A Farewell to Arms

Story Elements in A Farewell to Arms
The book A Farewell to Arms, written by Ernest Hemingway, is a classic novel about the love story of a nurse and a war-ridden soldier. It captures the inspiring trials and tribulations of the disillusioned soldier caught between love and war. Driving an ambulance on the Italian front in World War One, Frederick Henry discovers his values as he realizes his love for Catherine Barkley, an innocent English nurse. In A Farewell to Arms, various story elements are developed: the conflicts that occur internally and externally within Frederic’s life, the characterization of Frederic Henry, the use of symbolism, and the dominating theme of love during a widespread war.
Love and war is an important theme in the book, and the relationship between Frederic and Catherine is explored by Hemingway. Frederic’s ambulance driver, Passini, expresses his thought on the war: “It doesn't finish. There is no finish to war . . . War is not won by victory . . . One side must stop fighting" (50). The love between Catherine and Frederick must outlast long separations, life-threatening war-time situations, and the uncertainty of each other's whereabouts or condition. This love story plays out in war-torn Italy

insight about how he feels about women: “clear, cold, and dry” (38). Henry loves to play the role of a womanizer and is an American fighting a war in another country. Henry meets Catherine Barkley, near the front between Italy and Austria-Hungary. Catherine suffers during this war before she meets Henry because she loses her fiancé during the war. At first Henry wants to seduce Catherine. He tells her that he loves her but she catches on to his game. The priest offers some advice to Henry about love: "What you tell me about in the nights. That is not love. That is only passion and lust. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve" (63). Henry is severely wounded on one of his runs and is sent to the American hospital where Catherine works. This is where he actually begins to fall in love with her. Henry fully recovers and returns to the war-front where the Italians start to fall apart. Henry decides he has had enough of the war and runs into the river to escape after he is arrested by the battle police for the crime of not being Italian. After swimming to safety, Henry boards a train to reunite with his love Catherine who is pregnant with his child. Henry and Catherine plan to get married soon after the baby is born while they are safely in Switzerland. Henry is awakened one morning by Catherine because she is having severe pains so they rush to the hospital where she requires having a caesarean. A nurse informs Henry that the baby does not survive and that Catherine has a hemorrhage. Henry wants to be by Catherine’s side but the nurse does not let him in the room and he knows that Catherine will not survive. Henry sits outside in the hall where he begins to pray to God, “Don’t let her die. Oh God, please don’t let her die. I’ll do anything for you if you won’t let her die … You took the baby but don’t let her die. That was alright but don’t let her

walk the rest of the retreat on foot. Henry’s next conflict decision is based out of pure love for Catherine Barkley. In order for him to cross the river to Udine, Frederic must jump into the freezing cold river in order to get away from Italian officials because they are shooting all soldiers who are retreating. He realizes he might die in the river but figures that it is worth it if he ever gets the chance to see Catherine again. Luckily, Henry survives in the river and reaches the other side without any officials seeing him. It is apparent that “Frederic’s difficulties in the novel are several” (Reynolds 254), but he does try to look for the positives in each conflict. Unfortunately, Henry has to deal with too many conflicts which take their toll throughout the book and leave him in the end without the one woman he loves, Catherine.

Frederick realizes that he cannot base his life on another person or thing because they will leave or disappoint him. He realizes that the order and values necessary to face the world must come from within. It is quite evident that Frederic Henry experiences many conflicts externally and internally throughout his life. Henry apparently goes from one end of the spectrum to the other as he matures gradually. The use of symbolism and the d