Ernest Hemingway’s novel, A Farewell to Arms, paints a love story taking place on the Italian front during World War I. It is in this setting that he makes love a major theme by bringing Lieutenant Henry, an ambulance driver, and Catherine Barkley, an English nurse, together. Henry was a man that was well liked and respected for his rank and all that was important to him was his duty to serve. However, Catherine Barkley would change his perspective on the war. Initially, in the introduction of the book, Henry and Catherine act like two children who are playing a game, but in this case, using seduction. However, Henry’s consistent visits and encounters with Catherine turns into more than just lust. When he is thinking about the war before returning to the front, thoughts about her invade his mind and he ends up fantasizing about her as well. Although it is normal for Henry to have these fantasies, it shows a side that we as readers don’t see in the beginning and those are feelings. He was an emotionless man who had no passion, commitment, or love but it is evident that he starts to have feelings for Catherine, exceeding past their little game they play.
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In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway uses foreshadowing to let us know the characters will face struggles soon. One technique he uses is rain. When the novel is coming to an end, he describes a storm, which led us to Catherine who earlier on showed a fear of it. In the middle chapters, Catherine talks about an indescribable darkness in the world. When Henry asks her why she’s afraid of the rain, she answers “I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it and sometimes I see you dead in it too (110)”. These lines are significant because they foreshadow Catherine’s death and Henry who will be experiencing pain in his married life. The rain that falls as henry leaves the hospital is yet another example that symbolizes the same ruinous forces that make one feel the loss of speech, hope, and
In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway uses foreshadowing to let us know the characters will face struggles soon. One technique he uses is rain. When the novel is coming to an end, he describes a storm, which led us to Catherine who earlier on showed a fear of it. In the middle chapters, Catherine talks about an indescribable darkness in the world. When Henry asks her why she’s afraid of the rain, she answers “I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it and sometimes I see you dead in it too (110)”. These lines are significant because they foreshadow Catherine’s death and Henry who will be experiencing pain in his married life. The rain that falls as henry leaves the hospital is yet another example that symbolizes the same ruinous forces that make one feel the loss of speech, hope, and