A Farewell to Arms as an anti-war novel by Ernest Hemingway. There are indications in each of the novel's five books that Ernest Hemingway intended A Farewell to Arms to be a testament. against the war. The First World War was a cruel war with no winners; “War is not won by victory” (47). Lieutenant Frédéric Henry, hero and narrator of the book, experiences the disillusionment, despair and disaster of war. But Henry also experiences passionate love; a gap that ironically further describes the absurdity and frustration felt by soldiers and citizens alike. In Book I, the army is still waiting for action, and the world is a world of boredom with men drinking to pass the time and prostituting themselves to obtain women. War itself is a man's game; “no more dangerous for me than war in the cinema” (34). Love is also a game. When Henry meets Catherine Barkley and makes his sexual approach, he is only trying to relieve the boredom of war; “I knew I didn't like Catherine Barkley and had no idea I did. It was a game, like bridge, in which we said things instead of playing cards” (28). Book II describes a slight transformation when an injured Henry spends time in the hospital. He is suddenly more involved in the war, but, as a release from the war, he now recognizes his great love for Catherine. But war is never far away. Protest riots take place in Rome and Turin and some suggest that the war is becoming a stalemate, the army is disillusioned; “there was a great contrast between his global pessimism and his personal cheerfulness” (127), with the prospects of victory evaporating; “the war couldn’t be much worse” (129). In Book III, Henry says (175): "I have always been troubled by the words sacred, glorious, sacrifice and the expression...... middle of paper ... ...you have gone wrong , they killed you” (314). Henry clearly sees the close connection between love and war, as shown when he compares the death of his beloved with the death of his fighting friends: “Or they killed you wantonly like Aymo. Or gave you syphilis like Rinaldi. But they killed you in the end. We could count on that. Stick around and they'll kill you” (aa). A Farewell to Arms is clearly an anti-war novel; the story moves from naive playfulness, through stages of love and hope, to pure despair and the understanding that a war can lead to no winner. The novel's passionate love story further reinforces the message by showing the ironic similarity, but also its disconnect, with war. The discrepancy must be taken seriously, this discrepancy is the important message of this novel; make love not war.

Essay / A Farewell to Arms as an anti-war novel by Ernest Hemingway. There are indications in each of the novel's five books that Ernest Hemingway intended A Farewell to Arms to be a testament. against the war. The First World War was a cruel war with no winners; “War is not won by victory” (47). Lieutenant Frédéric Henry, hero and narrator of the book, experiences the disillusionment, despair and disaster of war. But Henry also experiences passionate love; a gap that ironically further describes the absurdity and frustration felt by soldiers and citizens alike. In Book I, the army is still waiting for action, and the world is a world of boredom with men drinking to pass the time and prostituting themselves to obtain women. War itself is a man's game; “no more dangerous for me than war in the cinema” (34). Love is also a game. When Henry meets Catherine Barkley and makes his sexual approach, he is only trying to relieve the boredom of war; “I knew I didn't like Catherine Barkley and had no idea I did. It was a game, like bridge, in which we said things instead of playing cards” (28). Book II describes a slight transformation when an injured Henry spends time in the hospital. He is suddenly more involved in the war, but, as a release from the war, he now recognizes his great love for Catherine. But war is never far away. Protest riots take place in Rome and Turin and some suggest that the war is becoming a stalemate, the army is disillusioned; “there was a great contrast between his global pessimism and his personal cheerfulness” (127), with the prospects of victory evaporating; “the war couldn’t be much worse” (129). In Book III, Henry says (175): "I have always been troubled by the words sacred, glorious, sacrifice and the expression...... middle of paper ... ...you have gone wrong , they killed you” (314). Henry clearly sees the close connection between love and war, as shown when he compares the death of his beloved with the death of his fighting friends: “Or they killed you wantonly like Aymo. Or gave you syphilis like Rinaldi. But they killed you in the end. We could count on that. Stick around and they'll kill you” (aa). A Farewell to Arms is clearly an anti-war novel; the story moves from naive playfulness, through stages of love and hope, to pure despair and the understanding that a war can lead to no winner. The novel's passionate love story further reinforces the message by showing the ironic similarity, but also its disconnect, with war. The discrepancy must be taken seriously, this discrepancy is the important message of this novel; make love not war.

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