Use the following questions to stimulate discussion or provide writing exercises in order to interpret the novel. Explore the statements A Farewell to Arms makes about the following:
Hope/Hopelessness:
Hemingway write, “Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates” (p. 185). Henry, in a moment of reflection, explains: “If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them” (p. 249).
1. In the first passage, what is Hemingway saying about abstract words?
2. Do the concrete facts of life provide more hope than abstractions?
3. Using several references from the novel, how might hope be a complex state of mind, rather a simple promise of brighter days?
4. Or, as indicated on p. 249, should Henry relinquish any hope in order to survive in the world?
Relationships:
Does the novel depict love and friendship? Or, are these merely mechanisms to deal with the loss of hope? For example, Rinaldi tells Henry,“You are my best friend and my war brother” (p. 171). Henry describes his relationship with Catherine, “We could feel alone together…but we were never lonely and never afraid when we were together” (p. 248).
1. What kind of friendship exists between Rinaldi and Henry? In what passages do we find proof (or disproof) of this friendship?
2. What kind of love exists between Catherine and Henry? Try to prove that they do not love one another. How might you develop and support this argument by citing passages from the text?
3. Using your arguments about friendship and love, explain whether these relationships supply Henry with hope or serve only as an escape from dealing with the hopelessness of his situation.
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