Question : Essay-type
Show how the themes of war and love are interwoven in ‘A Farewell to Arms’.
Introduction
The title of the novel ‘A Farewell to Arms’ by Hemingway points out how the themes of war and love are interwoven. On the one hand we have the protagonist Frederic Henry’s goodbye to war in Book III of the novel while on the other hand there is his farewell to love when his beloved Catherine dies in Book V. By interweaving the themes of love and war, Hemingway puts forward the philosophy that man’s life is both a social and personal struggle in which the world is bound to kill you sooner or later. Just as the Boss had bossed over the Fly and Fate had bossed over the Boss in Katherine Mansfield’s short-story ‘The Fly’. So too fate bosses over Henry and over every person in this world.
Theme Of War And Its Farewell
The theme of war is vividly held up in the external action of the novel. Chapter 8 and 9 contain a realistic description of war. There is a thrilling description in which an offensive is about to be launched and Henry is seen moving up and down with his ambulance. Then there is a sudden burst of shelling in which Henry is injured. External action can also be seen in Book III in which there is the Caporetto retreat and there is chaos and disorder. This ends with Henry’s plunge into the Tagliamento river to escape the chaos and the death. Henry is forced to think about this action of deserting the army when he is travelling on a goods train to Milan. He says that the Tagliamento river has washed away all his duties and obligations and he has bidden a final farewell to war.
Theme Of Love And Its Farewell
In the background of war blooms the flower of love between Henry and Catherine. Although at first to Henry at least the love is confined within lust and sensuality, it does not remain so as it grows. The person who once said,”I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had I any idea of loving her”, now utters,”God knows I had not wanted to fall in love with her” implying that he is in love with Catherine.
The love of Henry and Catherine matures and Henry begins to love her with all of his might and passion, developing a sense of belonging. But Catherine cannot marry Henry formally because she would have to retire then. However, there is no paucity in her fund of love, she does not feel any separate identity. “There isn’t any me. I’m you. Don’t make up a separate me.” “You’re my religion. You’re all I’ve got”, she says to him. Catherine’s self-surrender is complete. As Henry kisses her neck and shoulders, he says,”I felt faint with loving her so much”. All the time Catherine is his mind.
Henry’s farewell to love occurs in Book V of the novel. It begins with the idyllic life that Henry and Catherine were spending in Switzerland amidst the beauty of nature. It seemed as if nothing could be better than what they were enjoying. In the end it seemed that they had found their ultimate happiness in each other’s arms. But this happiness comes to a premature end with Catherine going into Labour that proves difficult and painful for her. When ultimately Cesarean operation is done, a big healthy looking boy is delivered which is still-born. Thereafter Catherine suffers one internal haemorrhage after another and dies. It seems as if Henry is bidding final farewell to love.
Conclusion
Thus, we find that the theme of ‘A Farewell to Arms’ is farewell to the arms [weapons] of war and the arms [hands] of the beloved. The two plots, one concerning love and the other dealing with war are beautifully interwoven in the novel. A noteworthy feature of the structure of this novel is the ordered and logical sequence of events in it. In short, the interweaving of the themes of love and war is very close, and we therefore get the feeling that we have read one story, not two.
So, we find that the word ‘arms’ in the title has double meaning. It refers to weapons of war and it also refers to the arms of a human being, in this case a woman. The hero in this novel bids farewell to war, but he also bids farewell to the woman he loves. He bids farewell to war because he feels disgusted with it.
Related Question
Bring out the significance of the title ‘A Farewell to Arms’.
