First, prepare a response to the statement below in a Word document using coherent arguments, clear writing, and correct grammar. The initial response should be roughly 500 words in length with vivid and specific details from the text. Once the response is of publishable quality, cut and paste it into the blog thread prepared for the novel you read. You will be posting with students from all of my classes who read the same novel. Second, respond to three (3) students in the same blog (you may respond to students not in your class). Your responses must be at least 150 words in length, well-written, and correct in grammar. Make sure you thoughtfully respond to the initial posting, referencing the original student’s thoughts, as well as anyone else who has responded. Include in your responses informally referenced historical or modern day examples to support your argument. This is a scholastic application of Internet networking – “internet speak,” acronyms, casual or inappropriate language, off-task communication, or profanity is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Any inappropriate response will be deleted immediately and no credit will be given.
Ernest Hemmingway strongly comments on American society in A Farewell to Arms. Describe the commentary and Hemmingway's purpose behind it, supporting your analysis with vivid, specific details from the text.
Ernest Hemingway’s view in society today is relevant to the time he wrote this book in. He talks a lot about the value of friendship. The bartender gives Henry and Catherine is boat so the two can get away. This reminds us that in today’s world we all need to help one another. If we don’t then we would not be able to make it through life.
ReplyDeleteThe way the Henry talked about the men running off so they don’t have to come back to war, should have never been said. After all even Henry ran off to Switzerland with Catherine so he can be with her and not worry about the war. Henry and some other men that were with him killed a few men because the men were walking away and disobeying Henry’s order. Again Henry really didn’t have a right to shoot them because later on in the book he also ran off. This can also relate to life when people do things you don’t want them to do, you feel like a part of you has just died.
Hemingway in a way makes some remarks about the human society and war. Henry and his men pick up these two women that are virgins. Virgins, in the modern day symbolize innocence. The women were later killed, thus telling us that many innocent people are killed during or after the war. He shows to us that wherever there is a war, there are people that don’t deserve to die. This doesn’t have to mean the type of war over seas. This can be at war with yourself or someone else. Ferguson says “fight or die”. One person normally wants to fight about something while someone else is giving up symbolizing death.
At the end of “A farewell to Arms” Catherine is fighting to stay alive. In Catherine’s conditions though she struggled through the road block of the child birth and did not make it. In today’s society God throws a lot of road blocks at us, some we can get around and some we can’t. This shows that some people are always struggling in life, especially now with the economic crises. Some people will make it through it and life moves on. Others not so lucky; their road block is the lack of money causing starvation. They would be unable to make it through the road block like Catherine.
The relationship Henry had with the war through the book was not very strong. He talked a lot about how he didn’t want to be there. This can relate to the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq that are going on right now. We as American’s had never wanted our loved ones to go over seas and fight. They went over anyhow to fight for our country. Just like how Henry went over because he had to fight for Italy.
In a paragraph of the book, Hemingway talks about how Henry cuts off his stars from his uniform. You could still see where the stars had been. In today’s society people cut or get rid of things from there life. This just comes to show you that whatever you try to do you will not be able to hide the bruises and scrapes that you had got before in society.
Ernest Hemingway expresses his views about American society through his characters in “A Farewell to Arms,” mostly through Henry since he is an American character. Throughout the novel, Hemingway used Henry as a window into the lives of American people and how they felt about the war. Since Henry is an American ambulance driver in Italy, it is only fitting that Hemingway chose to use him to show how the Americans viewed everything.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, it is very obvious that Americans and Italians had different opinions on the various situations discussed in the novel. Henry always had a very critical outlook on just about every situation while the Italians were always joking around and trying to keep a lighthearted mood. This is shown numerous times throughout the novel in commentary between Henry and his best friend, Rinaldi. Whether they were discussing the war or talking about women, Rinaldi was always the first to make a joke and try to put some humor into the subject while Henry always took things very seriously and usually got angry or annoyed. I think that Hemingway might have done this to show the differences in attitudes that Italians and Americans might have had towards the diverse circumstances that were present at that time, Italians having an upbeat attitude and Americans having almost negative attitudes.
Through most of the novel it is apparent that American society is different than the society that Henry is living in, but over time he begins to cope with his new lifestyle and soon considers that Italian society is the norm. It almost seems as if Hemingway tries to persuade the reader that foreign society is better than American society by describing how laid back Henry seems to be and how, aside from the war, he doesn’t really have to worry about anything regarding his lifestyle. Towards the end of the novel is when the reader begins to realize how great American society really is. Henry is considered an “abandoner” of the war after he fled from the front lines after seeing the Italian army execute their own soldier because he was accused of “treason.” Believing that he would be next, Henry left the army to find Catherine and escape from Italy so that they could begin their lives together. Henry was being hunted by the Italian government and it is this reason that he fled to Switzerland. When compared to how this situation would have been dealt with in American society, the reader can see how judicial and fair America really is.
I think what Hemingway tried to do with this novel and his philosophy on American society is show the reader what it could be like in the United States if Americans adopted a more laid back lifestyle. He described how much fun Henry had in Italy since the everyday lifestyle there is more carefree. However, I think he agrees with how judicial the American government is. I think he just wanted the American people to take a more relaxed approach to everyday life.
