Oblivious and Dumb or Brilliant and Simple in Hemingway's "Farewell to Arms"

In “Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway, the author displays the character Catherine Barkley in multiple lights. At one end, she is depicted as the epitome of the Italian dream girl: submissive, caring, beautiful and most of all, weak. But she is also shown as woman with responsibility, strong beliefs, determination and resolve.

At the beginning of the novel, Catherine is displayed as a sort of love drunk bimbo who lives life in a sub-reality where bad things don’t happen. She lives her life along the social stereotype of what a woman in that day and age should. She doesn’t talk back, or argue, but rather is fully supportive of every choice the man makes, whether it be good or bad for herself. She is “regarded as the ultimate dreamgirl” who is “devoid of any personality or character of her own” (Spanier). In reference to Henry, she is completely submissive. When she first goes to visit him in the hospital in Milan, Henry wishes her to engage him sexually, and after saying “I love you” a couple times and a “Come on. Please”, she is easily convinced and gives into Henry’s pleas (92). This shows her as a fool for love and rather pathetic, but these views can be countered.

As the novel goes on, and Catherine’s character really develops, do we actually see the stronger, smarter, and more determined Catherine. Though one might easily see and admit Catherine as the ditsy dreamgirl, there is a much deeper and meaningful reason behind most of her ways. In the example in the previous paragraph, Catherine does indeed submit to Henry’s lustful pleas, she seems to know what she is doing. Until this point in the novel, Catherine was perceived as almost crazy, but her crazy ways have ultimately won as Henry admits that he had not wanted to fall for her, “but God knows he had” (93). We see this new Catherine who is real and experienced, she’s been through traumatic events and has seen horrific things yet is still caring and nice. She knows how things work and she can “reshape her surroundings by force of will and to her determination to play the best she can with the hand she’s dealt” (Spanier). After all that she has been through, she knows the world isn’t always great all on its own, its what you make it. Through this thought she is able to “forge a meaningful existence for herself in a world where the traditional structures - morality, religion and patriotism – have proven hollow and empty” (Spanier). Throughout the novel the reader is tricked into thinking that Henry is the shot-caller and the leader of his future but “the irony is that while he thinks he is playing with Catherine, he is blithely oblivious to the fact that she is using him” (Spanier).

At first glance, Catherine may be shown as dimwitted and weak, but as we begin to break down her character we really see into the mind of her brilliance. She is merely a victim to the conventions of traditional society and now “lives for the moment” as a “simpler kind of person” (Spanier). Just as she told Henry, “life isn’t hard to manage when you’ve nothing to lose”.

Eric Bond
3/11/2011

Sex, Death and Intertextuality: In “Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Heimingway and “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell

In “Farewell to Arms”, Ernest Hemingway alludes to other texts in order to create depth, and offer opposition and agreement about the limitations of time and death. Specifically, Hemingway alludes to many of the same messages and ideas that are used in Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress”. Here, we will reflect upon the similarities (and differences) between the young man and his mistress, and Henry and Catherine. In the poem, Marvell writes in a very ‘carpe diem’ style that creates a mood of urgency, passion and impatience. The narrator of the poem (the young man) attempts to weaken his mistress’s coyness by overstating how little time they will get to share together in the grand scheme of the world. He explains that if they had as much time as they wanted, they could wander for days in their love, as far as the Ganges River of eastern Asia. Moreover he analogizes his patience for her love to extend from before the great floods of the Old Testament, to beyond the conversion of the Jews to Christianity. But as he knows, time does not slow down, and youth is fleeting, there is neither time to take long journeys nor time to watch Christianity forego Judaism, he needs her to submit to him now. Henry and the young man have many of the same characteristics, though for different reasons. Shortly after Henry arrives in Milan, Catherine comes to see him. When she arrives, Henry feels very passionate and affectionate at the sight of her and makes advances towards her but she thinks he’s “not well enough” (92). He assures her he’s fine and “held her tight” as he pleaded over and over to “come on please” (92). As she starts to give in to his demands, in a last stand she makes Henry reaffirm his love for her by making him answer the same question, “you really love me?”, and as he keeps answering yes, the last of her defenses fall, until she gives in. In both instances, each piece of text have quite similar plots and motives, though one ends with one getting what he wants while the others is unknown, they are very much alike. Ironically, the actual outcome of Catherine and Henry’s love affair is alike, yet, the complete opposite of the young man’s reasons TO engage in a love affair. As it’s known, the consequences of Henry and Catherine’s relationship was ultimately Catherine’s death. But, in “To His Coy Mistress”, death itself and its impending doom, is the reason the young man thinks that he and his mistress should elope. He thinks he can feel “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near” and that their time together is limited so they should be hasty with their love because the opportunity is closing. When in fact, in “Farewell to Arms”, Henry and Catherine’s hasty love affair caused their time together to be so limited. Conclusively, on the outside, both pieces of text are alike in both plot and motive, but when broken down, Hemingway alludes to this text to show the harsh reality and consequences of something borne by love and passion.

Blog Passage Analysis

In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”, he uses harsh weather to analogize not only death, but also as a metaphor to how nature’s will is beyond human control, and no matter how hard Henry or Catherine try to do to be the masters of their own fate, some things are beyond their command. In this passage, the top paragraph of page 264, Henry is woken up by a loud storm and the pattering of rain on the window, prior to this, Henry had been enjoying a nice evening of billiards with Count Greffi. This sudden change is used to put a dark and ominous mood on what was previously a harmless environment. Additionally, and almost as suddenly as he was woken up by the storm, he hears a knock at his door. As a recurring archetype, the coincidence of these two events can only foreshadow misfortune, and whoever is behind the knock is the vehicle of nature’s will. As Henry quietly opens the door to find it is the barman, he notes solemnly that he just “stood there” and “carried his wet hat”. The brunt of the poor weather is obviously reflected in the man’s sad and soaked demeanor. The hat may also represent the bad weathers penetration into Henry’s life, almost as a package of misfortune being brought into his world. As we learn later the barman is indeed the barer of bad news, as Henry is being pursued by authorities for deserting the army. This event is just one instance, among many, that coincide with changes in weather. Hemingway uses the same weather archetype to represent changes in tone and atmosphere throughout the book. Hemingway refers to stormy weather to mark and foreshadow the retreat of the Italian troops and Catherine’s death. Also he also uses bad weather to show the hardship and responsibility people have towards family. In the passage, after Henry hears a knock at the door, he goes “to the door very softly, not to disturb Catherine”. Reading it generally, this reference seems merely informational for the reader, but looking through the book multiple places show attachments between changes in weather, and the presence and acknowledgement between Henry and Catherine. Reading further, as Henry paddles towards Switzerland he states being tired yet still knowing his role as being the provider and the muscle in the relationship, especially during Catherine’s pregnancy. Therefore, through the use of weather as an archetype, Hemingway is able to analogize and recognize the ties between the uncontrollability of natures wrath, and mans struggle to maintain stability and command over their own fate.