Ernest Hemingway’s third novel, A Farewell to Arms, was his first financially successful novel and is considered, by many, to be the artistic pinnacle of his work. Hemingway gathers most of the material for A Farewell to Arms from personal experiences in his life including the time he spent as a volunteer ambulance driver at the Italian front and the birth of his second son, Patrick, who was born after a difficult labor and a caesarean.
Disconcerting Journey
Hemingway’s novel, A Farewell to Arms, is disconcerting for several reasons. First, it is difficult to get into the mind of the narrator, Frederic Henry. His mindset is alien to many readers. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he is a man’s man. For many Frederic Henry typifies Hemingway’s embodiment of American machismo. As a result, Henry does not seem encumbered with excessive philosophical or theological ponderings that are the themes of many books.
Another thing that makes the journey through the novel seem almost surreal is how commonplace Hemingway makes the details of war seem. Henry moves through the book as if on a different plane. He sees the events going on around him and remarks on them as if they are of little personal consequence. Henry is involved with the people around him and interacts with them but only on a seemingly very superficial level. He seems immune to the need to develop bonds to anything or anyone around him; he seems as ‘self-contained as an oyster.’
The final element of the story that makes it rather disconcerting at times is Frederic Henry’s apparent lack of tenderness for the Catherine Barkley, the woman he loves.
A Smooth Read
Despite the sometimes-perplexing moods of Frederic Henry, A Farewell to Arms is beautifully rendered in Hemingway’s sparse style. The strength of his writing is the simple and straightforward language that makes the sentences flow quickly and causes the 297 pages to fly by. The simple structure and style makes the book easy and enjoyable to read but also makes it hard to grasp any concrete themes on which the mind can brood.
Readers Who Love Beautiful Prose
A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway is not for readers who prefer unambiguous books with strong themes and morals. However for readers who love simple yet eloquent language, A Farewell to Arms is a worthy read.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. Scribner Classics. 1997. ISBN-13: 978-0-684-83788-8 ISBN-10: 0-684-83788-9
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