A Farewell to Arms
I chose to read the novel as well as view the 1932 movie staring Gary
Cooper to review. As usual, the novel and movie are different in the
delivery of the story yet parallel most of the same aspects Hemingway
was trying to convey about love and war. The novel was much more in
depth than the movie and mostly, the novel focused more on the war than
did the movie.
The novel begins describing artillery weary troops marching through the
rains of late summer. The main character is an American named Frederic
Henry. He is an ambulance driver who is marching with the troops. The
American is stationed with the Italian Army, at the front during World
War I. Basically, the first few chapters begin when Frederic returns
from winter leave in early spring. He has a roommate named Rinaldi who
is infatuated with a British nurse by the name of Catherine Barkley.
Rinaldi persuades Frederic to visit the hospital where Catherine works.
After meeting her, Frederic is attracted to Catherine. After a couple
days pass, Frederic re-visit’s the hospital and he and Catherine become
affectionate and share a kiss.
Frederic and Catharine become more of an item and their relationship
becomes more serious because Frederic begins to pay her regular visits.
Catherine recognizes that Frederic is lacking in his love depth and puts
an end to the false lovemaking imposed by the not so seriously loving
Frederic. On the other issue which of course is the war, the Italian
offensive is about to resume. Frederic is sent to the front to drive the
wounded back to hospitals in the rear. At the front, Frederic and his
fellow ambulance drivers sit in a dugout. They were eating pasta and
cheese and waiting for the fighting to start. As they ate and talked,
artillery shells were exploding over their heads and then a mortar shell
blasted open their dugout. One of the other drivers, Passini, looses his
leg and he dies. Frederic takes injuries to both of his legs during the
blast. His injuries are that of a serious nature.
Frederic is taken to a field hospital. His first visitor is Rinaldi and
then he is visited by a Catholic Priest. Rinaldi jokes about getting
medals for bravery from the Italian army, and jokes about other
developments. The priest is more serious and explains to Henry about
love and people who wage war and those who don’t. After a few days at
the field hospital, Henry is shipped to an American hospital in Milan.
Catherine is sent there as well as there is an excess of nurses at the
front.
Frederic is the very first patient sent to the American hospital and
even the doctors have yet to arrive. After a few days the doctor arrives
and begins to remove shrapnel from Frederic’s legs. Upon removal of the
shrapnel, the doctor discovers a piece of metal that is imbedded very
deep and surgery is required. Some doctors hold a meeting and try to
determine when the operation should be performed, but Frederic refuses
their recommendation to wait six months. Dr. Valentini later declares
Frederic is ok to be operated upon the next morning and the operation is
then done successfully.
At the same time, Catherine has arrived at the hospital and at this time
Frederic states his love for her. Catherine begins to work the night
shift and they become very intimate on almost a nightly occasion.
While he waits for his leg to heal during the summer, Frederic is able
to spend a vast amount of time with Catherine. The couple does a lot
together including going to the horse races. Towards the end of summer,
Frederic receives a letter from the army saying that when he is
discharged from the hospital, he will be given three weeks leave before
he must return. Catherine decides and declares that she will find a way
to leave the hospital at the same time as well.
While at the hospital and prior to his departure, Frederic has developed
jaundice and has been told he must stay for an additional two weeks.
While he is staying his extra two weeks, a lady by the name of Miss Van
Campben finds several empty bottles of alcohol in the armoire. She is
determined that Frederic has drunk himself sick to avoid going back to
the front. She reports this and turns him in. He subsequently losses his
leave. Frederic and Catherine stay at a hotel together on the night
before he is to go back to the from.
When Frederic gets back to the fron, the war is not going so good and
moral about ending the war is low. Rinaldi is pretty depressed and finds
only two things interesting at this point: alcohol and sex. Even the
priest has given up hoping for victory, but still believes the war will
end soon because all involved are sick and tired of it. Frederic has a
different oppinion that the Austrians are winning and the war will
continue. One Frederic returns to the front, he is ordered to take over
the ambulance cars in the mountains on the Bainsizza. They are ordered
to retreat after only a couple days of heavy rain and the Germans and
Austrians have broken through the line.
