Farewell to Arms

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Recommended: Themes In A Farewell To Arms

Farewell to Arms

Death is often represented by traditional symbols ranging from the color black to the common tombstone. Besides these icons, other signs can stand for mortality including rain. In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway associates rain with death many times. Although rain is not usually considered a symbol of death, the main character Fredric Henry discovers this natural occurrence is a personal theme he relates with death.

The first time Hemingway uses the connection between rain and death is during a march to the river. The group was climbing out of the embankment to cross the road, and suddenly three shots rang out, one bullet unfortunately hitting Amyo. Fredric thought to himself, “He looked very dead. It was raining”. He does not yet see that the rain is always ...

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