After finishing a Farewell to Arms, the ending really didn’t surprise me. As soon as the couple seemed to escape all of their troubles with the military police and escaping Italy, I knew that something bad would happen in the end. Hemingway doesn’t write happy endings and I could predict that she was going to die in childbirth from a mile away. Nevertheless, I did still have to read the entire ending because it seemed several times that Catherine might pull through. Yet no matter how many fatal bullets the couple dodges, they are never really in safety. Even in the last few pages after learning the baby died and that Catherine was recovering ok, there was still an ominous feeling in Heminway’s tone. The author didn’t fail to deliver in yet another sad ending despite surviving many near catastrophic events, Catherine dies of a hemorrhage. This conclusion makes A Farewell to Arms seem even more like a true Romeo and Juliet story except that Romeo doesn’t die.
As I alluded in my first blog, I believe that their relationship started as a make-believe love that developed into something deeper and truer. As Lt. Henry had more time to think about what Catherine really meant to him, he began to fall in love with her. It was no longer a wartime fling that he had experienced with so many other women. Although he first intended Catherine to be another one of his one night stands, he soon realized that she meant more to him that other women. He found that he actually cared about her. Lt. Henry matured over the course of his experiences in the war from being a lost young man to an adult that knew what he wanted in life. He realized that he only wanted to be with Catherine no matter what the risk. It was a type of emotional awakening for Lt. Henry along with Catherine. They both started to make sacrifices for each other and let themselves fall in love. They both began to let their emotional barrier down. Before meeting Henry, Catherine was still in shock from losing her long time fiancée in the war. Even when she met Henry, it seemed as if she believed it was her lost love coming back from the dead to be with her again. Even at their first meeting, Catherine wanted Henry to tell her how much he loved her, and that he would never leave her again. It seemed as if she was looking for someone to fill her void and that she was even a little crazy in visualizing Henry as her lost love. Even Lt. Henry could see that was a little crazy and was emotionally distraught. Nevertheless, he didn’t shy away from her; he embraced her because he too needed someone that he could love although he didn’t see it yet. Both of them had emotional problems that needed to be solved and were both a little crazy–they seemed perfect for each other.
In my paper I plan to analyze how their love matured and what events/changes were especially critical in their emotional awakening. It might also be interesting to examine to what extent is this a tragic novel and what devices and events make it seem this way. Although it seems like a tragic ending, the characters could not control their fate in the end at all. They did everything they could to make it and they did not have any tragic flaws that lead to their downfall. Their fate was out of their hands and in the hands of mother nature. It seems that Hemingway might be implying that no matter how hard you try to do everything right, your fate is never really in your own control. (635)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sources for A Farewell to Arms Paper
These are the sources I have found that might be usefull in writing my paper.
1. Supernaturalism and the Vernacular Style in A Farewell to Arms
Authors: George Dekker, Joseph Harris
2. A Farewell to Arms: Hemingway and Peele
Author: Clinton Keeler
3. Tragic Form in A Farewell to Arms
Author: Robert Merrill
4. The English Journal Review A Farewell to Arms
Author: James F. Fuller
1. Supernaturalism and the Vernacular Style in A Farewell to Arms
Authors: George Dekker, Joseph Harris
2. A Farewell to Arms: Hemingway and Peele
Author: Clinton Keeler
3. Tragic Form in A Farewell to Arms
Author: Robert Merrill
4. The English Journal Review A Farewell to Arms
Author: James F. Fuller
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A Farewell to Arms 1
When I finished the first few chapters of “A Farewell to Arms” I knew that I was going to enjoy following Lt. Henry’s story. On my first sitting I had trouble putting the book down, so I read 280 pages. I have always liked reading books set in war time and this is no exception. The settings in the novel are so strange in that they are both dominated by the beautiful Italian countryside yet surrounded by a raging world war. All of the characters in the book, and I mean all of them, add something unique to the plot and simply make the novel interesting to read. Every character has his or her own bizarre mannerism or personality that helps to keep the reader hooked to every scene.
