A Critical Analysis To Ernest Hemingway's
   "A Farewell To Arms"

    Frederic Henry, in Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell To Arms,” undergoes a self-awakening into the ideas of existentialism. In the beginning of the novel, Henry is a drifter unconsciously searching for a meaning in life. As Henry is slowly discovers the trivialities and horrors of life, he becomes “authentic.” Which means discovering the existential idea that life has no meaning and learning to deal with it. Religion, patriotism, love, and several other outward forms pose as temptations that Henry must conquer in his quest to become authentic.

    Henry’s first temptation is that of religion and what it means. Henry flirts with the idea of religion with a series of doubts and questions. What appeals to Henry and religious followers is that religion gives man a set guideline on how to live and hope. Henry is a drifter unconsciously looking for fulfillment. Henry’s first temptation with religion was the Priest’s home town of Abruzzi. The priest persuades Henry with the idea of going to his hometown. The Priest explains to Henry, “There is good hunting. You will like the people and though it is cold it is clear and dry.” Abruzzi is more than a town in that it represents religion. Henry throughout the novel really wants to give religion a chance but is held back by reasons beyond his control “I had not gone. It was what I had wanted to do and I tried to explain how one thing had led to another and finally he saw it and understood that I had really wanted to go and it was almost all right.” Critic Ray West Jr. explains that Henry’s lack of acceptance towards faith as “A parable of twentieth-century man’s disgust and disillusionment at the failure of civilization to achieve the ideals it had been promising throughout the nineteenth century.” Author Hemingway’s character Frederic Henry represents twentieth-century man. Twentieth-century man rejects religion in that religion does not keep its promises. After centuries of unchallenged doctrines of religion mankind slowly discovers that what was once sacred is now nothing. In the nineteenth century religion was controlled with a iron fist in that people had to follow a certain set of guidelines or there was no reward in heaven. People began to ignore the ideas of religion and still lead happy peaceful lives. Man acknowledges that life can exist without God. Henry makes evident critic Ray West Jr.’s twentieth-century man theory in that he says, “ In defeat we become Christians”. Hemingway is concluding that religion is the realization of hope and guidance beyond means other than yourself. Defeat in that instead of looking for answers elsewhere, the answers should come from within. Henry goes on to say, “I had gone to no such place but to the smoke of cafes and nights when the room whirled and you needed to look at the wall to make it stop, nights in bed, drunk, when you knew that that was all there was, and the strange excitement of waking and not knowing who it was with you, and the world all unreal in the dark.” The vices or reality of Henry’s world cannot accept the “though it is cold it is clear and dry” town of Abruzzi. As with religion Henry doesn’t accept the idea of God or Christian doctrines. Christian guidelines certainly would not conform to Henry’s lifestyle Henry after explaining to the priest that “He had not had it but he understood that I had really wanted to go to the Abruzzi but had not gone and we were still friends, with many tastes alike, but with the difference between us.” Henry realizes that without religion men can still function in harmony. The priest has his set values and rules defined by Christian doctrines and rules. As in Henry has his own values and rules defined by himself the individual. Henry confides unconsciously to the priest of his fading faith. When at the hospital in Milan talking about the status of the war Henry unaware at the time sums up his view on religion:
“I had hoped for something more.”
“Defeat?”
“No. Something more.”
“There isn’t anything more. Except victory. It may be worse.”
“I hoped for a long time for victory.”
“Me too.”
“Now I don’t know.”
“It has to be one or the other.”
“I don’t believe in defeat. Though it may be better.”
“What do you believe in?”
“In sleep.” I said.
Henry dodging the question of the priest doesn’t know what to believe in anymore. The priest says, ““It has to be one or the other.” Basically the priest is saying either you are a believer or not. Henry believing his own idea that “In defeat we become Christians.” resists defeat even “Though it may be better.” Defeat is better in a sense of giving man a sense of hope and ultimately a reward for a life well spent. The last time religion is given any serious thought is when walking together Henry and Catherine walk past two lovers in the rain next to the cathedral. Henry then begins to ignore temptation and see past the outward forms of religion when Catherine declines his offer to go into the Cathedral:
“I wish they had some place to go.”
“It mightn’t do them any good.”
“I don’t know. Everybody ought to have some place to go.”
“They have the cathedral,” Catherine said.
Henry is still optimistic in that “Everybody ought to have some place to go” but Catherine tells him otherwise. Henry envisions that “some place to go” is finding hope to life through religion. Catherine rejects his notation in that “It mightn’t do them any good.” Catherine had no faith in religion. She exclaims to Henry that, “You’re my religion. You’re all I got.”

