farewell to arms :: essays research papers

In Hemingways semi-autobiographical classic A Farwell to Arms, Lieutenant Fredrick Henry labors by means of the first world war, so referred to as the war to end only wars. Henry is an American ambulance driver enlisted in the Italian army stationed in Austria. When a mortar explodes in Henrys field locating and nearly blows off his knee, hes sent to an American-run hospital in Milan, Italy. There he re-unites with his crawl inr, Catherine Barkley, an English hold back he had a precedent relationship on his days in a peaceful Austrian city which consisted of playing a game of sorts, she asking him to declare his love until finally, to her dissent, Henry does declare legitimate affection with the utmost sincerity. The two then begin a torrent love affair inside the war machine hospital. During his six-month furlough, Henrys attitude about the war drastically changes. When having an cosy conversation with Barkley one night he says If people bring so much courage to this wor ld the world has to break them, so of bloodline it kills them. The world breaks e realone and afterward many are strong in the mazed places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the brave impartially. This quote illustrates a very cynical slur of view after Henry has lost his faith in humanity nature. Soon, he wishes to be completely isolated from all current world-wide proceedings. The German army soon invades Italy, and Fredrick ultimately decides to run off to Switzerland with Nurse Barkley and escape the horrors of the war, rather than fight the invasion. During the retreat, the Italian Army was executing the officers considered traitors for not leading their men during a time of impending doom on the Austrian front.