Book Four, Chapters 33-37.

Study Questions: Guess answers based on the details in the novel.

22.  At the beginning of Chapter 34, Lt. Henry doesn't bother to pick a fight.  How has he changed and why since "the old days"?  (Hint: He also accedes to the captain on the train who wants his seat just after he has said goodbye to Catherine at the end of Chapter 24.)

23.  Do you agree with Ferguson's harsh assessment of Catherine near the middle of Chapter 34?  Why or why not?  (Hint: Consider what Catherine says about Frederic's desertion near the end of Chapter 34.)

24.  Review the end of Chapter 30 and review Chapter 32.  Why did Frederic desert?  How does he feel about it afterwards?  How do you feel about it?  (That is, what do you think Hemingway wants us to be feeling about his protagonist at this point?  After all, this novel started out by echoing his own war experiences, though that echo ended in Book Two.)

25.  Lt. Henry's comment about Othello (almost to the middle of Chapter 35) seems designed (by Hemingway) to diminish our sympathy for this protagonist.  Why would Hemingway do this diminishing of Frederic Henry. (Frederic also calls himself, on the previous page, a "fool" for going to war.)

26.  Consider Count Greffi's comments on religion in the last few pages of Chapter 35.
    a.  What do Catherine and Frederic have as their religion? (Hint: What is Frederic claiming is the focus of his life right before he is invited to play billiards with Count Greffi?  Consider Catherine's claim on the last page of Chapter 18 that she has no religion.)
    b.  Could Frederic ever be devout?  (Consider his friendship with the priest and his out-of-body experience when he was wounded [just past the middle of Chapter 9]; contrast these with his view of the forces that control the world near the middle of Chapter 34, the killer world.)

27.  What does Frederic mean, near the middle of Chapter 37, when he says, "I've never realized anything before."  Is he realizing anything at this point?

28.  Near the end of Chapter 37, what does Frederic mean when he says, "There's no hole in my side"?  (Hint: Who did have a hole in his side?  See allusion defined in research topic BX of the Book Three study guide.)
    Why would Hemingway have Frederic say such a thing?  In what way are Catherine and Frederic "lost" on the last page of Book Four?  Why would Hemingway have each of his two protagonists mention "God" on the last two pages of Book Four?)

Research Questions

The following list of research questions ties in directly with Book Four. The list mixes military, historical, geographical, medical, cinematic, and biographical topics as needed to get you information you can use to help you understand this portion of Hemingway's novel a bit more deeply.  The lettering continues the run started with Book Three's research questions. (Click photos to go to the larger original image.)

CX.  How did Switzerland come to be a neutral nation, and how did this neutrality affect refugees from WWI?  Did Switzerland return deserters in 1918? Did it ever? Was the opera singer's account and what happened to Catherine and Frederic accurate regarding arrest, detention, and surrender of passports?

DX.  What are some useful facts about Lake Maggiore, Stresa, and Brissago on the Swiss-Italian border, and how realistic (feasible) is the novel's depiction of the trip across this lake?

DX1.  Where is the Abruzzi province of Italy?  What is its historical connection with the Catholic Church?  How was it affected by the Lateran Treaty?  (Hint: Find a map of the "Papal States.")
    What is its terrain like? (Hint: Compare and contrast a description you find in a travel guide with the description in the novel given by the priest.)  Secondarily, what was its culture like?  (Compare/contrast information you find with the priest's description of the peasant class.)

EX.   What are some useful facts about Lake Geneva, Montreaux, and Lausanne in Switzerland?  What were the two cities like in terrain, culture, and size.

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