A Farewell to Arms is a war novel by Ernest Hemingway set during the Italian campaign of World War I. A code hero, Frederic Henry serves as an American lieutenant-surgeon attached to the Italian army. A code hero often used in early 20th century post-modern literature presents an idealized figure whose experience of the world has taught them to see the world and its inhabitants as “hard and contemptible.” A code hero does what is right, even if that means risking his life for a worthy cause. A code hero has courage, though he possesses no superhuman abilities.
A Farewell to Arms was first published in 1929 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. The novel is divided into five books: A). A short prelude describing Frederic Henry as an ambulance driver on the Italian front during World War I; B). A flashback of Henry’s life before the war; C). A digressive episode at a dusty wayside inn; D). A return to Henry’s unit after recuperation from a wound and E). Epilogue where survivors meet again later in civilian life. A Farewell to Arms was a classic code hero novel, as it featured idealized heroism and stoicism which the protagonist possessed. A character who visually embodied what Hemingway believed heroism should be, he epitomizes the “code hero” through his actions and thoughts on love, war and death.
The main theme A Farewell to Arms is the devastation brought about by World War I, a fact that adds great emotional weight to A Farewell to Arms as a whole. A Farewell to Arms focuses on Frederic Henry’s journey from being an optimistic young man in love with a romantic idea of war to becoming embittered by its destructive nature. In this story it also demonstrates that even though you may want to forget about the horrible things that happened during war it still haunts you. A Farewell to Arms tells the story of an American lieutenant serving as an ambulance driver on the Italian front during World War I, his love affair with a young English nurse, and how his experience changed him forever.
A Farewell to Arms is a novel about love, war, and the self-destructive nature of human behavior. Set during World War I, A Farewell to Arms follows the story of Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian Army. While on leave in Italy after recovering from wounds sustained in battle, Henry meets Catherine Barkley , who becomes his lover. When he returns to war, she gives birth to their son but dies during childbirth.
A Farewell To Arms presents several themes found throughout Hemingway’s work including coping with loss and dealing with deeply rooted personal issues that drive individuals away from meaningful relationships. The steadfast Hemingway code hero rejects societal norms and yearns for freedom through action and physical labor. A Farewell to Arms glorifies the code hero and the life of physical labor, but it also condemns the unreflective nature of such a lifestyle.
A Farewell to Arms is one of Ernest Hemingway’s most famous novels, but also it is one of his darkest. A veteran of World War I, Hemingway wrote about the harsh realities and horrors of war in many different stories. A Farewell to Arms was no exception. Many critics agree that A Farewell to Arms could be defined as a “code hero” because Frederic Henry abides by certain standards throughout the novel that make him an admirable character; however, even more important than these standards are the things that cause Henry to deviate from them and lose his code hero status.
The first standard that every code hero must maintain is fearlessness. A fearless character will nothing except for cowardice or fear. Hemingway writes, ” A code hero must be brave”(pg. 57). A major example of Henry’s fearlessness can be seen when he leaves the hospital in order to find Catherine without telling anybody where he is going even though everybody was very worried about him. A weak cowardice person would never do this because they’d rather stay safe than put themselves in harm’s way.
A Farewell to Arms characters are purposely not described as having superhuman abilities or skills that separate them from other people; however, it is obvious that they possess qualities that normal people don’t have and one of these is fearlessness. Another important characteristic Hemingway wants his heroes to have is understatement, which means not drawing attention to yourself with your words or actions. A character that is perceived as being confident can be seen as domineering to an extent, but just because a character doesn’t say too much, it does not mean they are lacking self-belief.
A good example of understatement is when Henry makes love with Catherine for the first time, he says ” I made rather wonderful love;” this sentence does not need any further explanation about how the sex was because Henry has enough confidence to know how good he was without saying so… Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms in his signature style which is called “the iceberg theory” where most of what goes on during the story is implied through dialogue and very little description.
A prime example of would be when Henry tries to leave the hospital and Nurse Ferguson tries to stop him; A nurse would probably never do something like this because they are supposed to be obedient, but ” She came towards me and wrote down my temperature. ‘What’s the matter? ‘ I said. ‘I’m going out'” (Hemingway 31). A normal person would say something like ” Where are you going? ” or ask a question that nurses cannot refuse to answer because it is there job, but A Farewell to Arms protagonist knows exactly what he wants and doesn’t hesitate in letting them know.
Finally, a code hero must have a strong sense of loyalty. A character that does not follow this code wouldn’t be much of a hero at all. A large amount of A Farewell to Arms takes place in World War I, so it is only natural that the novel would possess strong sense of loyalty. A good example of this can be found toward the end of A Farewell to Arms when Henry’s regiment gets attacked by Germans. A lot of people would try and save themselves during a situation like this, but A Farewell to Arms protagonist doesn’t do this.
Instead he decides to stay with his dying friend who was fighting alongside him all along even though there are many other places he could have taken cover. Before A Farewell to Arms begins, Ernest Hemingway wrote an Author Note titled “Notes on A Farewell To Arms”. It gives interesting background information about how A Farewell to Arms came together as well as A Farewell to Arms’ themes. It is especially interesting that the themes are not discussed in A Farewell To Arms but A Farewell To Arms was intended to be a “love” story with no political views.