Lt. Henry is quite complex not only because he is an American fighting in the Italian army, but also because his motives for being in the war are so ambiguous. It took a lot of determination to take it upon himself to enlist in the army but on the second hand it seems as if he could careless about the war. No one forced him to join the fight so it would imply that he had some strong desire to serve and be a hero. Although he is courageous in battle and selfless when it comes to his men, Lt. Henry is not looking for honor or to be a hero. Even when he is recommended to receive a silver star he seems to care little at all. When he is at the front all he can do is think about leaving and yet once he is wounded all he can think about it getting back to the fight as quickly as possible. Lt. Henry is a very contradictory and complex man. It seems as if he has no real direction or purpose in life, that is until he meets Catherine.
Although at first he thinks she is crazy, for some reason he continues to visit her habitually. He tells her he loves her even though he doesn’t and he has no intentions whatsoever of falling for her. But once he is away from her for three days he begins to notice how much he truly misses her and I think that it shocks him greatly. Never before has he ever loved anyone or has know what it is like to love until now. When Lt. Henry is again sent to the front and is wounded badly in the legs, he can think of nothing but Catherine. From that point on he knows that he wants nothing more than to be with her. As he heals at the hospital their relationship quickly builds into something serious I believe that they both did not anticipate. I found it strange that they could fall in love so quickly and they never have any serious dialogue. Yet they both agree that they are essentially married. After spending many months with her he is finally healed enough to go back to the front and they cannot bear to separate. When the Italian lines break and Lt. Henry and his men are forced to retreat hastily, he is determined to survive only so that he can see Catherine again. Lt. Henry risks everything to return to her, even deserting from the army and possibly facing the firing squad. He finally realizes that the military was not his true calling, but it is to run away and be with Catherine. It seems as if Lt. Henry has found a genuine direction in his life and he is no longer wandering from place to place looking for something that he thinks might fill the void. (617)
Lt. Henry is quite complex not only because he is an American fighting in the Italian army, but also because his motives for being in the war are so ambiguous. It took a lot of determination to take it upon himself to enlist in the army but on the second hand it seems as if he could careless about the war. No one forced him to join the fight so it would imply that he had some strong desire to serve and be a hero. Although he is courageous in battle and selfless when it comes to his men, Lt. Henry is not looking for honor or to be a hero. Even when he is recommended to receive a silver star he seems to care little at all. When he is at the front all he can do is think about leaving and yet once he is wounded all he can think about it getting back to the fight as quickly as possible. Lt. Henry is a very contradictory and complex man. It seems as if he has no real direction or purpose in life, that is until he meets Catherine.
Although at first he thinks she is crazy, for some reason he continues to visit her habitually. He tells her he loves her even though he doesn’t and he has no intentions whatsoever of falling for her. But once he is away from her for three days he begins to notice how much he truly misses her and I think that it shocks him greatly. Never before has he ever loved anyone or has know what it is like to love until now. When Lt. Henry is again sent to the front and is wounded badly in the legs, he can think of nothing but Catherine. From that point on he knows that he wants nothing more than to be with her. As he heals at the hospital their relationship quickly builds into something serious I believe that they both did not anticipate. I found it strange that they could fall in love so quickly and they never have any serious dialogue. Yet they both agree that they are essentially married. After spending many months with her he is finally healed enough to go back to the front and they cannot bear to separate. When the Italian lines break and Lt. Henry and his men are forced to retreat hastily, he is determined to survive only so that he can see Catherine again. Lt. Henry risks everything to return to her, even deserting from the army and possibly facing the firing squad. He finally realizes that the military was not his true calling, but it is to run away and be with Catherine. It seems as if Lt. Henry has found a genuine direction in his life and he is no longer wandering from place to place looking for something that he thinks might fill the void. (617)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The--Poem
At first glance "My Papa’s Waltz" may appear to be a dark poem describing an abusive, alcoholic father. Yet after further examination, the reader may develop a completely opposite oppion. Although the father's intoxicated "waltz" seems to be excessively rough and abusive, the overall tone of the poem suggests otherwise-a comic and affectionate situation between father and son.
The first stanza introduces the reader to the drunken, uneasy waltz that drives the action of the poem. It is clear that the father has been drinking heavily as the speaker notes his foul breath, "Could make a small boy dizzy." In order for the speaker to keep up with his father's wild dancing he must hang "on like death" suggesting that the father may be becoming abusive. The stanza ends with an uncertain tone, revealing a situation in which the speaker is trying to enjoy the moment yet cannot overlook his fathers heavy drinking problem.