Frederic is in charge of a group of ambulance drivers in retreat. They
are to moving hospital equipment into Udine. They end up accidentally
getting stuck in a bunch of traffic including civilian vehicles and
unable to move. He decides to turn off the main road and they take cover
off the side of the road. The Austrians were bombing the main road and
they could hear it. Not far outside from Udine, the ambulances get stuck
in the mud. Frederic he shoots a sergeant who is running away with
another because they’re afraid that the Austrians will catch them.
Continuing on foot, Henry and the three remaining drivers spot German
troops all over the road and realize Udine has been taken.
At this point, only Frederic and a man named Piani are left. They find a
column of retreating soldiers and continue on with them. He is noticed
by the battle police. They think he is a German hiding in an Italian
uniform. As the police are executing all officers they find separated
from their troops, Frederic manages to escape into a river and goes
downstream. When he reaches a shore, he jumps onto a train and hides
under the canvas.
When he gets off of the train in Milan, he visits an Italian he
befriended during his stay at the hospital. The friend tells him that
Catherine had left to Stresa. After leaving the porter, Frederic visits
Simmons, an opera singer and old friend, who gives him some civilian
clothes. Having changed, Frederic boards the train for Stresa. He
finally finds Catherine at a hotel and they spend a couple days
together. A hotel barman comes up to their room to warn Frederic he’s
discovered that Italian officers are planning to arrest him the next
morning. Frederic and Catherine borrow a boat they can take to
Switzerland. They arrive in Switzerland just before dawn. They get
arrested after breakfast, but have the necessary documentation are sent
to get visas. Frederic explains to the officials that they are there to
do winter sports. The officials do not believe the story, but let them
to stay because they have money to spend.
Frederic and Catherine live in the mountains of Switzerland during the
winter enjoying life together. They discover that Catherine is pregnant
In the spring the couple moved into a nearby town. Catherine experiences
pain after a few weeks and is admitted to the hospital. She is in labor
for hours. The baby hay yet to be born. The doctor tells them that he
must perform a Caesarian. Unfortunately, the baby dies during the
operation. Also, Catherine died soon after the operation because she had
severe hemorrhaging. The novel ends with Frederic walking through the
rain back to the hotel.
The main character is Frederic Henry. The novel is loosely based on
actual life events Hemingway experienced. Frederic is an American
ambulance driver Italian army. He is also narrates the novel. The novel
basically is focused around his love with Catherine Barkley and the war.
Frederic feels he has nothing to do with the war initially and feels
detached. When he falls in love with Catherine he begins to realize the
nature of the world. The one thing that can be taken by the character is
that no matter where you are taken in life, tragedy still follows.
Another main character is Catherine Barkley. Catherine is an English
nurse serving at the Italian front. Catherine had a fiance who had died
prior the events of the novel. She has an unparalleled love and devotion
for Frederic which is expressed in the novel.
Frederic‘s roommate is named Rinaldi. Rinaldi is a surgeon at the
Italian front. Rinaldi seeks immediate pleasures and sensual
relationships. Rinaldi eventually comes to realize the futility of the
war and his own actions of sending patients back to the front lines. In
an attempt to deal with the war and everything that is going on, Rinaldi
resorts to sex as a scapegoat.
The Priest was a good friend of Frederic’s. He is a young priest of the
army division who keeps the faith in God while war rages on. Where the
priest is concerned with higher values this contrasts vastly with
Rinaldi and his way of life and dealing with situations. The priest
explains to Frederic the difference between love and lust as well as the
futility of the war. The priest makes a conscious choice in faith rather
than using it as a cruch.
Although called the Great War, World War I was very much undefined a war
as such an example of World War II was. There are was a incredible
sequence of events leading to the war as one thing led to another.
