A Farewell To Arms: Henry's Journey Through Love And War

Josh Hanberry
English 255
April 18 2013
Ms. Rebecca Leblanc
Henry’s Journey Through Love and War

Ernest Hemmingway’s, A Farewell To Arms, prominently takes place in the “Alps” located between Italy and present day Slovenia. Located in this setting is the Italian army, who is trying to prevent Austria-Hungary from joining forces with the Germans on the war’s western front. Inside this war effort is revealed the great story and journey of a man named Frederick Henry. Frederick Henry is an American who is a part of the Italian Army. While with the Italian Army, Henry meets and falls in love with a woman named Catherine Barkley, who is a V.A.D in the Italian Army. In A Farewell to Arms, Frederick Henry’s journey through the experiences
Before Henry’s leave from the war, the priest in their house insisted that Henry travel and visit his hometown of Abruzzi. The priest said, “There is good hunting. You would like the people and though it is cold it is clear and dry. You could stay with my family. My mother is a famous hunter.” Instead, Henry traveled to cities with not much meaning but filled with clubs, bars and whorehouses. After Henry visits these towns, he contemplates his decision to not visit the priest’s hometown Abruzzi. He knows in the future he will regret his decision because the places he visited did not have much meaning but for self pleasure. Abruzzi may have led Henry to discover explanations and enlightenment for his purpose on earth and his connection with people. This shows Henry does not yet have his own self understanding and connection with his purpose to the world around him. Also, after Henry returns from his leave, he meets his future love, Catherine Barkley. The meeting between Henry and Catherine reveals Henry’s low level of maturity and thought compared to Catherine. While discussing the war, Henry states to Catherine, “Lets just drop the war.” Catherine then replies, “There’s no place to drop it.” Due to Catherine’s past loss of her fiancée, she know that the war can not just simply be dropped, and she knows that it will affect anyone who has any part of themselves
The traumatic experiences in the war and love affair with an actual woman (rather than a prostitute) forces Henry to mature into a wise man. This change is revealed in chapter XXXIV after Henry’s desertion from the Italian Army. He shared a compartment with a hostile aviator and stated, “in the older days, I would have insulted them and picked a fight.” This reveals Henry’s maturing as a man in his beliefs, thought process and priorities to what is really important in life. Compared to the beginning of the story, Henry is now a man who actually believes in something. In a conversation with Count Greffi, Henry tells him what he values most in life, which is someone he loves and may become very devout to. Henry is now growing out of his shallow and selfish thoughts and beginning to put others before his own well-being. Also, this shows Henry’s start to believe in religion or possibly a “god’ and a greater power or being than himself. Being “devout” also reveals Henry’s decision to be loyal to Catherine. During Catherine and Henry’s time in Switzerland, Henry’s maturity level is shown to finally be equal to that of Catherine’s. Catherine suggest to Henry that they wear their hair the same length to be more alike than just on the inside. She states, “Oh darling, I want you so much I want to be you too.” Henry then says, “You are, we are the same one.”