    Henry’s second temptation is that of the outward forms of objects. Critic Ray West Jr. suggests that “When the words became separated from the acts they were meant to describe, then they meant nothing.” What Ray West Jr. is acknowledging is an existential idea of “existence precedes essence”. In other words an object is just that and nothing more. Author Hemingway believes in the existential idea in that there are no outward forms. The character Frederic Henry is also distilled with Hemingway’s theory as he demonstrates an existential view :
I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression of vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it. There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity.
A sacrifice as Henry puts it as “wasted meat”. An example of that idea is remenscent of ancient Mayan civilization’s human sacrifices that accomplished nothing. Virgins were sacrificed to false Gods with no reciprocation from the Gods above. According to Henry only things such as directions, names, and places had any dignity. They represent only one thing with no false hopes or pretenses. A sign that is written with the words “California 50 miles” is just that. There is nothing glorious or sacred painted on that sign. The sign merely illustrates a fact and nothing more without any false pretenses. Another example of Henry demonstrating that he does not believe in the outward forms of things is when escaping arrest from the carabinieri Henry notes, “I would like to have had the uniform off although I did not care much about the outward forms. I had taken off the stars, but that was for convenience. It was no point of honor.” Author Hemingway is commenting about the false representation of medals. The medals or as Henry puts it as “decorations” had anything but honor. The medals in their psychical form represent nothing. Critic James F. Light summarizes this point brilliantly in that the character of “Ettore, who sees war as an accident suitable for promotion and self-glorification.” Ettore cares not of patriotism or honor. Ettore uses his medals only for sake of opportunity and to boost his super ego. Upon learning that Henry is going to get some decorations Ettore enviously comments, “Your going to get it. Oh boy, the girls at the Cova will think you’re fine then. They’ll think you killed two hundred Austrians or captured a whole trench by yourself. Believe me, I got to work for my decorations.” Ettore sums up exactly what he works for- decorations. Having one medal or ten makes not a braver man. A true patriot is not measured on decorations or rewards. Patriots care not of these things as they love their country enough to die for it. Henry doesn’t see Ettore’s pretentious behavior as plainly as Catherine. Catherine explains that “We have heroes too, but usually they’re are much quieter.”

    Henry’s final temptation is that of love. Henry no longer becomes a drifter and wants to share his life and within love there are always hopes and compromises. Rinandi one of “the initiated” as critic Ray West Jr. calls them tries to summarize Henry’s false convictions of love:
Truly? I tell you something about your good women. Your goddesses.
There is only one difference between taking a girl who has always been
good and a woman. With a girl it is painful. That is all I know. And you
will never know if the girl will really like it.

    Rinandi is one of “the initiated” in that he is an existentialist. Rinandi’s description of the virgin is rather crude but important. Rinandi is trying to persuade Henry not to be fooled by love in getting in the way of life. Rinandi is a man as he defined himself, “with simpler pleasures.” Rinandi goes on to say “Now you see. Underneath we are the same. We are war brothers.” Rinandi knows that Henry is undergoing changes. Henry’s temptations are hindering the “initiation”. After the novel progresses and Henry is separated from his “war brother” the temptations must be faced alone. Henry is still learning to have hope and the outward forms of love hinder his progress. Henry also at the beginning of the novel was a man “with simpler pleasures” as critic Peter Hays surmises “He makes it clear that his initial interest in Catherine is sexual only; he is seeking no commitment.” Henry was a lieutenant for three years with no idea on which direction life takes until he met Catherine. All of a sudden it becomes clear to Henry himself while in the hospital in Milan he acknowledges “I had not wanted to fall in love with anyone.” Upon being reunited with Catherine, Henry confesses to himself that “When I saw her I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me.” The next temptation that love brings forth is Henry’s request of marriage upon learning of Catherine’s pregnancy. Catherine defends her view in responding, “What good would it do to marry now? We’re really married. I couldn’t be any more married.” Catherine after rethinking the situation then pops the question during the final months before the pregnancy “I suppose if we really have this child we ought to get married.” Henry accepts the notation as the right thing to do but what does it mean? Being married before or after doesn’t effect the child physically or delays its birth. Marriage in this sense is the outward form of their love. Marriage in the physical sense before or after the fact means nothing as with Catherine’s early comment of “I couldn’t be any more married.” Henry and Catherine surely learned that they were in love no matter married or not. Having a ring on the finger doesn’t make the love any stronger it just a psychical representation of their love.

    Henry ignores the temptations of the outward forms of religion, love, and symbols as he achieves becoming authentic. The conclusion of “A Farewell To Arms” with all its death is marked by a rebirth. Henry looses his child and his lover. He finally achieves the status of being authentic in the final scene “It was like saying good-by to a statue. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.” Henry prior to Catherine death was seeking hope. During Catherine’s final hour Henry prayed to God once more only to go unanswered:
Please, please, please, dear God, don’t let her die. Dear God, don’t let her die. Please, please, please, don’t let her die. God please don’t make her die. I’ll do anything you say if you don’t let her die. You took the baby but don’t let her die. That was all right but don’t let her die. Please, please, dear God, don’t let her die.
He now knows all the things around him are false. Henry now knows the true forms of religion, patriotism, and love are empty forms of hope. He know knows that any hope must only come from within. Henry is now an authentic in that “He walks quietly back to the hotel in the rain.” and knows that only he can shape his destiny.

Work Cited
Light, James F. “On Religion In A Farewell To Arms”. Hemingway and the Dead Gods.
Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1960. 46-48.
West, Ray B. “The Biological Trap”. Hemingway: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Ed. Robert P. Weeks. Engelwood Cliff NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1962. 139-151.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell To Arms. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929.

 

 

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