A Farewell to Arms

Little exposition is provided in the early chapters of the novel. Frederic’s own name is withheld until Chapter 13. As Hemingway said in a Paris Review interview: “I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it under water for every part that shows” (quoted in Michael Reynolds’s Hemingway’s First War). What is the effect of this minimalist style of writing?

Does Frederic love Catherine? Why is he drawn to her?

Explain the male bonds between Frederic and two contrasting people: Rinaldi and the priest. Why are these two especially important to Frederic?

In what ways is Frederic an outsider?

Frederic’s jump into the Tagliamento river to escape death is a shocking event. However, Hemingway has placed subtle clues in the novel to set the reader up for this moment. What examples of foreshadowing does Hemingway use to set up Frederic’s desertion from the army?

Hemingway wrote over 40 different endings before deciding on the current ending. In one of the endings, the baby survives. Why do you think that Hemingway chose to have both Catherine and the baby die in the final ending? How does this ending reinforce the themes of the novel?

Count Greffi wishes he were more religious. He regrets that he is not devout. Catherine says she has no religion, which is emphasized when she enters the hospital to deliver the baby:“She said she had no religion and the woman drew a line in the space after that word” (268). The priest tells Frederic that he should love God, and Frederic replies, “I don’t love much” (62). Why is religion impossible for these characters?

Explore the symbolism of the weather (snow vs. rain) as well as the symbolism of geography (mountains vs. plains).

Frederic must make the transition from soldier to civilian. How does he accomplish this?