Reality of Battlefield in the Mess

Have you ever thought that what would you do if you fought on the war zone? Just imagine: your family is waiting for your turn, but you are outside and breathing the bloody, and dusty air. While the screams are drilling your ears, you are looking for your friend to help someone or you are waiting for someone’s help.

In Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, he tries to project these feelings in a different way. In the first chapter of the book, first he gives a lovely scene but then he demolishes it. So, in this sense he does not give a direct description. Also, he does not give the feelings of Frederick Henry, the protagonist of the book. It may be claimed that the author expects from the readers to understand Frederick Henry’s inner pain. In Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, the war leads him depression which can be observed from his reactions, and his romantic relationship with Catherine Barkley.

           Frederick Henry, who is the main character of A Farewell to Arms is affected by the war and it leads him to depression. Also, his depression controls his life and actions. Mary Greiner clearly outlines the depression and its effects:

"As our mood darkens, our behavior changes. We struggle to meet our professional and personal obligations, and let more and more undone. We procrastinate, get irritable, can’t concentrate, and may fell fatigued all day, no matter how much sleep we are getting. Nothing is fun anymore. We may fell worthless and guilty. We may feel nothing but a sort of numbness . . . [and] We may use mood altering substances (such as alcohol, sleeping aids, chocolate)." (Greiner, 34)

The protagonist has these effects of depression. When the readers first acquaintance with him, they can notice that something weird or strange about him because when they look at the dialogues, his answers are really short to deduce anything.

"Ciaou!" he said.

‘What kind of time did you have?’

‘Magnificent.’

We shook hands and he put his arm around my neck and kissed me.

‘Oughf,’ I said.

‘You’re dirty,’ he said. ‘You ought to wash. Where did you go and what did you do? Tell me everything at once.’

‘I went everywhere, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, Villa, San Giovanni, Messina, Taormina-’

‘You talk a like a time-table. Did you have any beautiful adventures?’

‘Yes.’ (Hemingway, 11)

So, in this sense the reader can clearly see his ignorant attitude. When his friend Rinaldi asks his sexual life, he is not interested in the subject because the conversation does not give him any joy. It may be assumed that at those times, having sex is important because of the patriarchal society. Moreover, he is not a perfect believer or a real Catholic, he loses his belief in a symbolic way because of the war.

‘It’s better to wear him. That’s what it’s for.’

‘All right,’ I said. I undid the claps of the gold chain and put it around my neck and clasped it. The saint hung down on the outside of my uniform and I undid the throat of my tunic, unbuttoned the shirt. I felt him in his metal box against my chest while we drove. Then I forgot about him. After I was wounded, I never found him. (Hemingway, 41)

Miss Barkley gives him Saint Anthony figure to protect him. Although, Frederick Henry does not a believer, he accepts and wears him. So, in a metaphorical way when he is wounded, he loses his hope and belief. In addition, the war’s depressing effect only leads him drinking and having sex with prostitutes.

"The major said he had heard a report that I could drink. I denied this. He said it was true and the by the corpse of Bacchus we would test whether it was true or not. Not Bacchus, I said. Not Bacchus. Yes, Bacchus, he said. I should drink cup for cup and glass for glass) with Bassi, Fillipo Vincenza. Bassi said no that was no test because he had already drunk twice as much as." (Hemingway, 38)

In this quotation, he talks with the wine god. This shows his level of drunkenness. In addition, when he is wounded from his kneecap and taken to hospital, he asks for alcohol. “I sent for the porter and when he came I told him in İtalian to get me a bottle of Cinzano at the wine shop, a fiasco of chianti and the evening papers” (Hemingway, 80). While he is recovering in the hospital, he stashes lots of bottle under his bed. In fact, when Miss Van Campen, who is a nurse, finds out the situation, he acts as if it is a common thing.

‘Those are all brandy bottles, aren’t they?’ Miss Van Campen asked.

‘I can’t see them all,’ I said. ‘But they probably are.’

‘How long has this been going on?’

‘I bought them and brought them in myself,’ I said. ‘I have had İtalian officers visit me frequently and I have kept brandy to offer them.’

'You haven’t been drinking it yourself?’ she said.

