Farewell to Arms

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Recommended: Critical analysis of Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Farewell to Arms

The symbolism in “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway is vivid and dynamic, and in the novel the rain and other factors, symbolize despair. The symbols all are presented in varying forms. The other symbolic factors include; lakes, rivers, snow, ice, mountains, plains, night, seasons, weather, Catherine’s hair, Frederic’s beard, officer stars, riding crop, the painted horse and the silhouette cutter. The symbolic concepts are; the baby, war, love, wounds, and the enemy. The different symbols have an effect on each character in the novel, in a special way. When a reader opens up the novel from the first page to the last page some of the symbols are made obvious, while some symbols are insightful.

The rain is the constant water forms such as lakes, snow, ice and rivers, in this novel and it involves each character differently. Rain symbolizes death mainly, due to every time it is mentioned, the reader knows death is coming. "At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. But it was checked and in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army" (320). The author mentions in the beginning that when rain comes so does cholera, which is a disease that is fatal. Catherine admits to Frederic that she is afraid of the rain when she says “I am afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it.” “And sometimes I see you dead in it” (320). This is foreshadowing Catherine’s death and this is an obvious symbol. Rain seems to also symbolize emotions and death. Rain happens during the retreat in Book III. Foreshadowing his death, Aymo the driver states "We drink barbera now. Tomorrow maybe we drink rainwater" When Aymo is shot it is raining. Frederic states "He l...

... middle of paper ...

...is Genius, Critic Declares of Hemingway.” In Chicago Daily Tribune, September 28, 1929 (p. 11)

Fetterley, Judith. The Resisting Reader: A Feminist Approach to American Fiction. Indiana University Press (1978)

Hazlitt, Henry. “Take Hemingway” In New York Sun, September 28, 1929, (p. 38)

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner, 1929, 1951, 1995.

Hemingway, Ernest. New York.2003 (pg.1-328) “A Farewell to Arms” this is the book. This book will benefit me with the symbolism in the research paper. This is the whole story to get my examples from. This story has the symbolism and the description of World War 1 and other events through the eyes of the narrator.

Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. Revised: October 21, 2008 (Web) 18, This is an eBook and audio book which is very helpful.

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