Just like Grapes of wrath, I found it hard to connect with this book. I did not like the author’s writing style at all. He would constantly try to completely describe the setting in which whatever following portion of the story would take place. While that is usually how most authors write, I think that he kind of over did it- to the point where I would struggle to stay awake while reading. He didn’t only over use the act of describing the setting; he completely overused the word “and.” Here is an example of how Hemmingway would structure his sentences: “There were troops on this road and motor trucks and mules with mountain guns and as we went down, keeping to the side, I could see the river far down below, the line of ties and rails running along it, the old bridge where the railway crossed to the other side and across, under a hill beyond the river , the broken houses of the little town that was to be taken.” (45) That was only one sentence- Not only was it insanely long, he used it the word “and” four times. I’m not sure if I was the only one bothered by Hemmingway’s style of writing but one thing that I will say it’s that it was quite annoying and discouraging when it came to continue reading- to me, that is. I feel that the main theme to the story is “The reality and hardships of war.” We can see during the mid chapters of book three that the climax of this novel is set by the description of the strategic withdrawal of the Italian army. One could actually say that everything starts going downhill for Henry during this situation. At a certain point, Henry shoots one of the soldiers for refusing to cooperate with them so they could retrieve the car from the mud. then, Bonello comes by, asks for Henry’s gun, and then he shoots the wounded soldier twice in the head. Later on, Bonello abandons Henry and the other soldier to go turn himself in. This shows that Bonello had no problem in murdering a soldier that was considered a coward due to his unwillingness to cooperate with Henry, but then, once they were fired at, and one of his friends got killed, The reality of war was too much for Bonello to handle. It bothered him so much that he actually completely contradicted himself and his previous actions, and then went to turn himself in.
ReplyDeleteErnest Hemingway shows the difference in nationalism between Europeans and Americans. Henry is used to express this opinion and being an American in an Italian ambulance company himself, Hemingway surely knows the different points of view. Henry was asked why he didn’t fight for the Americans at one point and he had no idea why not. That showed a lack of nationalism in his American roots, but it seemed odd in an Italian society. Europeans are known to stand up for their country no matter what. If you went to Europe and started bashing the Italian soccer team they aren’t just going to sit there listening. That’s one of the worst mistakes that you can make because I guarantee that they will get in a fight with you. The Italians have strong nationalism and wouldn’t be caught fighting for another country that’s one thing most Europeans hold highly. America is brought up by different cultures so the lack of nationalism just was there. That’s what I think Hemingway was intrigued by when he went to Italy, how the Italians were more like brothers serving together. They might get tired of fighting and stop fighting, but one thing they won’t do is disown their own country.
ReplyDeleteHemingway seemed to figure this out and that’s why he wrote the book because he was intrigued by the difference in societies. Another thing I think he was fascinated by was how laid back the Italians were and how direct. Personally I felt like he liked this about their society that differed from the hectic American society. This society is shown in the way the Italians still had horse races in time of war and weren’t to intent on getting Henry back to the front line until he had shown interest in getting back. I feel like this type of society took place in America during the twenties due to the migration of immigrants. That’s what I connected to Italian society or kind of like the south how everything goes by so slow and there isn’t any rush, just a laid back kind of civilization. The reason I think Henry fought for the Italians is because he didn’t fit in to the American lifestyle. Sometimes I caught myself thinking Henry was Italian the way he fit in with the Italians and that’s the way the author felt about his life. He always drank wine ate cheese and pastas which all the Italian soldiers did. Henry was supposed to represent the author in my opinion and his feelings toward his own life. Kind of like a biography in the third person. The events probably didn’t exactly happen to the author, but it expressed his opinions on things during this time period. I feel Hemingway didn’t fit in with American society as well as Henry didn’t either, but that’s why they went to Italy to find a place in society where they did. This detail can be shown through Henry’s friend Rinaldi in fact he even said in the book he’s an Italian at heart. This difference in society shows how different people have to sometimes find their way.
Gentlemen,
ReplyDeleteYou are touchning on some good points. Hemmingway, among others, felt that young men who went off to WWI no longer felt at home in America. Additionally, many of the events that happened to Henry happened to Hemmingway -- only Hemmingway's Catherine rejected him in the hospital, so he wrote a book in which she loves him (Henry) and then dies (you figure out the psychology behind that). It is also anti-war in that Henry doesn't feel nobel or purposeful or patriotic in fighting. It portrays war as unglamorous. Build from there.
Austin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Henry not having the right to walk away from the war. The fact that he did makes him a complete hypocrite, especially since he killed other soldiers for trying to do the same thing that he ends up doing anyway later in the book. I was also very interested by your comment about the virgins. I hadn’t noticed that before when I read the book and I didn’t really give that much thought to it. That comment was really insightful to me and helped shed some light on the themes of the book for me. I liked your comparison about the feelings toward the war in Iraq and the feelings towards the war in the story. I also thought that feelings about the two were similar.