‘I have also drunk it myself.’ (Hemingway, 129)

Hospitals are restricted to consumption of alcohol in there and even, he is not in a good shape, he is still drinking. Also, he takes lots of pills because of the operation he had, but anyway he does not care the rules or his medical condition, but he takes account of “girls”.

‘He should have fine girls. I will give you the address of places in Naples. Beautiful young girls – accompanied by their mothers. Ha! Ha! Ha’” (Hemingway, 8) So, it may be claimed that their only escape or alternative is alcohol, and sex. Also, in the middle of the novel Frederick Henry specifically mentions of his (step)father. It may be argued that he does not internalized being a father because of the war time period. When Catherine tells her pregnancy, he gives response to it as if it is an usual thing.

‘I’m going to have a baby, darling. It’s almost three months along. You’re not worried, are you? Please please don’t. You mustn’t worry.’

‘All right.’

‘Is it all right?’

‘Of course’ (Hemingway, 124).

So, he acts as if he does not feel anything and everything is a sort of numbness.

            The war does not only affect Frederick Henry but also it affects Catherine Barkley. Miss Barkly who is the lover of Frederick Henry loses her fiance.

‘It belonged to a boy who was killed last year.’

‘I’m awfully sorry.’

‘He was a very nice boy. He was going to marry me, and he was killed in the Somme’” (Hemingway, 18).

This situation leads her depression and makes her regretful.

‘Had you been engaged long?’

‘Eight years. We grew up together.’

‘And why didn’t you marry?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said. I was a fool not to. I couldn’t have given him that anyway. But I thought it would be bad for him’” (Hemingway, 18). Her lost causes suppress her feelings towards Frederick Henry, and she tries to push him from herself. “‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Please.’ I leaned forward in the dark to kiss her and there was a sharp stinging flash. She had slapped my face hard. Her hand hit my nose and eyes, and tears came in my eyes from the reflex. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said (Hemingway, 24). So, in this way, their bad experience about the war affects their romance.

            The war does not only affect Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley it also affects their romance. Frederick has traumatic life and because of his condition he is questioning himself. “The whole thing seemed to run better while I was away” (Hemingway, 16). His thought becomes a barrier for his relationship because he does not want to fall in love with Catherine, and he only wants to take advantage from her.

“She looked at me, ‘And do you love me?’

‘Yes.’

‘You did say you loved me, didn’t you?’

‘Yes,’ I lied. ‘I love you’” (Hemingway, 29).

This becomes his defense mechanism for his relationship. Even, Mary Greiner contends that “without a partner, however, you can push yourself up only so far” (Greiner, 34). On the other hand, Catherine’s lost makes her more emotional and vulnerable. In that respect, she wants affection and to be loved.

‘I love you so and it’s been awful. You won’t go away?’

‘No. I’ll always come back.’

‘Oh, I love you so. Please put your hand there again’” (Hemingway, 29). Also, Alexander Hollenberg proves that she is seeking a role of partner: “Catherine is capable of seeing herself and the world ironically. Having lost her fiancé in the Somme, she attempts to re-imagine this love affair with Frederick performing the role of her partner” (Hollenberg, 314). So, the reader can clearly see the conflict of interest because of their experience of the war.

            To sum up, in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Frederick Henry gets into depression because of the war and his romance with Catherine Barkley is affected by it. As a result, Frederick Henry becomes more insensitive. Also, it causes loss of his belief and leads him to drink and have sex with prostitutes. On the other hand, Catherine Barkley loses her fiance and she becomes regretful and she starts to suppress her feelings from Frederick Henry. These all affect their romantic relationship. On the one hand, Frederick does not want to fall in love with Catherine but on the other hand, Catherine searches for affection. So, it may be claimed that the war shatters their life and relationship. Maybe if they met before or after the war, their relationship would be different and better. Moreover, maybe the American dream came true for them.

Works Cited

Greiner, Mary. “Depression.” GPSolo, vol. 18, no. 5, 2001, pp. 34–35. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23671958.

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. Arrow Books, 2004.

Hollenberg, Alexander. “Recalcitrant Simplicity: Thin Characters and Thick Narration in ‘A Farewell to Arms.’” Narrative, vol. 20, no. 3, 2012, pp. 301–321. JSTORE, www.jstor.org/stable/23322083.