FULL REVIEW: Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway, 1929, Scribners, 332 pages)

What a wonderful surprise it was to experience Farewell to Arms after having been so disappointed with Hemingway’s first novel, the Sun Also Rises. Unlike the latter, Farewell to Arms depicts well drawn, even likable or sympathetic characters. The setting is familiar, soldiers’ life during wartime, but with a highly realistic description of the daily almost mundane rituals on the northern Italian border as Frederic Henry an American ambulance driver has volunteered in the campaign to defend against the advancing Austrians during WWI. This novel is semi-autobiographical, drawing from Hemingway’s real wartime experiences serving in Italy as an enlisted ambulance driver, where in 1918 he was seriously wounded. To me, this provides a perspective and aura that makes the novel more authentic and real.

The descriptions of the Italian villages during the Italian army’s advance and ultimate retreat are so well drawn that I could feel myself transported to that time, that place. This is the magic of great literature. As I was swept along in the adventure, it was as though I was there, a first person witness to the events. My Italian background allowed me to resonate with the locations and local characters. Especially memorable are the passages detailing the meals; a pot of pasta with hard cheese and bottles of Chianti wine, or grappa. The waiting for action and the speculation on when the war will end create the sense of boredom and monotony that preoccupies the soldiers.

What is unusual with narrative is that the protagonist is detached, painting the events in a neutral matter-of-fact manner. The reader is not provided an adequate explanation for his involvement in the war, especially supporting a foreign country. Frederic becomes wounded in unflattering circumstances, delivering food for the troops, and downplays his heroism. A memorable line describing the 'glory' of war is as follows:

“There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity….Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates.” (Chapter 27)

Hemingway’s style of writing is sparse, economical and journalistic (largely influenced by his early career as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and editor for monthly Chicago journal). His trademark short dialogue conveys a sense of eavesdropping on a private conversation nearby. And it all appears so uncannily modern. An excellent example is the touching and frank exchange between Frederic and Catherine, early in their budding relationship that captures the uncertainty of love:

“Tell me. How many people have you ever loved?”
“Nobody.”
“Not even me?”
“Yes, you.”
“How many others really?”
“None.”
“How many have you—how do you say it?—stayed with?”
“None.”
“You’re lying to me.”
“Yes.”
“It’s all right. Keep right on lying to me. That’s what I want you to do. Were they pretty?” (Chapter 16)

The structure of the novel is in five books, moving the plot along very nicely, and has been likened to a five act tragedy. The ending is heart wrenching and one wonders why lasting happiness cannot be the just reward for this couple that has suffered much. I must admit that I was overcome with emotion. The other primary characters are well drawn, in particular Henry’s closest friend, Rinaldi. The surgeon is loud, fearless, and the joker of the troops. The shy chastised Priest represents a contrast to Rinaldi, providing spiritual guidance and engaging conversations with Henry. Finally, Count Greffi is a lively, independent ninety-four-year-old nobleman, who represents a wise father figure for Frederic. 

A prevalent theme is the seemingly indifference of the universe. On wonders about Frederdic’s motives for joining the war effort. He appears ambivalent and aloof towards the war, love and even his own life. But his is a search for meaning, and his dialougue with the three above mentioned charaters is peppered with discourse about the existentence of God. A quotation by the Count over billiards is interesting;

"I had always expected to become devout. All my family died very devout. But somehow it does not come . . .  Perhaps I have outlived my religious feeling. . Then too you are in love. Do not forget that is a religious feeling." (Chapter 35)

Against the backdrop of the persistent war is a touchingly poignant love story between Frederic and English nurse Catherine Barkley, whose mutual attraction is at first playful and seductive but grows more complicated and intense. The last two books capture wonderfully truthful moments together, especially their escape at night on a boat to their idyllic life in a Swiss mountain village. Perhaps love is the answer? One of the most evocative passages in the novel is Frederic’s tender depiction of Catherine…her hair, no less!  Who would have thought Papa was capable of such sentiment? This long sentence (certainly for effect) beautifully captures the sense of insulating themselves from the chaos of the outside world;

"I loved to take her hair down and she sat on the bed and kept very still, except suddenly she would dip down and kiss me while I was doing it, and I would take out the pins and lay them on the sheet and it would be loose and I would watch her while she kept very still and then take out the last two pins and it would all come down and she would drop her head and we would both be inside of it, and it was the feeling of inside a tent or behind a falls.” (Chapter 18)

Overall, Farewell to Arms is a great novel about the harsh realities and disillusionment of war with a surprisingly tender love story. 


Rating:  10/10.