Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is a very multi-faceted story. Specifically, there are two main entities that are the controlling factors throughout the novel: love and war. Love often represents all that is good: happiness, joy, intimacy, etc. War on the other hand always lends a negative connotation: pain, suffering, death, etc. Hemingway's inclusion of both aspects in one singular story indicates a theme of the direct correlation between love and war. In other words, love is often actually unforgiving and painful, just like war.
Think about war, there are ups and downs. Victories and defeats. More specifically, there is struggle and agony. The war is never considered as a positive by anyone in the novel, and is almost always the preeminent negative issue: "'There is nothing worse than war'" (50). Indeed, Frederic himself is a victim of a malicious mortar attack, which is so graphically disturbing that the reader feels the urge to wretch. Yet with this despair and negativity, there is always lingering hope. Hope of an end, even hope that someone will just "give up" as Catherine Barkley says (though Frederic often refutes this). Hope is what drives war, it is the motive to try to maintain or acquire a certain justice or freedom.
Love is extremely similar, as its motives are also predicated on hope: hope that a relationship is all it makes out to be, hope that a couple can live "happily-ever-after," hope of a fulfilling life. In fact, Hemingway sets the reader up to believe that Frederic and Catherine's marriage and subsequent life together will be essentially perfect; Then, the baby is stillborn and Catherine dies of a hemorrhage. Through this ending, Hemingway brings irony into play. And irony, as Foster says, trumps everything. this is a perfect example of such. The essential "destruction" of Frederic's love life is a reflection of the overall destruction of war. Even if a marriage lasts and seems perfect, there will always be some sort of impurity or impunity that brings it to a screeching halt, just as war takes a massive toll on those involved, whether that be the victors or the captives. it is Hemingway's use of irony throughout the novel that drives this correlation and makes it so relevant, especially in the modern age when marriage and love itself is seemingly more destructive than positive.
Frederic's genuine nature and Catherine's eventual domesticity are a perfect reflection of the correlation because of the notion that they would be a "perfect couple." From the outset, the two appear destined for marriage and a wholesome life together. They are everything a couple should be: loving, outgoing, genuine, etc. Yet, death claims their relationship for itself, and the whole thing essentially goes to hell. Similarly, the motives for going to war may be good and righteous, but the outcome (which is death, no matter how you look at it) is downright negative. In addition, the sentence structure (as talked about previously) resembles said correlation. The short and snappy sentences that succeed the long "run-ons" are always references to the long sentence beforehand. In essence, despite the juxtaposition, the two share similar motives or qualities. Love and War are juxtaposed in the novel, yet because of irony they are made to be similar.
Foster's theories are evident throughout this story. A Farewell to Arms actually shows some resemblance to Romeo and Juliet. There is a love story and a war (Montagues vs. Capulets for all extensive purposes), and neither end in a particularly positive fashion. Irony truly trumps everything, and is the reason that the juxtaposition between love and war is so relevant in the story. After Catherine dies, Frederic walks out of the hospital in the pouring rain. One would think he had been baptized, but the irony declares the opposite, that in fact Frederic's hope for a fulfilling life has been officially washed away by the rains. Prose's ideas were equally applicable. Reading line by line was essential in this story. That's the only way the reader may come across the sentence structure and comparison of the setting on the "front" with the war itself.
Personally, I think this is a fantastic read. It has elements of love, loss, and everything in between. The irony sets the reader up for some twists and turns, and Hemingway is brilliant in his style of writing. Sure some readers might think the novel is a little depressing, but all in all it is an excellent depiction of the traumatizing effects of love, war, and loss, and the relation between the three.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Why I Liked the Book
Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is a true American masterpiece. Hemingway's writing is detailed, intricate, structured, and evocative of one of the more depressing eras in U.S. history. Everything about the novel is well-organized and perfectly set up for ironic and juxtaposing aspects, which work very well in this story by the way.
The first thing I liked about the novel was the flow of the narration. Despite being (technically)grammatically iffy, the run-on sentences filled with "and" and lacking any sort of punctuation made for an extremely detailed (albeit a bit clustered) picture of the current scene. For example, on pages 5 and 6 Frederic Henry (the narrator) is describing the town his men have set camp at (the "front"). While intricately detailed, the whole description lacks a lot of punctuation aside from commas and semi-colons. Almost no periods pervade the mass of text. The other half of this is the short, punchy sentences that follow. After that long description on those two pages (which lasts essentially one sentence), the very next sentence is simply "The war was changed too" (6).
