Scan barcode
mildlypretentiousreader's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is a novel that tells the story of a tragic love affair between Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver, and Catherine Barkley, an English nurse who had recently lost her fiancé in World War I.
One could describe A Farewell to Arms as a love story set behind the backdrop of a war or a war story encompassed by a romance. Catherine and Frederick’s love story takes center stage as the war serves as a means to unify the two and also separate them. The war is a unifying and relatable event the two lovers are able to bound over. On the other hand, the romance serves as an escape from the traumatizing, taxing, and tiresome war. Catherine and Frederick escape their harsh realities with each other. I theorize that that is why their relationship progressed so quickly as well.
Either way, A Farewell to Arms is a visceral, passionate work of literature with undertones of the simplicity and pain that constitutes life. The juxtapositions and contradictions found with A Farewell to Arms lead to effortless yet sparse writing. This style allows the reader to focus on the essence of the story and the characters, and to experience their emotions without being distracted by extra descriptions.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel is the way in which Hemingway explores the concept of war. He does not present it as a heroic, noble endeavor, but rather as a senseless and brutal conflict that leaves its participants scarred and disenchanted. Throughout the novel, Henry struggles with his role in the war and his feelings of guilt at not being able to do more for the wounded soldiers he transports from the front lines.
One could describe A Farewell to Arms as a love story set behind the backdrop of a war or a war story encompassed by a romance. Catherine and Frederick’s love story takes center stage as the war serves as a means to unify the two and also separate them. The war is a unifying and relatable event the two lovers are able to bound over. On the other hand, the romance serves as an escape from the traumatizing, taxing, and tiresome war. Catherine and Frederick escape their harsh realities with each other. I theorize that that is why their relationship progressed so quickly as well.
Either way, A Farewell to Arms is a visceral, passionate work of literature with undertones of the simplicity and pain that constitutes life. The juxtapositions and contradictions found with A Farewell to Arms lead to effortless yet sparse writing. This style allows the reader to focus on the essence of the story and the characters, and to experience their emotions without being distracted by extra descriptions.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel is the way in which Hemingway explores the concept of war. He does not present it as a heroic, noble endeavor, but rather as a senseless and brutal conflict that leaves its participants scarred and disenchanted. Throughout the novel, Henry struggles with his role in the war and his feelings of guilt at not being able to do more for the wounded soldiers he transports from the front lines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Child death, War, Car accident, Mental illness, and Violence
More...