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dweisbrodt 's review for:
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
If we abide by the doctrine that Hemingway is the definition of a man's man, then it seems that such a man would only fall in love with the perfect woman, Catherine. if Catherine, in her endless devotion to being the same as Frederick and the "perfect wife" and "no trouble at all" is supposed to be perfect, it is her character's only course to die, along with her child, and prevent Fredrick from the certain abysmal fate of marriage and fatherhood. Perhaps such a fate would have been his saving grace, but nothing in the book suggests that he wasn't merely entertaining this notion of inevitability for the sake of ease and pleasantries.
Both these characters I found to be shallow, Catherine in particular in her unwavering devotion to a drunk. Hemingway's depictions of war are graphic and heartfelt, descriptive in an entrancing way, and perhaps the best part of this work. But the minimal development of his characters give me very little context for empathy, and I often found myself dissatisfied with their loyalty to one another. The war is certainly the enemy here, but it doesn't seem to breed any growth for Hemingway's characters.
Both these characters I found to be shallow, Catherine in particular in her unwavering devotion to a drunk. Hemingway's depictions of war are graphic and heartfelt, descriptive in an entrancing way, and perhaps the best part of this work. But the minimal development of his characters give me very little context for empathy, and I often found myself dissatisfied with their loyalty to one another. The war is certainly the enemy here, but it doesn't seem to breed any growth for Hemingway's characters.