This pattern occurs frequently throughout the story: long, run-on sentence followed by a short and choppy phrase. Hemingway has actually created a writing foundation that directly reflects the juxtaposition of love and death presented in the story. Just as he juxtaposes war and love, so these two sentence structures juxtapose one another.
Another thing that I enjoy about the book is the subtleties of Hemingway's writing. It's almost rather comical to me. For example, just before Frederic suffers his serious wound (even while the group is being bombarded by mortars), he is wining and dining with his fellow comrades. After the fact, rather than begging for medical attention, Frederic essentially says "I'm fine" despite having a possible fracture in his skull... "fine" indeed. I suppose that may speak to Frederic's character more than a comedic aspect, but for some reason I saw humor in that.
The development of Frederic and Catherine Barkley's love is also classic. As with any budding couple, it is initially a seductive game. While this spurs Frederic into action, it initially inhibits Barkley's desire to advance the relationship beyond that point. Of course, this partially being a love story, there is nothing that Catherine Barkley can really do. She eventually succumbs to the whims of the writer and ends up being a "perfect wife" for Frederic, like a fairy-tale ending. Oh yeah, except she dies of hemorrhaging at the end of the novel... so much for that. That being said, Hemingway is a master at ironic elements and setting readers up for a wrong turn, which is one of the reasons why I liked this novel.
The first thing I liked about the novel was the flow of the narration. Despite being (technically)grammatically iffy, the run-on sentences filled with "and" and lacking any sort of punctuation made for an extremely detailed (albeit a bit clustered) picture of the current scene. For example, on pages 5 and 6 Frederic Henry (the narrator) is describing the town his men have set camp at (the "front"). While intricately detailed, the whole description lacks a lot of punctuation aside from commas and semi-colons. Almost no periods pervade the mass of text. The other half of this is the short, punchy sentences that follow. After that long description on those two pages (which lasts essentially one sentence), the very next sentence is simply "The war was changed too" (6).
This pattern occurs frequently throughout the story: long, run-on sentence followed by a short and choppy phrase. Hemingway has actually created a writing foundation that directly reflects the juxtaposition of love and death presented in the story. Just as he juxtaposes war and love, so these two sentence structures juxtapose one another.
Another thing that I enjoy about the book is the subtleties of Hemingway's writing. It's almost rather comical to me. For example, just before Frederic suffers his serious wound (even while the group is being bombarded by mortars), he is wining and dining with his fellow comrades. After the fact, rather than begging for medical attention, Frederic essentially says "I'm fine" despite having a possible fracture in his skull... "fine" indeed. I suppose that may speak to Frederic's character more than a comedic aspect, but for some reason I saw humor in that.
The development of Frederic and Catherine Barkley's love is also classic. As with any budding couple, it is initially a seductive game. While this spurs Frederic into action, it initially inhibits Barkley's desire to advance the relationship beyond that point. Of course, this partially being a love story, there is nothing that Catherine Barkley can really do. She eventually succumbs to the whims of the writer and ends up being a "perfect wife" for Frederic, like a fairy-tale ending. Oh yeah, except she dies of hemorrhaging at the end of the novel... so much for that. That being said, Hemingway is a master at ironic elements and setting readers up for a wrong turn, which is one of the reasons why I liked this novel.
Catherine Barkley: Stereotypical Female? Or Preeminent Figure?
Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is more than just a tale of war. It depicts, love, loss... and feminist stereotypes? Or is Hemingway actually creating ideal female figures. A good example of both would seem to be Catherine Barkley, the nurse-in-training whom narrator Frederic Henry takes a love interest in.
At first the relationship between Henry and Barkley is a bit skewed and flirtatious, but Barkley knows where to draw the line: "She had slapped my face hard" (26, after Frederic tried to kiss her). Actually, Barkley seems to be the one in control of the whole scenario, dictating when to actually appear intimate with Frederic and when not to. In this way, she represents a new breed of female: overbearing, controlling, dominating, and yet still having that air of promiscuity.
