"A Farewell to Arms!" - a novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1929. The book tells about love against the backdrop of the First World War. The novel is largely autobiographical - Hemingway served on the Italian front, was wounded and was in a hospital in Milan, where he had an affair with a nurse.
"I was not upset that the book turns out to be tragic, since I believed that life is generally a tragedy, the outcome of which is a foregone conclusion" ― Ernest Hemingway
American architect Frederick Henry volunteered for the front of the First World War in Italy. He serves as the commander of the transport department of the medical unit with the rank of lieutenant. Here Frederick meets the hospital nurse Catherine Barkley, and they develop feelings for each other. Shortly after a series of defeats by the allied armies and the retreat, Frederic is forced to defect to avoid falling victim to the ridiculous accusations of espionage by the Italian field gendarmerie due to his American accent. Together with Catherine, he flees to neutral Switzerland, where, it seems to them, is the salvation from the cruelty of the world and senseless murders. But the apparent happiness turns out to be short-lived - Catherine, who became pregnant in Italy from an affair with Frederick, dies during childbirth in a Swiss hospital.
In the novel, at the front, the soldiers feel rather at ease - they drink, go to brothels, have fun and, in general, do not take the war seriously. They do not want to fight, do not understand what they are fighting for, at the moment of retreat, many defect, throw their rifles, surrender. War is a very terrible event in the life of people. Nobody wants this war!
In his unique manner, Hemingway showed all the horror of the war, all the chaos that reigns in the army, all the confusion in the ranks of the retreating. The mood of the soldiers, their feelings are very clearly conveyed.
The dialogues of the main characters in Hemingway do not differ in depth, content, or "taste between the lines." They are nothing more than a rustle in silence, the soft sound of the surf, the rustle of leaves underfoot ... But this is what fascinates; you understand that this is the author's “hobbyhorse”, and this is what he wants to convey the brightness of the moment, the cry of the soul.
In this novel, a new thought opened up for me: "love is a religious feeling." Somehow I never looked at her like that. Is it because lovers are so close to God that they are so vulnerable? And how often is love so tragic?
“When people bring so much courage into this world, the world must kill them in order to break them, and therefore it kills them. The world breaks everyone, and many then only get stronger at the break. But those who do not want to break, he kills. He kills the kindest and the most gentle and the bravest indiscriminately. "
You can get «A Farewell to Arms» HERE.
This article was sponsored by Homayon Tavakoli.
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