A Farewell To Arms Character Analysis

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is based largely on Hemingway's own personal experiences. The main character of the book, Frederic Henry experiences many of the same situations that Hemingway experienced. Some of these experiences are exactly the same, while some are less similar, and some events have a completely different outcome.

The involvement of a family member with the previously misjudged character directly causes each heroine’s fallout of sorts with her future husband, who will henceforth be referred to as the hero. Catherine’s brother James becomes involved with Isabella before she is known to be such a determined flirt, but when she all but abandons him for Captain Tilney, it becomes known to General Tilney that Catherine’s family is not as rich as formerly supposed, and this results in

A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a story about love and war. Frederic Henry, a young American, works as an ambulance driver for the Italian army in World War I. He falls tragically in love with a beautiful English nurse, Miss Catherine Barkley. This tragedy is reflected by water. Throughout the novel Ernest Hemingway uses water as metaphors. Rivers are used as symbols of rebirth and escape and rain as tragedy and disaster, which show how water plays an important role in the story.

A naive young lady, Catherine Morland, longs for the types of adventures she reads about in her gothic novels. She finds herself invited to stay with the Allen family in Bath, England and sees it as the perfect opportunity to experience society and sensibility. Quickly introduced to many new people, Catherine befriends social climbers Isabella and John Thorpe, who happen to know her brother, James Morland. Isabella and James immediately grow fond of each other, but status, class, and money become the object of Isabella’s eye rather than true love. Catherine finds herself pursued by the arrogant John Thorpe but is captivated by her love interest, the handsome Henry Tilney. She throws herself into making a charming impression on his younger sister, Eleanor, and father, General Tilney. The Tilney's welcome Catherine into their estate of Northanger Abbey, where her thoughts of romance become intertwined with her infatuation

Whereas Frederic is passionate about the love of his life, even declaring Catherine as his religion, Catherine never truly commits to the idea of marriage, stalwartly defending her independence. Henry views a formal marriage as a necessary action to solidify his relationship with Catherine, although she believes that they are already personally married. Catherine claims that “there’s no way to be married except by church or state” (Hemingway 115). Catherine is unreligious, so her refusal to married by state is justified. However, her refusal to be married by state showcases her true intentions. After Henry continues to pester her with the idea of marriage, her attitude towards him turns hostile, as she accuses Henry of being jealous of her past marriage with another man. This dramatic change displays Catherine’s willingness to challenge obstacles, such as Henry, that are a threat to her autonomy.

Catherine is so wrapped up in her fictional world of reading that she becomes ignorant of her real life issues with Henry Tilney, for whom she has been love-struck since their introduction. She entertains herself with wild imaginings about his life and family. Catherine's imaginings foreshadow her eager desire for mischief as Austen's story develops. Catherine is endowed with a vivid imagination, but she has not yet learned to use it in concert with her perception, especially in understanding the interactions between people.

Much to Catherine’s pleasure, she has a walk scheduled with her sweetheart, Henry Tilney, and her dearest friend, Eleanor Tilney. However, on the morning of the walk, it rains. Austen uses the rain to foreshadow the upcoming unpleasant events. In the afternoon, the rain subsides leaving a muddy mess. Unexpectedly, Isabella Thorpe, John Thorpe, and James Morland arrive at her house. They request that Catherine go along on their trip to neighboring cites. However, Catherine feels obligated to stay in the house and await Henry Tilney and Eleanor Tilney. In his typical self-centered manner, John Thorpe declares that he saw Tilney engaging in other activities, “I saw him at that moment turn up the Lansdown Road, - driving a smart-looking girl” (Austen 53). Although perplexed as to why the Tilneys did not send word that their engagement should be broken, she consents to the proposed carriage ride. While riding out of her neighborhood, Catherine spots Eleanor and Henry Tilney walking towards her house. Catherine, exclaims, “Pray, pray stop, Mr. Thorpe. - I cannot go on. - I will not go on. - I must go back to Miss Tilney.” (Austen 54). John Thorpe disregarding Catherine’s plea, “laughed, smacked his whip, encouraged his horse, made odd noises, and drove on” (Austen 54). During this scene, Austen magnifies the villainy of John Thorpe by whisking away with innocent Catherine.