Barkley's occupation and traits present an interesting contrast at the start. Her job as a nurse may have been regarded as stereotypical (given the era and setting), but her attitude and general personality are far more "revolutionary" and distinct. In addition, Barkley has the desire to lead such an extravagant, unrealistic lifestyle rather than a life of simplicity and domesticity (therefore making her appear more transcendent given the time period). Despite this want, she seems to remain grounded, especially regarding Frederic.
Despite Frederic's promises of a royal life together, Catherine seems indifferent and stoic. She still doubts that what they have together is love, that it is more of a "lie" (as she says so frequently). She is resisting Frederic's want and her own lust for freedom to love and be loved because it is in her best interest, thus she is maintaining control of the relationship.
Yet as Frederic and Catherine's relationship blossoms, she seems to shrink into the realm of domesticity and thus lose her transcendent appeal. Catherine frequently asks Frederic if he loves her or if she is a "good wife," indicating that her self-worth has begun to shrink and she is losing control of the relationship, depending solely on Frederic's opinions of her in order to judge herself as a person. However, her love for Frederic and devotion to him is unbridled, it extends beyond the boundaries of the common housewife. Despite apparent "contentment" at being relegated to domesticity because of the impending birth of the child, her figure cannot be ignored.
Much of this is because of her death. If Barkley truly were just a simple domestic figure, it is unlikely that Hemingway would have killed her off in such tragic fashion (hemorrhage after the stillborn baby birth). Rather, Barkley's death brings to light the true importance of her figure. She was more than just a housewife, but a good and true friend and mother, with a practical sense of her role in the world as a woman.
At first the relationship between Henry and Barkley is a bit skewed and flirtatious, but Barkley knows where to draw the line: "She had slapped my face hard" (26, after Frederic tried to kiss her). Actually, Barkley seems to be the one in control of the whole scenario, dictating when to actually appear intimate with Frederic and when not to. In this way, she represents a new breed of female: overbearing, controlling, dominating, and yet still having that air of promiscuity.
Barkley's occupation and traits present an interesting contrast at the start. Her job as a nurse may have been regarded as stereotypical (given the era and setting), but her attitude and general personality are far more "revolutionary" and distinct. In addition, Barkley has the desire to lead such an extravagant, unrealistic lifestyle rather than a life of simplicity and domesticity (therefore making her appear more transcendent given the time period). Despite this want, she seems to remain grounded, especially regarding Frederic.
Despite Frederic's promises of a royal life together, Catherine seems indifferent and stoic. She still doubts that what they have together is love, that it is more of a "lie" (as she says so frequently). She is resisting Frederic's want and her own lust for freedom to love and be loved because it is in her best interest, thus she is maintaining control of the relationship.
Yet as Frederic and Catherine's relationship blossoms, she seems to shrink into the realm of domesticity and thus lose her transcendent appeal. Catherine frequently asks Frederic if he loves her or if she is a "good wife," indicating that her self-worth has begun to shrink and she is losing control of the relationship, depending solely on Frederic's opinions of her in order to judge herself as a person. However, her love for Frederic and devotion to him is unbridled, it extends beyond the boundaries of the common housewife. Despite apparent "contentment" at being relegated to domesticity because of the impending birth of the child, her figure cannot be ignored.
Much of this is because of her death. If Barkley truly were just a simple domestic figure, it is unlikely that Hemingway would have killed her off in such tragic fashion (hemorrhage after the stillborn baby birth). Rather, Barkley's death brings to light the true importance of her figure. She was more than just a housewife, but a good and true friend and mother, with a practical sense of her role in the world as a woman.
Frederic Henry
In Ernest Hemingway's novel, A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry plays the role of an American in the Italian military. Acting as narrator and Tenente (Italian for lieutenant), Henry depicts himself as a man of servitude from the onset. He is a very simplistic man, one who seeks not honor or praise, but rather the completion of certain tasks within his frame of work.
Despite his simple nature, it is clear that Henry is a very balanced, articulate, and outgoing individual who seems to be well-liked. He speaks fluent Italian and French, shows a good sense of camaraderie with fellow soldiers and artillery men on the "front," and has a way with a certain Catherine Barkley (to be discussed later). He is insistent that others come before him, as evidenced upon incurring a wound due to a mortar shell. Despite suffering from obvious injuries, Frederic initially denies aid: "'I'd rather wait,' I said, 'There are much worse wounded than me. I'm all right'" (58).
