Although the book, A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway was not the type of book that had an exciting page-turning story, it can nevertheless be called a classic. A classic has been defined as a book that lasts through generations because of its universality of theme, ageless symbolism, word choice and the ordering of detail. This book has a universal theme, several ageless symbols, and a classic style that is as easily read today as it was 50 years ago. Although there were several themes in this book, a major theme seemed to dominate the story. This theme is the importance of love and loss in a malefemale relationship. These two lovers were so absorbed in each other that they needed no one else in their life. Wouldnt you like to go on a trip somewhere by yourself, darling, and be with men and ski? No. Why should I? I should think sometimes you would want to see other people besides me. Do you want to see other people? No. Neither do I. p.297. This conversation shows that Catherine loves him so much that she is willing to be alone just so he can be happy. At the same time, Mr. Henry would probably like to go skiing but would never dream of leaving Catherine alone. Death wins out over love. It is very dangerous. The nurse went into the room and shut the door. I sat outside in the hall. Everything was gone inside of me. I did not think. I could no think. I knew she was going to die and I prayed that she would not. Dont let her die. Oh, God, please dont let her die. Ill do anything for you if you wont let her die... p.330. Hemingway went on for an entire paragraph of him pleading with God. This is how he is able to show that Mr. Henry loves her more than anything, more than life its self. In a way, I think that they loved each other too much. They did not go out often or do anything that was with other people. They were always together. This is an unhealthy life style. They were creating their own fortress and isolating themselves from the world. My life used to be full of everything, I said. Now if you arent with me I havent a thing in the world. p. 257. This quote further supports the idea that they are isolating themselves from the world. Since they were so cut off from the outside world, Mr. Henry has even a more difficult time going back into the reality of life after her death. This theme of man and woman isolated in love and finally their loss to dark death is universal. The most profound aspect of this book would be its ageless symbolism. The free-living, heavy-drinking life that Catherine and Mr. Henery shared could be compared to the heavy investing, speculating and consequence-free life of the 20s. The product that came from Catherine and Mr. Henrys lifestyle was a dead child. The result of the over- investing of the 20s was the great depression. So the baby symbolizes the depression. Another point to consider was that Mr. Henry was a deserter. He left the army to be with Catherine. Desertion was illegal and he paid for it by loosing that which he loved the most, Catherine. Rain was connected with pain or grief. He drank to dull this grief or pain. Rain is wet and wet is connected with alcohol. We had each been drinking out of one of the bottles and I took my bottle with me and went over and lay flat on the hay and looked out the narrow window at the wet country. p.217. In this scene, he has been thinking of Cat and he decided that it would be best to drink his troubles away. When Hemingway said that the land was wet, it usually meant that Mr. Henry was drunk. After Catherine and the baby died at the hospital, Mr. Henry walked home in the rain. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain. page 332. He had just suffered a major loss and dealt with it in the only way that he knew; through alcohol. Although drinking at this point was not actually mentioned directly, we can nevertheless assume that he was going to make this connection just because of the setting in the rain. This book had many examples of symbolism and they all point to the fact that there is always a terrible price to pay for weak actions or for blind love. The word choice and ordering of detail of this book also leads one to believe that they are reading a classic. Hemingways style is one of simple, straightforward dialogue with the absence of slang. Many generations of readers can read and understand the story. An example of this simplicity of dialogue is as follows: Where do you want to go, Cat? Montreux. It is a very nice place, the official said. I think you will like that place. Here at Locarno is a very nice place, another official said. page 282. Although this simple dialogue is very easy to read, it is also very powerful in its directness and simplicity. On the other hand, his use of language when describing scenery is very elaborate. The next year there were many victories. The mountain that was beyond the valley and the hillside where the chestnut forest grew was captured and there were victories beyond the plain on the plateau to the south and we crossed the river in August and lived in a house in Gorizia that had a fountain and many thick shady trees in a walled garden and a wisteria vine purple on the side of the house. page 5. When describing these scenes, not only does he do it in an elaborate and detailed way, but he also runs his thoughts and sentences together as if it were all being spoken in one long drawn-out breath. The ordering of detail of this book was in a straight-forward, well-organized way. It was very linear and the story did not jump around between the present and flash-backs to the protagonists past. This kept the story from becoming confusing. Hemingways style is that of a classic author. Because of the universal themes, ageless symbolism, and style of word choice and story detail, A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway can indeed be considered a classic literary work. The theme of love between a man and woman so self-absorbed that all else is ignored and the theme of life bringing them to a breaking point is a human story that all can sympathize with. The ageless symbolism that compares the loss of a baby, or hope, with the beginning of the American economic depression is profound. The alcoholism in the story reflects the careless attitudes toward life by the people living at this time. The irresponsible attitudes, such as the decision to desert the army, only leads to heartache. Life is nothing but a game to these characters, until the reality finally smacks them in the face. Hemingways simple and straight-forward dialogue and story line makes this an easy to read and understandable ageless story.
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).