Novels published after a major war are often the most deeply emotional, profound ruminations on human nature. The authors of these novels were once soldiers, living in fear and enduring sleepless nights. These authors channel their experiences and emotions into their work, often creating masterpieces of literature. A Farewell to Arms is one such novel. Its author, Ernest Hemingway, was in the Italian ambulance corps in World War I, much like the protagonist of A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry. The themes in A Farewell to Arms reflect his mentality and the typical soldier’s disillusionment in the institutions and values he had always held close. A Farewell to Arms explores the far-reaching disillusionment that seems to plague Frederic. The theme of Frederic Henry’s disillusionment of all that he believes in appears through his desertion of the war, the deterioration of his relationship with Catherine, and his thoughts on life.

A Farewell to Arms is an honest depiction of World War One and the experiences of men and women fighting and living in Italy during the war. Throughout the novel Hemingway uses a variety of symbols to communicate the ideas of the characters as well as his own, but one of the most prominent symbols used is the weather. Weather in the novel plays an important role in both the actual progress of the war as well as the development of the characters. Rain is used to represent death, loss, and the destruction of war while snow is used as a hopeful symbol. The role of the rain and snow is heavily emphasised in the novel and are directly related to important events as well as the overall mood of the story.

Once Frederic Henry is introduced to Catherine Barkley, readers are able to sense the love between the two in the novel. Even during one of the first few times they were together, they show major interest in one another and hint at the beginning of a beautiful love story. Frederic Henry attempts to kiss Catherine Barkley and she refuses by slapping him across the face. She quickly apologizes and changes her mind about kissing him (Hemingway 26-27). Their relationship comes off as confusing first, but soon blossoms into a clear love story. The love only gets stronger throughout the story while going through many obstacles. Those include the fact that they barely see one another when Frederic Henry is healed and working again until they go to Switzerland, Frederic Henry deciding to run from the duty of the

Literature is an autonomous artwork. It can be interpreted from its own part. The relation of parts of a literature work creates meaning. The meaning obtained from relation of parts in literary work is unreliable. A

In the book A Farewell to Arms, Catherine's passion for her values and motivations prove to, not only direct her, but direct Henry towards a fulfilled life. Catherine had an intense desire for love, dedication, and redemption. Through her love, she convinces Henry to live his life in a zealous way and take risks for a good cause. As a result of her dedication to a loved one, her liberating relationship is prolonged. Catherine's yearning for redemption drives Henry to commit to their love. Also it helps her repair her void of lost love. Love helps them get though the war and work up the courage to run away. She is able to share her passion with Henry, which makes him find contentment within his life.

Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms tells the tale of two young, star-crossed lovers in the midst of World War I. A powerful romance and stirring history of the war, this semi autobiographical novel meshes the contrasting worlds of love and war, setting war as the backdrop of love. The novel’s portrayal of love is an issue that has attracted critical debate, prompting many academics to reflect on its existence, form, and role in the plot. Joel Armstrong is one such academic. His literary criticism entitled, “‘A Powerful Beacon’ Love Illuminating Human Attachment in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms,” asserts that love is the centering principle of the novel, and that the narrative’s world is one in which “love illuminates all of life” (Armstrong 79). As Armstrong asserts, love is the centering principle of A Farewell to Arms because it serves as an anchor for Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley during the tumultuous events of war, motivates them to go through significant struggles, and works along with loss to lend more meaning to significant events in the plot.

A Farewell to Arms is a classic novel read by thousands worldwide. The novel is filled with symbols that represent what it felt like to live in World War I. The author Ernest Hemingway does a great job at really sucking you into the emotions of the characters using alcohol, weather, and romance. Alcohol, which is still used for many as an unhealthy coping mechanism is a large part of this novel. It also factors in when you think about the fact that the entertainment source for the people enlisted was limited so getting drunk was a regular occurrence. Weather on the other hand really showed the wet blanket that was thrown over basically the entire world at the time. It also contributed to the depression of many due to missing or losing loved ones and friends. Romance is a huge part of this novel and in my opinion is another way of the author showing the misery of the time through the characters. Throughout the novel Hemingway does an outstanding job at putting the reader into the character’s shoes.

Catherine Barkley and Frederic Henry contrast in personalities. The comparison in personalities is presented by Frederic and Catherine playing opposite roles in the relationship. In a “traditional” relationship between a man and a woman, the man takes care of the woman, but in this relationship,roles are turned. Catherine not only takes care of his physical state, but also takes care of his emotional state. Her concerns also show that Catherine is not weak. In fact, she is the one who cares for Frederic: “‘I wish we could go for a walk,’ Catherine said, ‘ I’d wheel you if we had a chair’” (Hemingway 102). Catherine takes care of Frederic in every aspect. Even when Frederic was feeling down, Catherine cheer him up.