A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is a novel set in Italy during World War I. It tells the story of its protagonist, an ambulance driver named Frederic Henry (most often referred to as simply Henry), and his love for a nurse named Catherine Barkley during a time in which Henry has sought to escape from the war around him. A Farewell to Arms, which is notable for its melancholy plot, strongly resembles some aspects of Hemingway’s own life; he committed suicide after a lifelong case of depression, and he too experienced the tragedies of war. He communicates one major theme through A Farwell to Arms—the inevitability of the loss of happiness. Hemingway expresses this idea through his ingenious use of symbolism, motif, and irony. The first …show more content…
Specifically, he uses foil to compare characters to one another. The first example of this is the comparison between several doctors. When Henry’s knee is injured, three doctors refuse to operate on him, saying that he needs to wait possibly six months before operation will be safe. However, a fourth doctor, Dr. Valentini, is eager to operate “to-morrow morning” (97). The first three doctors, who appear timid and overly-cautious, provide a standard that is easily surpassed by the lively, ambitious Dr. Valentini. Another example of foil is Hemingway’s comparison of Henry’s roommate, Rinaldi, and the local priest. Rinaldi, an oversexed and audacious young man, contrasts greatly with the priest, who lacks almost all characteristics that Rinaldi may consider masculine. Several times throughout the novel, the priest is the object of many of the men’s hilarity, who compare his abstinent nature to Rinaldi’s habits, which is Hemingway’s clever juxtaposition of the two. Each of these examples of foil relate to the novel’s dominant theme because they again present the idea that gain is never without loss; when one character is presented in a superior manner, it is only because he or she is being compared to another character who is inferior. An additional motif is that of illusions and desires. Henry and Catherine at first find comfort in the idea of being in love …show more content…
Throughout the novel, many characters dismiss the war as necessary and remain ambivalent about it, stating that the only way to have happiness is to first have war. Perhaps the most prominent example would be the union of Catherine and Henry; they would have never met if the war did not exist, nor, as Catherine states, “I wouldn’t have met you [Henry] if he [her fiancé] hadn’t died” (112). A further example of irony is the relationship between love and pain. The loss of Catherine’s fiancé prompted her to find love in Henry, and his life in the war made him seek refuge in Catherine’s love. Henry sacrifices any chance for honor in the war for her; he would have received medals for his outstanding service, but he decides to abandon his past to be with Catherine. When the couple is living together in the Swiss mountains, Catherine has complications during her pregnancy and gives birth to a stillborn. Only hours later, she too passes away. This unfortunate yet inevitable sequence of events that links initial happiness to subsequent pain shows that even love, sometimes said to be the most compelling force on Earth, is still only
“This is true.” (O’Brien, 420) – with this simple statement which also represents a first, three-word introductory paragraph to Tim O’Brien’s short story, “How to Tell a True War Story”, the author reveals the main problem of what will follow. “Truth” – when looked up in a dictionary, we would probably find definitions similar to sincerity and honesty on the one hand, and correctness, accuracy or reality on the other hand. When looking at these definitions, one can make out two groups of meaning: While sincerity and honesty are very subjective, correctness or accuracy are supposed to be objective by nature. One can be sincere and still not report the truth, due to the simple fact that one does not know any better. Accuracy, however, is supposed to represent facts, bits and pieces of information that paint a picture of an event, untouched by opinion or attitude.
The novel "A Farewell to Arms" should be classified as a historical romance. Many people in reading this book could interpret this to be a war novel, when in fact it was one of the great romance novels written in its time. When reading this book you notice how every important event of the war is overshadowed by the strong love story behind it.
Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother, Grace Hall, was a trained opera singer and later on, a music teacher. His father, Clarence Hemingway, was a doctor and an avid naturalist ("Ernest Hemingway: An Inventory”). Just after graduating high school, at the age of eighteen, Hemingway enlisted in the army to fight in World War I ("The Big Read"). After being severely wounded in the war, he moved to Paris in 1921, and devoted himself to writing fiction (Baker). It is said that, “No American writer is more associated with writing about war in the early 20th century than Ernest Hemingway” (Putnam). Hemingway’s book A Farewell to Arms was published in 1929, and was based off of the events that happened to him in the war and what happened in his love life. Fredrick Henry, the protagonist, is an American ambulance driver fighting for the allies during World War I. He is introduced to a nurse named Catherine, who he later on falls in love with. Henry was hit by a trench mortar shell and was very badly injured. He is then sent to Milan, where Catherine later on comes to help nurse him to health. The two fall in love and Henry no longer is involved with the war, so they try and have a child, but both Catherine and the child die during labor, and Henry is left alone. Psychoanalytical approach views the psychological motivations of characters, which refer to the dynamics of personality development and behavior based on the unconscious motivations of a person ("Psychoanalytic Theory”). Hemingway’s writing was greatly impacted by his real life tragedies, which consist of witnessing the gruesomeness of war and his discovery and loss of love, this helps exhibi...
The reaction of one soldier to another is the basis of war, as camaraderie is the methodology by which wars are won. Henry gave witness to the horrors of war, the atrocities of battle, the deaths of his friends, and later a life of victory. The ultimate transformation in Henry's character leading to a mature temperament was found by finding himself in the confusion of war and companionship.