When a writer picks up their pen and paper, begins one of the most personal and cathartic experiences in their lives, and forms this creation, this seemingly incoherent sets of words and phrases that, read without any critical thinking, any form of analysis or reflexion, can be easily misconstrued as worthless or empty. When one reads an author’s work, in any shape or form, what floats off of the ink of the paper and implants itself in our minds is the author’s personality, their style. Reading any of the greats, many would be able to spot the minute details that separates each author from another; whether it be their use of dialogue, their complex descriptions, their syntax, or their tone. When reading an excerpt of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast one could easily dissect the work, pick apart each significant moment from Hemingway’s life and analyze it in order to form their own idea of the author’s voice, of his identity. Ernest Hemingway’s writing immediately comes across as rather familiar in one sense. His vocabulary is not all that complicated, his layout is rather straightforward, and it is presented in a simplistic form. While he may meander into seemingly unnecessary detail, his work can be easily read. It is when one looks deeper into the work, examines the techniques Hemingway uses to create this comfortable aura surrounding his body of work, that one begins to lift much more complex thoughts and ideas. Hemingway’s tone is stark, unsympathetic, his details are precise and explored in depth, and he organizes his thoughts with clarity and focus. All of this is presented in A Moveable Feast with expertise every writer dreams to achieve. While Hemingway’s style may seem simplistic on the surface, what lies below is a layered...
...ough location, time, and the degree of relationship. The readers get an understanding of how important it is to have an effective conversation. A private conversation should take place in a private setting. A conversation should not be over until the issue is resolved, no matter how long it takes. The couple should allow the appropriate amount of time for the conversation to take place. Also, if a strong relationship is desired then communication is vital and if the communication is weak the relationship deteriorate. If communication is not dealt with in an appropriate manner then the relationship will not last. In this story the significance of conversation is overlooked which is exactly why the relationship deteriorated. Hemingway shows the readers just how important communication is between two people. For a prosperous relationship, communication is key.
Analysis of Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen and Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson
An analysis of Owen’s Dulce et Decorum est and Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light brigade
First of all, Catherine is not Fetterley's unique and unattainable goddess-she is an object in Henry's universe, a feast of sensations but nothing more. She is akin to good food and good drink: "'I was made to eat. My God, yes. Eat and drink and sleep with Catherine'" (233). Indeed, Henry's thoughts about Catherine, both when he is at the front or by her side, mingle with longings for good wine and reflections on sumptuous meals. In Henry's world, a good Capri would be nice, a nice hunk of cheese would be grand, and sleeping with Catherine would be sublime. These things all equate to the satisfaction of basic human needs. Every now and then, Henry feels a grumbling in his loins-a periodic hunger for the "cheese" between Catherine's legs. Hemingway dissolves Catherine into the least common denominator-the object, devoid of meaning or real importance (when Henry isn't hungry).
Ernest Hemingway demonstrates the underlying meaning of rain as it is consistently present in crucial parts of the novel. In the novel, A Farewell to Arms, rain represents the characters’ feelings, the inevitable doom, and foreshadows death.
In Book II of A Farewell to Arms, written by Ernest Hemingway, the narrator and main protagonist, Frederic Henry, traveled to Milan to recover from his injury from a battle in World War I. Frederic Henry is a dynamic character who, in Milan, builds his relations with his lover, Catherine Barkley. Also, Henry encounters many people who may or may not exhibit the traits of a “Hemingway Hero”, a man for whom it is a point of honor to suffer with grace and dignity, and who, sensing that defeat is inevitable, plays “the game” (of life) well. Throughout Book II, round characters, like Frederic and Catherine, build upon their relationship with one another, and Frederic meets many flat characters who may or may not exhibit traits of a “Hemingway Hero”.
The relationship between Frederic and Catherine has been criticized as being too romantic and too immature. It has been argued that through the extreme selflessness shown by Catherine, Hemingway aims to demean women. However, Frederic exhibits the same immaturity and selflessness as Catherine and the combination of the two in the story provides to build a special relationship. Their interdependency forms a strong bond through which both are able to be happy. The commitment to each other is mutual, causing each to lose their individual identities and become one with one-another. Instead of a degradation of women, the relationship between Catherine and Frederic represents an ideal for women and for men, one in which both are blissful and dependent on one another.
I intend to focus on areas and themes such as the weather and how that
Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel, A Farewell to Arms, is one of the greatest love and war stories of all time. The success and authenticity of this tale is a direct result of Hemingway’s World War I involvement. The main character, Frederick Henry, encounters many of the same things as did Hemingway and creates a parallel between the author and character.
...o be correct. Hemingway uses rain as a sign of death, sadness or to give one of his characters the state of being afraid. The despair brought by rain, Frederic says „ good-bye to [Catherine], and then „[leaves] the hospital and walk[s] back to the hotel in the rain". The rain described as he walks home represents again a cleansing in which Tenente will be forced to start a whole new life now.
A Hemingway Code Hero is a character from an Ernest Hemingway novel that follows a particular pattern of how he or she conducts life on a day to day basis. Catherine Barkley from A Farewell to Arms lives with a respect for honor and courage as a Code Hero should. Catherine Barkley is the original code hero of the novel. She has all of the traits of a Hero, and implements them onto Frederic as he matures throughout the story. Catherine’s three main traits that define her as a Hemingway Code Hero are her values of human relationships over materialism, her idealism, and her grace under pressure; she is fearful but not afraid to die.
An interesting life and specific cultures can shape and influence the way authors typically write. Ernest Hemingway is a perfect example where his life developed his own works. The extravagant lifestyle of Hemingway consisting of love, war, and masculinity is a recurring theme in “A Farewell to Arms,” and “Hills Like White Elephants.” The brave young American is a character that portrays Hemingway in both stories. Ernest Hemingway pulls from his background and youth to expand similar settings and atmospheres through each story.
From the very roots of the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the main character, Pip, is greatly influenced by the identities that those around him expect him to take on, and by the expectations Pip has for himself. During the course of the novel, this was expressed by various symbols representing the many identities impressed on Pip during his childhood. From his unorthodox role of a “son” by many family, friends and people claiming to guard him, to societies opinion of him as both a boy and a gentleman, Pip takes on the responsibility of the many expectations that his class-oriented society imprints upon him as a young boy with ambitions.