Sunday, October 13, 2013
3rd Post: When it Rains it Pours
When I started Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell
to Arms, I never expected to find a section as intense and unpredictable as
the one I just read. I know I have
previously mentioned Hemingway’s masterful use of weather in the story, but
given the more hectic change of pace in the book, I have to continue my praise. The mundane style of executing a retreat in
unimaginably horrible weather conditions not only creates an immense sense of
fear and dullness, but it also serves as a pivotal point, as we come to
understand so much more about Frederick Henry as a soldier, instead of a
civilian. Seeing the protagonist make
hard decisions after recovering from an injury provides a unique contrast to
his otherwise pleasant and romantic demeanor while he spends time with Ms.
Barkley. I am particularly fascinated by
Hemingway’s use of rain throughout the retreat, as it contributes so much to
atmosphere whilst symbolizing pure actions of Henry. What concerns me most about this part of the
text is that while Henry is under extreme duress, he thinks of Catherine
occasionally, but he also leaves some hints that she may not be as important to
him as we expect. Firstly, as Henry
converses with Piani while officers like Henry are being rounded up and killed,
Henry fails to even mention Catherine to his last friend even though the
subject of marriage and relationships come up (220). Also, even before Henry leaves his
interactions with Catherine are not uncommon of how someone would treat a
prostitute, and Catherine recognizes this, saying “I've never felt like a whore
before…it isn't nice to feel like one” (152).
Despite Henry’s denial of treating Catherine like a whore, I think it is
pretty clear that his intentions were less than mature for someone in a
relationship that is a marriage in all but name. While I still worry about the state of the
relationship between Henry and Catherine, I find the more pressing issues of
Henry’s escape from execution more surprising.
As Hemingway describes the execution of an officer “He walked in the
rain…I did not watch them shoot him but I heard the shots” (224), I can’t help
but notice the repeated use of rain at every major thoughtful moment in Henry’s
adventure. The use of rain helps paint
this black and white picture with Italians killing Italian officers under this
universal equalizer. Even during the
journey along the bleak road with cars getting stuck and stop and start traffic
lasting for hours it is fascinating to see the rain show this equal burden and
strain that essentially eliminates rank and law from the story, and helps
reveal that Henry, like the rest of his men, wants no business with this war
and knows just as much as they do when it comes to escaping. The rain levels the playing field and helps
shed light on the characters free of preconceived notions, and it significantly
contributes to making this one of the best sections of the book.
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