Fredric Henry is one of few Americans enlisted in the Italian army. Even with his fluent dialect it is still evident that he is not a true Italian. Why go and fight someone else’s war many people ask? It brings a question to mind that is never really answered in whole in the story. One item that is easy to see, is in the beginning Henry loves being in the action of war. His action of war includes sitting around the dinner table drinking wine and eating fine meals. His hard war life brings him to a leave in which he travels throughout Europe. When asked where he went Hen

At this new hospital Henry waited everyday for Catherine to arrive, he was hot, bored and could not wait for his love to get there. He began to know what it felt like to be in love with another person. He comments, “God knows I had not wanted to fall in love with her. I had not wanted to fall in love with any one. But God knows I had and I lay on the bed in the room of the hospital in Milan and all sorts of things went through my head but I felt wonderful” (Pg 93)

Here he was still interested in what was going on in the war and kept up on new breakthroughs by reading the newspaper. Now with Catherine at the hospital Henry was not nearly as bored. Still eager to get back to the war Henry was upset when the doctor told him that they would have to wait for six months before they could operate on his knee. He wanted to get back to the frontline; he could not wait for six weeks. With the opinion of another doctor he had the operation done the following day. He would still be out of fighting for a while, but this was definitely quicker than waiting six months.

When faced with being arrested the two fled for the safety of Switzerland. Here they could spend their lives together without worrying. Living in an area unaffected by the war their lives completely changed for the better. Nothing could have been better until Catherine went into a lengthy labor with their baby. In Henry’s life now he does not know what he would do if Catherine were to die, she is his everything. Henry said, “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. Please, please, please, dear God, don’t let her die. God please make her not die. I’ll do anything you say if you don’t let her die. You took the baby but don’t let her die” (Pg 330).

When others ask about the war being dangerous he replies truly believing that his life is in no danger at all. Once again this brings in his feelings of being untouchable. This is most apparent when he is at the front with his drivers and he is trying to get them food. Once he actually does find something for them to eat the Austrians start firing, and instead of staying in the safe zone, which is what the major advised him to do, he decides to run in the open field to get the food back to his men. This is not courage but just pure ignorance. This ignorance of his safety goes along with his ignor

Some topics in this essay:
Milan Catherine, Taormina” Pg, Miss Barkley, Oh God, Farewell Arms, Henry Americans, Pg31 Henry, Henry Catherine, Ernest Hemingway’s, Europe Henry, fall love, front line, don’t die, goes game, reason living, war hand, war life, hospital milan, call girls, die i’ll,