Austria-Hungary – declared was on Serbia 28 July 1914 after they were
unsatisfied with Serbia’s response to their ultimatum
Russia, was bound by treaty to Serbia and therefore mobilized it’s vast
army in the defense of Serbia
Germany was an ally to Austria-Hungary by treaty. They viewed the
Russian mobilisation as an act of war against Austria-Hungary and
declared war on Russia 1 August 1914.
France was bound by treaty to Russia and responded by declaring war
against Germany and on Austria-Hungary on 3 August 1914. Germany
responded by invading Belgium so they would be able to reach Paris by
the shortest possible route.
Britain was allied to France by a loose worded treaty to defend France.
They declared war against Germany on 4 August 1914. The actual reason
for entering the conflict was based on an obligation to defend neutral
Belgium by the terms of 75 year old treaty.
Britain’s entry into the war had help from the British colonies and
dominions abroad as well. They offered military and financial assistance
and they included: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and the Union
of South Africa.
United States President Woodrow Wilson declared the U.S. would be
absolutely neutral when in 1917 when Germany’s policy of unrestricted
submarine warfare seriously threatened the U.S. commercial shipping
forced the U.S. to enter the war on 6 April 1917.
Japan had a military agreement with Britain and therefore declared war
against Germany on 23 August 1914. Two days later Austria-Hungary
responded by declaring war on Japan.
Italy was allied with both Germany and Austria-Hungary and was able was
to initially avoid war citing it‘s alliance with both countries. In May
1915, Italy finally by siding with the Allies against her two former
allies.
One of the most important outcomes of the war was the Treaty of
Versailles signed on 28 June 1919. The following are terms of the
treaty:
The treaty can be divided into a number of sections; territorial,
military, financial and general.
Territorial
The following land was taken away from Germany :
Alsace-Lorraine (given to France)
Eupen and Malmedy (given to Belgium)
Northern Schleswig (given to Denmark)
Hultschin (given to Czechoslovakia)
West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia (given to Poland). The Saar,
Danzig and Memel were put under the control of the League of Nations and
the people of these regions would be allowed to vote to stay in Germany
or not in a future referendum.
The League of Nations also took control of Germany’s overseas colonies.
Germany had to return to Russia land taken in the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk. Some of this land was made into new states : Estonia,
Lithuania and Latvia. An enlarged Poland also received some of this
land.
Military
Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men; the army was not allowed
tanks and not allowed an airforce. They were also allowed only 6 naval
ships and no submarines
The west of the Rhineland and 50 kms east of the River Rhine was made
into a demilitarised zone. No German soldier or weapon was allowed into
this zone. The Allies were to keep an army of occupation on the west
bank of the Rhine for 15 years.
Financial
The loss of vital industrial territory would be a severe blow to any
attempts by Germany to rebuild her economy. Coal from the Saar and Upper
Silesia in particular was a vital economic loss. Combined with the
financial penalties linked to reparations, it seemed clear to Germany
that the Allies wanted nothing else but to bankrupt her. Germany was
also forbidden to unite with Austria to form one superstate, in an
attempt to keep her economic potential to a minimum.
General
There are three vital clauses here:
1. Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war. This
was Clause 231 the “War Guilt Clause”.
2. Germany was therefore responsible for all the war damage caused by
the World War 1. Therefore, she had to pay reparations, the bulk of
which would go to France and Belgium to pay for the damage done to the
infrastructure of both countries by the war. Quite literally,
reparations would be used to pay for the damage to be repaired. Payment
could be in kind or cash. The figure was not set at Versailles it was to
be determined later. The Germans were told to write a blank cheque which
the Allies would cash when it suited them. The figure was set at 6,600
million well beyond Germany’s ability to pay.
3. A League of Nations was set up to keep world peace.
The Novel of A Farewell to Arms touched on one mans experience during
World War 1. There seemed to be a wonderful blend of the aspects of love
and relationships and the cost of war both physically and mentally on
ones phsyc.
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