Ernest Hemingway just earned his second strike from me. The first book I read from him this year was the Old Man and the Sea, which I found to be dull. However, Hemingway’s name always seems to come up in random conversations. For example, I only read The Old Man and the Sea because my neighbor mentioned reading it with her daughter. This was the second time it popped up casually in conversation. The first time was on an episode of ABC’s show Fresh off the Boat–I never said the book came up solely in my personal conversations. Anyway, I figured one book probably isn’t a good enough metric to discount a writer. So I gave Hemingway another shot. A Farewell to Arms, I felt, was less boring than The Old Man and the Sea–yet, equally wasteful of my time. Here’s why.
Reason number one, the romance between the protagonist Frederic Henry and the nurse Catherine Barkley. Initially Henry finds nurse Barkley to be beautiful, but he also claims loving her is not his true intention: “I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like bridge you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes. Nobody had mentioned what the stakes were. It was alright with me.” Like what? Is this supposed to be a wartime romance novel, an allegory on the futility of war, a commentary on the disposability of human life, or something else? I just don’t like the idea of any person toying with someone’s emotions simply due to boredom or as a release from the violence of war. This becomes even more frustrating because later on Henry says: “I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly, I had gotten somewhat drunk, and had nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow.” My reaction, yeah no shit Sherlock; you’re human and humans are social animals that require interactions in real life in order to feel some sense of belonging. Also, this realization by Tenente (as the Italians refer to him in the novel) is a bit cliché. Reminds me of the saying, “you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone”. Okay. Of course the protagonist does end up falling in love with her: “When I saw her I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me”. Barf.
Reason number two, the portrayal of Catherine Barkley. I did not like that Barkley, the only woman in the book given an extended plot line was not complex. Barkley’s character is as basic as they come. She’s insecure and seeks only to be a good wife to the main character, and make herself the least intrusive factor in Henry’s life. Because that’s healthy.
Although I didn’t enjoy the book in its entirety, I will say Hemingway’s style of writing has some enjoyable elements. For instance, not sure if this was foreshadowing–but when the American ambulance driver (a.k.a Henry, a.k.a Tenente) meets nurse Barkley she discloses the origin of a stick she carries with her. The stick came from a young boy she used to work with, but the boy later died. Fast forward to the end of the book and Ms. Barkley gives birth to a male child who dies, and Barkley herself also dies. In fact, the theme of death is throughout the book. Logical observation considering the events of the novel take place in Italy during World War I. In one particular scene there’s an attack that injures Henry and kills one of his colleagues. However, what strikes me the most about this book is its ability to remain relevant. For instance, with its references regarding the origins of war.
In one of the many conversations from the book we get this gem: “There is a class that controls a country that is stupid and does not realize anything and never can. That is why we have this war.” I’m no war expert, but as a former student who’s learned about armed conflicts in the past and a citizen that observes armed conflict occurring in the present–I feel that is an accurate description for war. Wars and uprisings are often the result of a battle between the haves and the have nots. Those who fall in the former category and cannot adapt their behaviors/policies for the benefit of those belonging to the later category often meet bloody ends (ex. Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, House of Romanov, Saddam Hussein, Colonel Gaddafi, etc.). In closing, I’ll use Hemingway’s words as a warning. He writes, “There are people who would make war. In this country there are many like that. There are other people who would not make war.” Whether we like it or not Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States of America. Whether we like it or not he is the Commander in Chief of our armed forces. Whether we like it or not his behavior more often reflects that of a person who would make war, than a person who would preserve peace. We have become a country whose internal divisiveness frightens me. President Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” If we cannot come together as Americans soon, then I’m afraid of what our country will look like. Remember the U. in U.S.A. The last golden nugget from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms that I’ll use here is, “When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” How will we, you and I, serve America?