Theme in A Farewell to Arms
Absurdity
Directions: Below are a few references to absurd (silly) things that happen
in the story. Based on these events, what view of how life works is in this
story? Why might Hemingway put such a view into an anti-war novel? Look up each
reference, confirm or change the note on the content of the instance, and make
notes about which instances suggest similar connotations.
page instance
your notes
56 wounded Lt. H. is dropped twice
58 Pres. Wilson's "legitimate son,"
the Britisher tells the Italians
(Italy is a monarchy)
61 hemorrhaging man bleeds to death
in ambulance, above Lt. H., on
drive up mountain
63 medal for Lt. H. (for "cheese")
81 elevator ride in Milan hospital
82 not ready for patients at hospital
83 sheets locked up
84 no doctor at Milan hospital when F.H. arrives
90 barber mistakes F.H. for an Austrian
(enemy) officer [foreshadowing of
infiltrator suspicion during retreat
from Caporetto?]
95 the three incompetent doctors
95-97 outmoded medical theory (encysting &
delay)
189 government-run brothels
SEE ALSO the "Irony" passage list.
Assembling a Thesis: If this novel is a tragic story of a fruitless war and lost love, why might Hemingway have placed
these silly, odd, absurd incidents into the novel? Considering the irony that frequently occurs in the story, is there
something sinister about these sometimes funny events?
Summarize your detailed answers to these questions and you'll have a thesis.
Copyright
and Permission:
This web on Ernest Hemingway's early novel was begun under a small grant from the
VCCS, which holds copyright. © 2001 by the