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Ernest hemingway code hero
Critical comments on a farewell to arms
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A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway's WWI classic, A Farewell to Arms is a story of initiation in which the growth of the protagonist, Frederic Henry, is recounted. Frederic is initially a naïve and unreflective boy who cannot grasp the meaning of the war in which he is so dedicated, nor the significance of his lover's predictions about his future. He cannot place himself amidst the turmoil that surrounds him and therefore, is unable to fully justify a world of death and destruction. Ultimately, his distinction between his failed relationship with Catherine Barkley and the devastation of the war allows him to mature and arrive at the resolution that the only thing one can be sure of in the course of life is death and personal obliteration (Phelan 54).
In order to chronicle Frederic's maturation, it is first necessary to understand his character; he is what critics label a "Hemingway Code Hero." Indigenous to nearly all of Ernest Hemingway's novels, the "Hemingway man" lives by one simple rule: 'Man the player is born; life the game will kill him" (Rovit and Brenner 90). This man looks to derive meaning and dignity from his stale, directionless being. In Frederic Henry's case, the search for a system of values and morals is difficult because he is caught between two very socially defined extremes, love and war. He only gains knowledge through his direct experience with these two elements and through the indirect teachings of various characters in the novel (Waldhorn 68). It is suggested that Frederic must commit to a comfortable medium between the selflessness of the young priest and the egocentricity of Rinaldi.
In the introductory chapters, Frederic is torn between spending his holiday in the ...
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...well to Arms." Hemingway Review. 10 (1991):61-64.
Phelan, James. "Distance, Voice, and Temporal Perspective in Frederic Henry's Narration: Successes, Problems, and Paradox." New Essays on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Cambridge: New York, 1990. 53-73.
Rovit, Earl, and Gary Brenner. Ernest Hemingway. Twayne: Boston, 1986.
Spanier, Sandra Whipple. "Hemingway's Unknown Soldier: Catherine Barkley, the Critics, and the Great War." New Essays on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Cambridge: New York, 1990. 75-108.
Waldhorn, Arthur. "Excerpt from A Reader's Guide to A Farewell to Arms." Readings on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Gary Weiner. Greenhaven: California, 2000. 68-71.
Watkins, Floyd C. "The General Versus the Specific in A Farewell to Arms." Readings on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Gary Weiner. Greenhaven: California, 2000. 106-114.
Weigley, Russel F. History of the United States Army. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1st Edition, 1984.
Another unique aspect to this book is the constant change in point of view. This change in point of view emphasizes the disorder associated with war. At some points during the book, it is a first person point of view, and at other times it changes to an outside third person point of view. In the first chapter of the book, “The Things They Carried,” O’Brien writes, “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity (2).
Perret, Geoffrey (1996), “Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life of Douglas MacArthur.” New York: Random House,
Unique in style and content, the novel explores the emotions of a young Civil War recruit named Henry Fleming. What is most remarkable about this classic is that the twenty-four-year-old author had never witnessed war in his life before writing this book. Crane's story developed to some degree out of his reading of war stories by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy and the popular memoirs of Civil War veterans, yet he also deviated from these influences in his depiction of war's horror. Critics have noted that his portrait of war is an intensely psychological one, blending elements of naturalism, impressionism, and symbolism. Indeed, he broke away from his American realist contemporaries, including his mentor William Dean Howells, in his naturalistic treatment of man as an amoral creature in a deterministic world.
Like a master of etiquette and self-righteous behavior Hemingway tells us what is done and what isn't done, as he pulls us through his catching story of the acquiring and obtaining of the true code of a man. A code that Hemingway himself followed and which may seem old-fashioned, male chauvinistic and pointless now a day, but which has a profound resemblance to the knightly virtues that were maintained during the Middle Ages. In The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber we meet Francis Macomber who is our protagonist
Greene, Bob. Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam . N.p.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1989.
Davis, William. "General Douglas MacArthur "Duty, Honor, Country"." American Rhetoric. American Rhetoric, 2011. Web. 2 Jan 2012. .
Hemingway gives several clues throughout the novel that foreshadow Catherine's role in Frederick's development as well as the impact that their relationship has on his life. The reader can trace a pattern of regression from the war, each time mirrored by a progression in his attachment to Catherine. Conversely, a period of deeper devotion to Catherine predicts a revolution in his regard to the war. By the novel's conclusion, a reformation has occurred in Frederick Henry. He is transformed from a disillusioned young man, into a weathered soul that has suffered life's greatest agonies: to lose in love and to lose in war.
The first aspect I would like to touch on is that Frederic Henry is a well-rounded character. As the story progresses we learn more and more about the character Frederic Henry. Though it may seem like a small point, a good example of how we learn more about Frederic as the story progresses is the fact that he is nameless in the first four chapters. Throughout the first four chapters, Frederic Henry is referred to as “lieutenant” by his peers and “baby” by his girlfriend. Its not until chapter five that he is referred to as “Mr. Henry”. Then we learn his full name, Frederic Henry, in chapter thirteen. Another example of Frederic Henry being a round character is that he is closely involved in just about every part of the story. Of course he would have to be involved in the majority of the story because it’s basically the confession of his life. The entire story we learn about Mr. Henry, and we watch him grow to become a good man. Even when Frederic is not...
Hemingway uses different scenes and events to show Henry’s different personalities, such as on the front line in one chapter then in a behind the lines town setting in the next. This shows the readers the difference in Frederick's attitude between the war and when Henry goes back to town on his breaks. Hemingway also uses Henry’s conflicts to show how he reacts to situations. For example, Henry gets hurt and moved to a hospital but still tries to make the best of his situation.
Keegan, John and Richard Holmes. Soldiers: A History Of Men In Battle. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1986.
"Reader Responses to Soldier's Home." Literature and Composition. 10 Feb.,2003. David Toth. 14 Feb., 2003. .
Glasser, William A. "A Farewell to Arms." The Sewannee Review 2nd ser. 74 (1966): 453-69. JSTOR. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Love and sexual encounters are the biggest ways Hemingway’s characters distract themselves. Although love is usually a special moment in life, Hemingway displays how war creates heart-breaking relationships throughout the novel. In the beginning, both Henry and Rinaldi visit numerous whorehouses. They spend their days flirting with meaningless women (aesundstrom 1). All of the men carry on many mindless relationships with women.
"If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brace impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry." Hemingway describes the separation between Catherine and Fredric, in this quotation.