Ernest Hemingway is one of the most renowned authors of the 20th century. A Farewell to Arms, his novel about World War I, is considered a classic. The main character, Frederic Henry, is a perfect example of a code hero.
A code hero is someone who lives by a set of principles and values. Hemingway’s code heroes are usually men who are physically and emotionally strong. They’re also honest, brave, and loyal.
Henry is all of these things. He’s a courageous ambulance driver who does his best to help others, even though he knows the war is futile. He’s also honest about his feelings for Catherine, the nurse he falls in love with. And he’s loyal to his friends, even when they’re killed in battle.
Hemingway’s code heroes are often tragic figures. They may die in the end, but they go down fighting for what they believe in. Hemingway himself was a code hero. He served in both World Wars and was wounded in both. He also wrote about his experiences, which helped to shape the way we think about war.
In this novel, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Frederick Henry is transformed into a code hero in realistic ways. By the end of the book, Frederick Henry had acquired all of the six code hero qualities thanks to Catherine, a code hero herself. All of the qualities appear to travel down a path leading to a manly person who attempts to enjoy his/her life as fully as possible. Frederick Henry’s behavior develops towards becoming a code hero throughout this story, according on Hemingway’s desires.
In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway tells the story of Frederick Henry’s journey to becoming a code hero. A code hero is defined as “a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic and always difficult. A code hero can be defeated, but he remains admirable even in defeat” (Faggen). In A Farewell to Arms, all six of these characteristics are achieved by Frederick Henry by the end of the novel. The first characteristic is physical and emotional bravery.
From the start of A Farewell to Arms, before Frederick even meets Catherine Barkley, he proves his bravery on multiple occasions. For example, when he was in the ambulance and was getting shelled, he states “it is not hard to be brave when you’re already half dead” (Hemingway 51). This shows that even in his weakest moments, Frederick Henry can still find the courage to go on. He also proves his physical bravery when he charges into battle with no thought for his own safety.
The second characteristic is being able to see things as they really are and acting accordingly. An early example of this is when Frederick is talking to Major Rinaldi about love. Rinaldi tells Frederick that love is just a “temporary insanity curable by marriage” (Hemingway 24). Frederick doesn’t agree with him and says that love is “not reasonable” (Hemingway 24).
This shows that Frederick is able to see love for what it really is, unlike Rinaldi who is jaded and doesn’t believe in love. Another example of this is when Catherine Barkley tells Frederick Henry that she is pregnant with his child and he says “I’m glad it’s a boy. I hope he looks like you…I hope he has your mouth and eyes” (Hemingway 153). This shows that Frederick is able to see the beauty in Catherine, even though she isn’t traditionally seen as beautiful.
The third characteristic is being able to face death peacefully. This is shown when Catherine Barkley dies in childbirth and Frederick Henry says “I loved her and she was dead. I did not know what to do so I started to cry” (Hemingway 260). Even though he is grieving, he is able to accept her death and move on. The fourth characteristic is being able to endure pain without complaint.
A good example of this is when Frederick Henry gets his leg amputated and doesn’t make a single sound, even though it must have been excruciatingly painful. The fifth characteristic is having the ability to remain loyal to your own code of ethics, even in the face of temptation. An example of this is when Frederick Henry meets Catherine Barkley and they start a relationship, even though he knows that it is against the rules for an officer to fraternize with a nurse.
The final characteristic is being able to live life to the fullest, even in the face of death. A good example of this is when Frederick Henry is in the hospital recovering from his leg amputation and he says “I was alive though. That was pretty good” (Hemingway 260). Even though he has lost a lot, he is still grateful for what he has and is determined to make the most of it.
Ernest Hemingway’s code hero, Frederick Henry, goes through a journey throughout A Farewell to Arms to become the code hero that Hemingway wants him to be. He starts off as a brave young man who is able to see things for what they really are and he ends the novel as a man who is able to face death peacefully, endure pain without complaint, remain loyal to his own code of ethics, and live life to the fullest.
Frederick Henry was an over-sensualist at the start of the book, and he could not control himself until he had spent much time with Catherine and learned how to discipline himself. In the early part of the novel, Henry had gotten drunk and roamed from whore house to whore house. He had no self-control and couldn’t keep his liquor or contain himself from easy women during this period. Near the conclusion of his stay at the Ospidale Maggoire, Henry finally disciplined himself. From its inception, nada has been a part of Henry’s existence.
A Farewell to Arms is the story of Lieutenant Henry’s journey from immaturity to maturity. A code hero is someone who follows a set of guidelines laid out by Ernest Hemingway in order to become a successful and mature individual. In A Farewell to Arms, Frederick Henry begins his journey as an immature young man who is only concerned with sensual pleasures, but ends it as a code hero who has learned discipline and responsibility.
In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway tells the story of Lieutenant Frederick Henry, a young American man serving in the Italian army during World War I. Throughout the course of the novel, Frederick goes through a journey of growth and development, learning how to Discipline himself and take responsibility for his actions. This journey of growth is what transforms Frederick from an immature young man into a code hero.
One of the most important aspects of becoming a code hero is learning how to discipline oneself. In the beginning of the novel, Frederick Henry is unable to control himself, indulging in sensual pleasures like drinking and womanizing. However, after spending time with Catherine Barkley, he begins to learn how to discipline himself. He starts to control his drinking and eventually gives up alcohol altogether. He also learns how to be monogamous, something which is foreign to him at the start of the novel. By the end of A Farewell to Arms, Frederick has learned how to discipline himself, both physically and emotionally.
In addition to learning how to discipline himself, Frederick Henry must also learn how to take responsibility for his actions. This is something that he struggles with throughout the novel. For example, early on in A Farewell to Arms, Frederick sleeps with a prostitute and then tries to forget about it, pretending it never happened. However, he is unable to forget about it and eventually confesses what he did to Catherine. This is a turning point for Frederick, as it is the first time he has ever taken responsibility for his actions. From this point on, he starts to make better choices and becomes more responsible.
