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Analysis Of Ernest Hemingway 's ' A Farewell Of Arms '

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World War I, also known as the Great War, was a war of courage, glory, and selflessness. A Farewell to Arms, written by Ernest Hemingway, is a recollection of his war experiences. The protagonist, an American Lieutenant named Fredric Henry, struggles to find the middle ground between his affair with the beautiful and radiant Catherine Barkley and pursuing heroism in the Great War. The lovers’ lives are turned upside-down once they realize they are infatuated with each other. Like Lieutenant Henry, when Hemingway was “serving at the front, he was wounded, was decorated by the Italian Government, and spent considerable time in hospitals” (nobelprize.org). In the hospital, Henry grew impatient because he could not immediately walk away from the facility and his problems. Hemingway uses characterization to develop the people within the story as well as the underlining motifs of loyalty, love, and masculinity. Lieutenant Fredric Henry traveled to Italy for the soul purpose of participating in World War I and touring Italy. His intensions become less defined when he meets Catherine Barkley. Hemingway draws the reader farther and farther into the novel with Fredric’s thoughts, and the beauty he sees within Catherine. Fredric quickly becomes involved in playing innocent games with her. Catherine hints at the game, questioning if Fredric loved her. After he responds with a lie, Catherine catches him off guard by replying, “You don’t have to pretend to love me. That’s over for the

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