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The novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway opens with a portrayal of artillery troops marching through the rains. One of these men is Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver. Henry is currently in the Italian army, at the Italian front during World War I. The response of these first few chapters begins when Henry returns from winter leave in early spring. His roommate, Rinaldi, is infatuated with a British nurse, Catherine Barkley, at a nearby British hospital. Rinaldi convinces Henry to visit the hospital with him and Henry finds himself attracted to Catherine.
A few days later, Henry comes back to see Catherine and the two kissed. The relationship between Henry and Catharine becomes more defined as Henry begins to pay her regular visits. However, the relationship is one devoid of love to Henry, it is as if they are playing a game. Catherine recognizes this as well, and finally declares that it is a "rotten game we play, " (A Farewell to Arms 31) putting an end to the false lovemaking. Meanwhile, the offensive is about to resume, and Fredrick Henry is dispatched to the front to drive the wounded back to hospitals. At the front, Henry and his fellow ambulance drivers sit in a dugout, eating pasta and waiting for the offensive to commence.
As they talk, shells shatter over their heads until a trench mortar shell blasts open the dugout. Passing's leg is blown off and he dies; both of Henry's legs are severely wounded. At a field hospital, Henry is first visited by Rinaldi, then by the priest. Rinaldi tells Henry that he will get a medal of bravery from the Italians, and jokes about developments. The priest, on the other hand, has more serious matters to talk about.
The priest tells Henry that love is a willingness to serve someone else, and that true happiness can be achieved through love. After a few days at the field hospital, Henry is moved away from the front to an American hospital in Milan. Because of an excess of nurses at the front, Catherine is also being sent there as. Frederic Henry is the first patient to be sent to the American hospital even the doctor hasnt arrived yet. After a few days, though, the doctor arrives and immediately begins to remove shards of metal from Henry's legs. One piece of metal is particularly deep and surgery is necessary.
Three surgeons arrive to discuss when the operation should be performed, but Henry refuses to agree to their recommendation to wait six months. Another surgeon, Dr. Valentine, is called in, who declares that Henry is fit to be operated upon the next morning. The operation is then carried out successfully.
Meanwhile, Catherine has arrived at the hospital and Henry shows his love for her. From then on, Catherine works the night shift and they have sex with each other almost every night. It is summertime now, and, while Henry waits for his leg to heal, he spends most of his days with Catherine. One day, when coming back from treatment, Henry meets an officer in the Italian army named Ettore Moretti.
Unlike Henry, Ettore is obsessed with his scars, medals, and an upcoming promotion to captain. As the end of summer approaches, Henry gets a letter from the army saying that when he is sent home that he will be given three weeks leave before he must return. Catherine declares that she will find a way to leave the hospital at that time too. At the hospital, Henry has developed jaundice and must stay for another two weeks. During that time, Miss Van Came discovers the empty bottles of alcohol in the armoire and is convinced that Henry drunk himself sick to avoid going back to the front. She reports him and he loses his leave.
On the night Henry has to leave Milan for the front he and Catherine stay at a hotel together and swear their love for each other. After dinner, Henry boards the crowded train. The war is not going well back at the front, and the men have lost all hope for an end to the war. Rinaldi is especially depressed, telling Henry that "I don't think; I operate. " (A Farewell to Arms 167). The only thing Rinaldi finds interesting are alcohol and sex.
The priest is also showing signs of tiredness as well, though to a lesser degree. He has given up hoping for victory, but still believes the war will end soon now that all the officers are sick of it. Henry argues that because the Austrians are winning, the war will continue. The day after his return, Henry is ordered to take over the ambulance cars in the mountains on the Bainsizza. The fighting there is particularly harsh, and after a few days of rain and war they are ordered to retreat.
Up north the Germans and Austrians have broken through the line. As Lieutenant, Henry is in charge of a group of ambulance drivers in retreat. They are to transport the hospital equipment into Udine. However, the chaos of the retreat has taken over the road, and the ambulances are caught in a column of cars and war vehicles, unable to move. Henry decides to turn off the main road, and the group strenuously takes to the side roads. Behind them, they hear the Austrians bombing the main road.
Not far from Udine, the ambulances get stuck in the mud. Afraid that the Austrians will overtake them, two sergeants who had been riding along flee. Henry manages to shoot one of them. Continuing on foot, Henry and the three remaining drivers spot German troops all over the road and realize Udine has been taken. The group flees south, during which time one of the drivers is shot by an Italian guard and another runs off to surrender himself. Finally, Henry and Plan meet up with a column of retreating troops.
There, Henry is spotted by the battle police, who believe him to be a German in an Italian uniform. The battle police are busy executing all officers they find separated from their troops, declaring that "It is because of treachery such as yours that we have lost the fruits of victory. " (A Farewell to Arms 223). Before he is executed, though, Henry manages to escape into a nearby river and follows the current downstream. When he reaches a shore, he jumps onto a train and hides under the canvas. Henry jumps off of the train in Milan, where he visits the Italian porter he befriended during his stay at the hospital. The porter tells him that Catherine left with Miss Ferguson to Stresa.
After leaving the porter, Henry visits Simmons, an opera singer and old friend, who gives him some civilian clothes. Having changed, Henry boards the train for Stresa. He meets up with Catherine at a hotel in Stresa, where they spend a few days together, though Henry must remain in the hotel for the most part to avoid being seen. One night, though, the hotel barman comes up to their room to warn Henry he's discovered that Italian officers are planning to arrest him the next morning. Henry and Catherine quickly pack and Emilio, the barman, lends them his boat that they can take to Switzerland. The pair heads out into a windy, wet night, and arrive tired at a customs town in Switzerland just before dawn.
They are arrested after breakfast, but have the necessary passports and are sent to Locarno to get visas. Henry explains to the officials that they are there to "do the winter sport. " (A Farewell to Arms 280). The officials clearly do not believe the story, but allow them to stay because both Henry and Catherine have money, which they will probably spend. The first half of Book Five finds Henry and Catherine in the mountains of Switzerland during the winter, enjoying the peace of home life. The people in the surrounding villages are cheerful, and to Henry the raging war is distant. The only obstacle in their lives is Catherine's pregnancy, for there is a bit of fear over what to do with the child: "She won't come between us, will she?" (A Farewell to Arms 304) asks Catherine.
Nevertheless, when spring comes the couple move into a nearby town where there is a hospital, and after a few weeks the pains begin to come. At the hospital, Catherine is in labor for hours. At first she rides the pains bravely, but soon demands gas. Still, though, the baby does not come.
After a while, the gas ceases to work and the doctor declares that he must perform a Caesarian on Catherine. The baby turns out to be dead, strangled by its cord. Catherine dies soon after the operation: "She had one hemorrhage after another. They couldn't stop it. " (A Farewell to Arms 331). Alone, Henry walks through the rain back to the hotel.
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Research essay sample on Farewell To Arms Henry And Catherine