Aside from being American, there is a certain air of distinction surrounding Frederic. He rarely engages in mass conversation with the men of his ranks, instead preferring to listen to their stories of grandeur, faith, patriotism, and style. His conversations with the priest are particularly interesting. Every time Frederic speaks with the priest, he seems to be drawn to his words, made to feel apologetic even (specifically on page 13, when he mentions actually feeling sad that he had not gone to the Abruzzi as the priest had wished). Whereas many of the soldiers seem to mock the priest or flaunt their actions around him or even poke fun at their own misgivings regarding faith, Henry seems to be more genuinely interested in regard to what he brings to the table.
Then of course, there is the English "V.A.D." (which is essentially a nurse, for all extensive purposes) Catherine Barkley. Barkley immediately strikes a chord with Frederic, who actually meets her through his compatriot Rinaldi. Barkley immediately becomes Frederic's love interest. What is initially described as a "game" turns into a true love affair and eventual marriage. Barkley believes that Henry only pretends to love her out of some pretentious sexual drive that he has, but Henry's insistent denials indicate something more to their relationship. Towards the beginning of the book Frederic seemed to be made of stone, not too easily swayed by anyone or anything (which is why he often avoided these abstract notions that his fellow Italian soldiers loved to dwell on). By the end, however, his hard shell seems to have been melted by Catherine's beauty and mere presence, which indicates his genuine love for her. This thought is reinforced too, when the reader realizes that Henry is narrating his experiences after Miss Barkley's eventual death.
Henry's change over the course of the novel is a reflection of war itself. He begins fresh, but eventually succumbs to more grief over the course of his time. Hemingway does an excellent job of juxtaposing Henry's love interest with the backdrop of World War I, one of the deadliest wars of all time. In this way, Frederic is somewhat of a symbol of the effects war has on both the physical (seeing as he is brutally wounded) and mental (the death of Barkley in childbirth) aspects of human beings.
Despite his simple nature, it is clear that Henry is a very balanced, articulate, and outgoing individual who seems to be well-liked. He speaks fluent Italian and French, shows a good sense of camaraderie with fellow soldiers and artillery men on the "front," and has a way with a certain Catherine Barkley (to be discussed later). He is insistent that others come before him, as evidenced upon incurring a wound due to a mortar shell. Despite suffering from obvious injuries, Frederic initially denies aid: "'I'd rather wait,' I said, 'There are much worse wounded than me. I'm all right'" (58).
Aside from being American, there is a certain air of distinction surrounding Frederic. He rarely engages in mass conversation with the men of his ranks, instead preferring to listen to their stories of grandeur, faith, patriotism, and style. His conversations with the priest are particularly interesting. Every time Frederic speaks with the priest, he seems to be drawn to his words, made to feel apologetic even (specifically on page 13, when he mentions actually feeling sad that he had not gone to the Abruzzi as the priest had wished). Whereas many of the soldiers seem to mock the priest or flaunt their actions around him or even poke fun at their own misgivings regarding faith, Henry seems to be more genuinely interested in regard to what he brings to the table.
Then of course, there is the English "V.A.D." (which is essentially a nurse, for all extensive purposes) Catherine Barkley. Barkley immediately strikes a chord with Frederic, who actually meets her through his compatriot Rinaldi. Barkley immediately becomes Frederic's love interest. What is initially described as a "game" turns into a true love affair and eventual marriage. Barkley believes that Henry only pretends to love her out of some pretentious sexual drive that he has, but Henry's insistent denials indicate something more to their relationship. Towards the beginning of the book Frederic seemed to be made of stone, not too easily swayed by anyone or anything (which is why he often avoided these abstract notions that his fellow Italian soldiers loved to dwell on). By the end, however, his hard shell seems to have been melted by Catherine's beauty and mere presence, which indicates his genuine love for her. This thought is reinforced too, when the reader realizes that Henry is narrating his experiences after Miss Barkley's eventual death.
Henry's change over the course of the novel is a reflection of war itself. He begins fresh, but eventually succumbs to more grief over the course of his time. Hemingway does an excellent job of juxtaposing Henry's love interest with the backdrop of World War I, one of the deadliest wars of all time. In this way, Frederic is somewhat of a symbol of the effects war has on both the physical (seeing as he is brutally wounded) and mental (the death of Barkley in childbirth) aspects of human beings.
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