As their dance continues they "romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf" creating a comic scene while the mother watches disapprovingly. The word "romped" connotes a joyful roughhouse between the son and his father, not an abusive situation disguised as dancing. Since the father is drunk his dancing has become less than perfect causing him to bump into the surrounding objects in the kitchen. If he was in fact beating his son and not just rough housing, the mother would have reacted with more enthusiasm than simply a frown. No attempts at intervention were made because none were necessary.
The third and fourth stanzas might again be misunderstood as an abusive encounter, but the overall playful tone suggest otherwise. The fathers hand is described as being "battered on one knuckle" which might imply that he has been abusing his family and son. His palms are then described as being "caked hard by dirt" which leads the reader to believe that the father is a manual laborer, and could have received his "battered" knuckle while on the job. If he had injured himself while beating his family, then the speaker would have not chosen such a humorous tone. At the end of the night the father, "Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt." If the father was in fact abusing the small boy, then why would he take the time to put him to bed. The speaker is also described to be "clinging" to his father's shirt rather than running away in fear of his abusive, alcoholic father.
Although the satirical tone of the poem may suggest that the speaker is somewhat critical of his fathers heavy drinking, roughness, and inconsiderate actions, the overall comic scene helps the reader to look past the harsh edges. The constant rhythm throughout the poem helps to give it a lighter feeling to contrast with some of its possible darker interpretations. At times the fathers drunkenness and lines such "at every step you missed my right ear scrapped a buckle" or "you beat time on my head" might not suggest an altogether joyful dance, but rather a frightful experience. Nonetheless the relationship between the father and son is an affectionate and complicated love despite the poem's dark undertone.
Question Deals:
1. Although I have interpreted the poem to be an overall affectionate experiece, does anyone think that the poem is really about the boy being abused
2.How does the language used in the poem make its meaning ambiguous
3.How is the comic tone achieved in the poem
4.What effect does rhyming have on the poem
5.How would you describe the imagery used in the poem?
The first stanza introduces the reader to the drunken, uneasy waltz that drives the action of the poem. It is clear that the father has been drinking heavily as the speaker notes his foul breath, "Could make a small boy dizzy." In order for the speaker to keep up with his father's wild dancing he must hang "on like death" suggesting that the father may be becoming abusive. The stanza ends with an uncertain tone, revealing a situation in which the speaker is trying to enjoy the moment yet cannot overlook his fathers heavy drinking problem.
As their dance continues they "romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf" creating a comic scene while the mother watches disapprovingly. The word "romped" connotes a joyful roughhouse between the son and his father, not an abusive situation disguised as dancing. Since the father is drunk his dancing has become less than perfect causing him to bump into the surrounding objects in the kitchen. If he was in fact beating his son and not just rough housing, the mother would have reacted with more enthusiasm than simply a frown. No attempts at intervention were made because none were necessary.
The third and fourth stanzas might again be misunderstood as an abusive encounter, but the overall playful tone suggest otherwise. The fathers hand is described as being "battered on one knuckle" which might imply that he has been abusing his family and son. His palms are then described as being "caked hard by dirt" which leads the reader to believe that the father is a manual laborer, and could have received his "battered" knuckle while on the job. If he had injured himself while beating his family, then the speaker would have not chosen such a humorous tone. At the end of the night the father, "Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt." If the father was in fact abusing the small boy, then why would he take the time to put him to bed. The speaker is also described to be "clinging" to his father's shirt rather than running away in fear of his abusive, alcoholic father.
Although the satirical tone of the poem may suggest that the speaker is somewhat critical of his fathers heavy drinking, roughness, and inconsiderate actions, the overall comic scene helps the reader to look past the harsh edges. The constant rhythm throughout the poem helps to give it a lighter feeling to contrast with some of its possible darker interpretations. At times the fathers drunkenness and lines such "at every step you missed my right ear scrapped a buckle" or "you beat time on my head" might not suggest an altogether joyful dance, but rather a frightful experience. Nonetheless the relationship between the father and son is an affectionate and complicated love despite the poem's dark undertone.
Question Deals:
1. Although I have interpreted the poem to be an overall affectionate experiece, does anyone think that the poem is really about the boy being abused
2.How does the language used in the poem make its meaning ambiguous
3.How is the comic tone achieved in the poem
4.What effect does rhyming have on the poem
5.How would you describe the imagery used in the poem?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)