trying to get away from the suitors. Throughout in the book she thinks about going to the abbey, leaving the manor, or going on an adventure. In the end her marriage with Stephen shows her that now she is “… at least less painfully caged” (Cushman 164). The story was very exciting when you wait to see what she would do to another suitor. I learned that as much as you try to fight something sometimes you cannot and it’s bound to you. As seen with Catherine and marrying any one of the suitors. “If I was born a lady, why not a rich lady” (Cushman 4). I think the author wrote this because she wants to show how medieval Europe was like, the social classes, education, religion, and especially society’s look on marriage.
There are two major themes in A Farewell to Arms that Hemingway clearly conveys: war and love. The war theme is obvious because the book is set during the World War. The theme of love is less obvious, it begins faintly because of the uncertainty between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley. Neither desire love or commitment to anyone, but act upon their desires of passion. As the story progresses, so does their love. The strength of their love is enforced by various understandings and agreements. Love is the theme that closes the book, leaving a final allusion of what their love is about.
...ne show his sensibility. His imagination and creativity motivate him to read Gothic romances and to indulge in the effects that his inventive tales produce. His decision to marry Catherine is motivated by feelings of love that further exemplifies his sensibility. Throughout the novel the readers see an excellent display of Henry's ability to maintain equilibrium between the two qualities. He passes his knowledge onto Catherine to help her to become a better person. At the end of the novel it is apparent that Henry has taught the keys of his success to Catherine.
Catherine was born into a rich solid family, where her father, Mr. Earnshaw, was a strict man, and her mother, Mrs. Earnshaw, was a pretentious woman. Through her conceited youth Catherine’s immaturity is clearly explained. Born with a very strong attitude; she is the type that throws a fit when doesn’t get what she wants. An example is, “when she learnt the master had lost her whip in attending the stranger, showed her humor by grinning and spitting at the stupid little thing” (33). Catherine was never love by her father, whom felt the need to tell her, “Nay Cathy, I cannot love thee; thou’rt worse than thy brother. Go, s...
The first, most obvious trait of Catherine’s heroism is that she values human relationships above materialism. Nothing is more important to Catherine than her lover, Henry, and as the novel goes on, her baby. When Henry is injured and sent to Milan, she has no trouble transferring to the new hospital there. Catherine loves Henry and would drop anything to be with him. Nothing material holds her back from being with him. Even when they live in Switzerland, they don’t have many material possessions. They live very simple lives because all the couple really needs is each other. In chapter forty, Henry describes their time together with this quote, "When there was a good day we had a splendid time and we never had a bad time. We knew the baby was very close now and it gave us both a feeling as though something were hurrying us and we could not lose any time together." Catherine obviously values her time with Henry more than anyone else, but it isn’t the physical aspect of getting out and doing things that satisfies her. What satisfies Catherine is the extra time she gets to spend with the love of her life b...
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway displays the distraction from pain that love can provide. The characters Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley use their romance to escape from the agony that war has brought to them. Throughout the novel, the two become isolated from the outside world as their love grows. The theme of love providing a temporary escape from loss is prominent in A Farewell to Arms. However, the distraction of love may bring Catherine and Henry pleasure, but their happiness cannot last.
There are indications in each of the novel’s five books that Ernest Hemingway meant A Farewell to Arms to be a testament against war. World War One was a cruel war with no winners; ”War is not won by victory” (47). Lieutenant Frederic Henry, the book’s hero and narrator, experiences the disillusionment, the hopelessness and the disaster of the war. But Henry also experiences a passionate love; a discrepancy that ironically further describes the meaninglessness and the frustration felt by the soldiers and the citizens.
One of the modern features demonstrated by A Farewell to Arms is the style used by Hemingway. His modern style forces the reader to look for hidden truth while reading the text which contains some unclear and very long passages. The author tries to master the chaos of two worlds: a world of war and a world of love by creating his own, self-sufficient, and symbolic work. When one theme moves into the foreground, the other one recedes into the background. The sequence of action runs parallel in both themes, so the reader gets the feeling of reading a single main theme rather than two. He leaves for the reader the freedom of judging and deciding what is right or wrong. Hemingway does not spend a lot of time directly dealing with the emotions or thoughts of characters. He tells the story in many long uninterrupted dialogues and actions using this dry sort of tone. He omits describing facial gestures and emotions in his text. That gives the sense of boredom and monot...
Love is a strong affection or warm attachment to someone; on the contrary, pain is a punishment or penalty or suffering of body or mind. These emotions carry a direct relationship; love leads to pain. However, everything that begins must eventually come to an end, and in the end one emotion is victorious. There is a constant struggle between the opposing emotions; henceforth, Ernest Hemingway combines both of these emotions into A Farewell to Arms. Through Fredric Henry and Catherine Barkley’s relationship, Hemingway combines these two emotions in a relentless power struggle. Where love leads, pain shortly follows proving that what comes from love can be dangerous. Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms takes place during World War I and describes the relationship between a war doctor, Fredric Henry, and a nurse, Catherine Barkley; the couple follows the cycle of love and pain to prove Hemingway’s point that love is ultimately dangerous.
When reflecting on the novel, a blogger writes, “A Farewell to Arms is a war novel, not in the sense that it glorifies the war, but as all know, it describes the cruelty, madness of the war which deprives human life and happiness” (Analysis 1). During the novel, Hemingway displays his anti-war message by showing how the characters indulge in distractions to escape the reality of war. Love and sexuality, alcohol, and religion are all ways characters distract themselves. In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway uses love and sex as the anchor for his anti-war message. Love and sexuality is the strongest element Hemingway uses.
middle of paper ... ... so provided the reader with realistic descriptions of the warfront. Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms realistically explores the inglorious and brutal truths of war, and idealistically analyzes the power of true love. Works Cited “A Farewell to Arms Essay – A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway.”