The similarities between the people of Hemingway’s life and his fictitious characters can also be found between Lieutenant Henry, the main character of “A Farewell to Arms”, and Hemingway himself. Once again, the similarities between these characters is astonishing; so much that Lieutenant Henry seems to be Hemingway’s idea of his younger self rather that a fictitious character.
The Italian front of World War I, while remembered as less devastating than the blood bath in France, reflected every deplorable aspect of war. The effects were far reaching; nearly 600,000 Italian soldiers lost their lives, and more than a million were wounded. Among both the enlisted and civilians, no person escaped the poisonous touch of the war. Such was the case with Frederick Henry, an American architecture student in Rome at the time the war began. When he joined ranks as an Italian Lieutenant, Frederick never anticipated the misery that would accompany military life. However, save a few chapters mid-novel, Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is by no means a painful account of the tribulations and tragedies of war.
Irony is not always funny; verbal, dramatic, and situational irony are often used to assert truth or to add depth to an author’s writing. In Erich Maria Remarque’s book, All Quiet on the Western Front, the reader experiences years of life on the front of World War I through the eyes of a young German man, Paul Bäumer, who has enlisted with his classmates at the expectation of their schoolmaster. Remarque uses irony throughout his novel, best displayed in the names of the characters, the various settings, and in the deaths of the characters.
The plot of a Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a strong influence on the novel. The plot is interesting, unique, and allows the story to flow. Without it, the story would be very blunt and uninteresting. There are many key points of this plot and Hemingway reveals this throughout the novel. In the beginning, we do not even know the main character’s first name until he is injured. Hemingway explains Frederick Henry’s character over the first half of the book. In this part we get to learn who he is and how he acts slowly, yet thoroughly. Throught the second half, the novel focuses on Henry’s conflicts and his relationship with Catherine.
Hemingway uses the book to explain the brutality of war and the burdens it places to those who becomes victims of it. It is a lesson Lieutenant Henry learns early on during the book, and it is one that we as a society should keep in mind especially in these ever cautious time we live in. It also gives the reader a chance to view the insight of those who participated in the action of wars, and in chapter XXVI we are reminded of these peoples’ views through the statements made by the priest in Henry’s quarters. He proclaims, “You cannot believe how it has been. Except that you have been there and you know how it can be. Many people have realized the war this summer. Officers whom I thought could never realize it realize it now.
In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway uses his idea of the code hero to introduce us to an amazing character. Hemingway takes his own ideas and conveys them through Frederic Henry. During World War I Frederic Henry proves to us that war and lost love can change a strong and willing man. Most men are not willing to change and Frederic Henry realized that in order for him to survive the many problems he was faced with, he would have to become a more mature man, love and solider.
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is somewhat of a Romeo and Juliet love story, with a tragic ending. In this novel, Romeo is Frederick Henry and Juliet is Catherine Barkley. Their love affair must survive the everything that is around them during World War I. The setting of this novel is war-torn Italy.
A Farewell To Arms written by Ernest Hemingway illustrates a typical love story between two people, this love story plays out in a war torn Italy during world war I, where Italy was battling Austria, the novels main characters, lieutenant Fredrick Henry an American ambulance driver serving in the Italian army and Catherine Barkley an English volunteer nurse who served in Italy. The novel portrays Henry as a drunk who traveled from one house of prostitution to the next, he was not happy with his lifestyle. Henry feels detached from life and is on a quest for identification, he gives a particular insight about how he feels about women “clear, cold and dry”. Henry loved to play the role of a womanizer. He is isolated from his family and compatriots. He is an American fighting a war in another country. In my opinion Henry is emotionally exhausted and it appears he has no place to go. Henry meets Catherine Barkley, near the front between Italy and Austria-Hungary. Catherine suffered during this war before she met Henry. Catherine had lost her fiancé during this war. She was startled by rain in her nightmares. She perceived rain as death. At first Henry wanted to seduce the nurse, to him it was a game, he had told the nurse that he loved her, but she had caught on to his game. Catherine confronted Henry and told him what she thought of his game. He was severely wounded on one of his runs. Henry was sent to the American hospital where Catherine worked. That is where he actually began to fall in love with her. He fully recovered and returned to the war-front, during a retreat the Italians started to fall apart. Henry shot an engineer sergeant under his command for dereliction, later in the confusion Henry is arrested by the battle police for the crime of not being Italian. He is disgusted with the army and facing death at the hands of the battle police during questioning. Henry decided he has had enough of the war, he ran into the river to escape. After swimming to safety, Henry boards a train to reunite with his love Catherine whom is pregnant with his child. Here is where he meets with an Italian bartender who will help him escape to Switzerland by boat. Henry and Catherine plan to get married soon after the baby is born.
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...
Hemingway’s involvement in warfare provided many of his works with a central—or at least a supporting—theme. In The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway used war as a major theme such as the effects of World War One, the gruesome reality of war, and the loss of innocence during the war, respectively. He devoted his life to write authentically on every piece of his work including and particularly the subject of warfare and its effect during his time period. Although his literary works are not primary sources of the war experiences during the early half of the Twentieth century, they provide close to the truth surrounding those wars as accurately as possible.
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.