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Emma Smith

Mrs. Crawford

AP American Studies

8, February, 2017

A Farewell to Arms: Love is a Distraction

World War I was a terrible, terrible war; but with love, alcohol, and the Italian

countryside, it wasnt so bad. Thats what is described at length in Ernest Hemingways A

Farewell to Arms. The novel follows American ambulance driver, Fredric Henry, and his tragic

tale of romance with the English nurse, Catherine Barkley, during the First World War on the

Italian Front. Their relationship wasnt actually that great; however, it was more of an

infatuation, a distraction from the war, that began far too fast. In a Farewell to Arms, the themes

of infatuation, disillusionment, and the grim reality of war show that distraction of love during

wartime.

Infatuation is an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or

something. Infatuation perfectly characterizes Catherine and Fredrics relationship; not only was

their love story short-lived, but it was built solely on passion and admiration for each other. They

never got to know each others interests; they did, however, spend a lot of time telling each other

how much they loved each other. In 1929, their relationship was described in the New York

Times: And the story of love between the English nurse and the American ambulance driver, as

hapless as that of Romeo and Juliet, is a high achievement in what might be termed the new

romanticism (Hutchison). The author of the article, Percy Hutchison, called their affair

hapless, or unfortunate, like Romeo and Juliet. He said that it might be the new romanticism,

if new romanticism is having a love story ending in death and dissatisfaction. Both Catherine and
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Fredric had jobs that greatly helped the war, Catherine being a nurse, and Henry directing

ambulances. However, because they had their little love affair, they did not greatly help the war

effort. An infatuation distracted both parties from giving their all during a war, as evident by

Catherine and Fredrics relationship and roles in the war.

Disillusionment is a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that

something is not as good as one believed it to be. In Book Three of the novel, Fredric realized

that the war was not all he thought it was, so he deserted the military. When officers were being

shot during the retreat, and after Fredric shot an officer, he realized the war was a lot more

different than he thought it was. He didnt agree, so he jumped in the river and deserted. Harold

Bloom said that Fredrics disillusionment is crucial because it bears directly on his affair with

Catherine (30). Fredric deserted the military for Catherine, for his intense infatuation with her,

then went on to flee to Switzerland with her to avoid being arrested and killed for leaving. Right

from the beginning, the reader can tell that Fredrics not all for the war. He did his part and

enjoyed his friends, but did not agree with it fully. Then the faster he fell in love, the more he

hated the war, and the less he wanted to go back. His disillusionment most likely led the way to

his affair with Catherine, which in turn, distracted him from the war.

The war has been called a backdrop for Catherine and Fredrics relationship; in many

chapters, however, the war is a centerpiece. The war brought the two together, and it also kept

them apart. Such as when Fredric was forced to go back and face that grim reality of the war

after he recovered, leaving Catherine. Fredrics story was influenced by actual events; Ernest

Hemingway was actually an ambulance driver, just like his protagonist, and had an affair with a

nurse, just like his love interest during World War I. So, the novel shows an actual reality. Ernest

Hemingway shows that reality of war in the Caporetto retreat Not Static description, not
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merely action, but a subtle weaving of description and narration its confusion, its horror and

also makes the reader see the retreat (Hutchison). Hemingway used his paragraphs upon

paragraphs to show the reader what war was like; he didnt describe gruesome, gory details, but

instead skimmed over most of it. In that way, he seemingly gives the novel a more real, raw feel

to it. Hemingway shows this reality again in these and other ways, Hemingway suggests at once

the bad world his people must confront Fredrics experience more than justify the bitterness he

reveals (Bloom). By using the war and describing it as Hemingway did, the reader can

practically feel, see, sense, and experience the terrible world the Fredric goes through. While the

long descriptions of war and the countryside can get tedious and hard to read, it does bring a

sense of reality to the novel.

In the end, Ernest Hemingways A Farewell to Armss distraction of love lay in the

themes of infatuation of Fredric Henry and Catherine Barkleys affair, Fredrics disillusionment

about the war, and the terrible reality of the war itself. Fredric and Catherines relationship gave

them both a distraction from the war, and without Catherine getting pregnant, thats probably all

it would have been. The war brought the two together, and gave them a short-lived tale of

romance, then ripped it away in the end. The novel and its text are still important to this day and

age because it gives an insight of a not-so-often-written view from the Italian front and its tragic

love story. A Farewell to Arms wasnt among the most enduring works of fiction produced in

this century for no reason.

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Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: A Farewell to Arms. New York: Chelsea House,

1987. Print.

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929. Print.

Hutchison, Percy. Love and War in the Pages of Mr. Hemingway. New York Times. New York

Times Company, September 29, 1929.

Nytimes.com/books/99/07/04/specials/hemingway-farewell.html. Accessed 2 February

2017.