Title A farewell to arms. Author Ernest Hemingway Genre This book psychological novel. It’s about the thoughts and the feelings of a man called Frederic Henry. He is also the main character in this novel. It’s also a war novel because it’s about World War One. Theme The main interest is focused on he character of Frederic Henry and on his reactions to various, often difficult situations. In the beginning of the novel he falls in love, and in spite of many dangers, the war does not succeed in separating him from his love. The peaceful event of birth of a child, however, does succeed in separating them. There are a lot of books written about the first and the Second World War, so this isn’t really original. It really didn’t changed my mind, it’s is to long ago. The characters There is one main character namely Frederic Henry. He is an ambulance driver and a volunteer in the Italian army. He is very hard and shows no emotions. At first he plays a game with Catherine, but after a while he finds out he’s fallen in love with her. He is a round character. There is also one very important minor character namely Catherine. She is a hard-working nurse in the hospital in which Henry is to recover from his wounds. She loves Henry very much and is willing to do everything for him. She is a flat character. Catherine changes Frederic Henry in a warm loving person, but in the end when Catherine dies he is just the same hartless person. He can’t show his emotions. Rinaldi is the friend of Henry, he is a lieutenant and he works as a surgeon in the hospital. Miss Ferguson, she is a nurse and works with her friend Miss Barkley in the hospital. She comes from Scotland. Doctor Valentini is the surgeon who operates Henry. He is a little bit strange and he talks a lot.
Structure The book is told chronological, sometimes with a flashback. But that’s not more then one sentence. Point of view The story is told from the point of view of the main character in the first person. He tells the story matter-of-factly, without much emotion, not even when he is badly wounded or when the woman he loves dies. Setting A great part of the story takes place in the hospital in Milan, where Henry recovers from his injuries. The final chapter are set in Switzerland where Henry has fled after his desertion from the army. The whole book plays in the First World War. In the first chapter, it is almost autumn of an unknown year in the war, and at the end, it is almost one and a half-year later, the baby is born in March. This novel is a war novel based on Hemingway’s personal experiences on the Italian-Austrian front during the First World War and about his experiences in a war hospital in Milan, where he recovered from severe injuries. The final chapters are set in Switzerland where Henry has fled after his desertion from the army. Although based on autobiographical facts, the novel is not entirely autobiographical. Style The language used in this novel was a normal language, although sometimes I had the feeling some words were missing in a sentence. In the book there is a little bit more monologue then that there is dialogue. The monologue is always about the events that take place in Frederic Henry’s live and the things he thinks about. The dialogue is between Frederic Henry and one of his friends. Most liked parts by me The best part of the book was the running away part. Running to Switzerland away from the Italian police and army. I didn’t like the ending of this novel, they want to marry but instead Catherine dies during childbirth along with her baby-boy.
Summery In spring during the First World War Frederick Henry, an American volunteer in the Italian army, returns to the town of Gorizia in the north of Italy near the Austrian border. He shares a room with Lieutenant Rinaldi who tells him about some new nurses that have arrived at the hospital. Rinaldi takes him to see Miss Barkley. The talk about themselves, in the meanwhile Rinaldi talks to a Scottish nurse called Furguson. When Henry visits Miss Barkley again he tries to kiss her, but she slaps his face and is immediately sorry. Before they part, she allows him to kiss her. Three days later they meet again, and she tells him how much she loves him. Henry does not love her and does not want to get involved. But he thinks the game he plays with her is better then the game of war. Only when he wants to meet Miss Barkley again and it is not possible he feels strangely disappointed. The next day Henry has to go to the front because there is going to be an attack. Before he leaves he says goodbye to Miss Barkley at the hospital. At the front the Italian position seems unsafe. There is only one bridge for the whole army and a stretch of the road is unprotected against enemy fire. While the ambulance men are having a meal, the Austrian start their fire at the Italian. Henry is wounded in the legs and the head. He has a quick operation at a dressing station and is sent back from the front to a field hospital. Here Rinaldi who tells he will be decorated and promises to send Miss Barkley visits him. The next day Henry is sent to an American hospital in Milan, but when he arrives he is too early. The hospital is not ready yet and there is no doctor. He persuades the only nurse to give him a room. He hears that Miss Barkley has also been posted at this hospital and when he sees her again, he also realizes that in spite of himself he has fallen in love with her. When those doctors arrive there is an X-ray being made. It reveals that his legs and hips are full of steel splinters. The doctors tell him he has to wait six months before the surgery. An other doctor agrees to operate the next day. The operation is successful and Henry has a lovely time recovering. Catherine Barkley visits him every night in his room and they go out quite often. Henry wants to marry her, but Catherine is afraid she will be sent home when she marries and refuses. All the summer they enjoy each others companies. As soon as his treatment is finished Henry will have three weeks of leave, but before he leaves the hospital Catherine tells him she is three months pregnant. Henry has to return to the front. Back at Gorizia he is told that the ambulances are now operating further north and that the Italian have a bad time this summer. His friend Rinaldi works at the hospital and welcomes Henry enthusiastically. When Henry is at the front there is suddenly an attack by the Austrian supported by the Germans and the Italian army has to retreat. Henry and his men join a column of vehicles and move very slowly. When al the cars get stuck in the mud they abandon the cars and go down the mountain on foot. Back at the main road they see many abandoned vehicles and at a river they see that Germans have already reached the bridge they have to cross. When Henry finally crosses the bridge they see the Italian battle police picking out officers who are to be shot for treachery. He is afraid the battle police will think he is German and decides to run for his live. He manages to jump on a train and reaches Milan. There he learns Catherine has gone to Stresa. He calls an old friend to get information about going to Switzerland. He finds Catherine and Miss Ferguson at a small hotel in Stresa. Catherine is glad to see him, but Miss Ferguson blames him for getting Catherine into trouble. At the hotel Henry relaxes. One night the barman
informs Henry that the police are looking for him. Henry and Catherine row all the way to Switzerland. In Switzerland they tell the authorities they have come for winter sports. They rent a chalet near Montreux where they spend the autumn and the winter. In March they move to Lausanne to be closer to the hospital. When Catherine goes into labour, Henry brings her to the hospital. Catherine and the child die there. After that he walks back to the hotel in the rain.