Esteban,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I also found Hemingway’s writing style unbearable. The storyline wasn’t too bad, but run-on sentence after run-on sentence did get annoying after a while. The book was hard to read at times and it was painfully boring at some parts. I agree with what you said about everything going downhill for Henry with the withdrawal of the Italian army, and about the theme of the book being about “The reality and hardships of war.” It did seem like things began to take a turn for the worse at this point in the novel for Henry and that theme is very strong in the book, especially towards the end.
Luke,
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with what you said about the idea of nationalism and that Hemingway used Henry to express this idea. Like you said, Henry wasn’t sure why he wasn’t fighting for the Americans, and since he seemed to prefer the Italian lifestyle, it shows the he is more nationalistic towards Italy. Your comment about the Italians serving as brothers makes me question something though. If they served as brothers, then why did they kill anyone who tries to desert the front. I know it’s not the right thing for them to do, but it’s like killing your brother just because he doesn’t want to do something anymore.
I also agree with your comment about Henry enjoying the Italian lifestyle and not fitting into the American lifestyle. He does resemble an Italian more than he would an American and I too believe it was also how Hemingway felt also.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you in that Hemingway expresses his views about society through the characters. When Henry was jumping into the river and the men were shooting at him it shows that the American society has its own groups and that not everyone in society gets along with one another. I think that Henry wasn't being light headed about the war though because he didn't care enough about the war to even be there. I'm not sure about the italians though because hemingway didn't give much information about them but it seemed like they liked the war or at least cared to be there. I also agree with you in that hemingway was wanting us to adopt the laid back life stile. I would love that myself, but it would seem then that we would not get anything done. Though the italian's seem to work more as a team. Where as here in America, believe it or not, don't work best with teams. We have become to cliquey as shown in schools around the country.
Esteban,
ReplyDeleteYes Esteban, thank you. I’m glad I wasn't the only one that thought that this book was boring too along with mike thinking that too. I think this book was better than grapes of wrath though. Only because the story line seemed a little more interesting in that I can relate more with it because of the war in Iraq. The hardships of war could be the theme because it does talk a lot about it. You could see the outcome of it when it reached to the end of the book. Everything falls apart with the fact that both the baby and Catherine passed away. It depicts how things fall apart while someone is in or after the war. Also when Henry ripped off the stars off his uniform you could still see where they had once been. This can symbolize that even if you try to get rid of the thoughts and that about the war or life that there is no way to get rid of them. They will always be with you. This could be hard for some people in that they don't want to think about the war any more than they already have, but they can't because it's still in their head and always will be.
Luke,
ReplyDeleteI don't strongly agree with you. Henry wasn’t sure why he was even fighting in the first place. In the beginning of the book Henry talks about how he hates the war. Even discussed about before he left the War because he didn't know why he was fighting and he also wanted to get away to be with Catherine. I do agree with what mike said though of how they would be killing their brothers if they left the front. Though at time I don't like my sisters at time I wouldn't go killing them. I am not even sure if they are good friends because again I wouldn't do that. They however do work good as a team and work like they are brothers. I do agree with the fact that Hemingway liked the differences in society. He had big differences in the characters. Henry was really rich in that he gave money to everyone, but then there are other people in the book that barely had any money at all.
In response to Mike’s fist comment to luke
ReplyDeleteI agree with Luke as well about him feeling that way about Italy. I, personally feel more nationalistic towards USA than I do towards Costa Rica. I feel that USA has made me the guy I am today, and has given me a thousand more options that Costa Rica would ever have. I’m actually so grateful, that I am considering enlisting in the US military as an option for my future. About not behaving like the people from one’s home country, I’m actually experiencing something similar right now This past summer, I visited Costa Rica. During that trip, many people told me that I no longer behaved like a Costa Rican- I behaved like an American. My spoke with a slight accent, and I was too white. What I can see form that, is that when you are exposed to a certain way of behaving, you will eventually start to copy it.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteNow, about why would you kill your brother if he is deserting the war? It happens on the book, when Henry and Bonello shoot the other soldier for not helping out and, it’s actually happened many times in history, we can see how Russians; during world war two; said they were comrades and sons of the motherland, yet they killed anyone that would retreat. Not too long ago, in El Salvador’s civil war, when the national army looked for recruits, and the potential recruits that turned down the request of enlisting were accused of being in the rebel army, and shot on the spot with no chance of explaining themselves. The reason they do that is to send a message across. During world war two, the Russian’s had been basically defeated, and it was due to the poor military strategy, so then, people had lost faith in the army, so soldiers were deserting everywhere. Once they started killing anyone that would do so, no one would try to desert, because if they did so and were caught, their death was guaranteed- I mean if they stayed, at least they had a slight chance of surviving. Anyways, anyone that deserted was considered a traitor(so then, they are no longer brothers, they are enemies) and according to the militaristic ways, that has always been a reason to kill a soldier.
In response to Mike’s and Austin’s comment
ReplyDeleteI’m quite glad that you guys feel the same way about this book. I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t like the story line, or his way of writing, or anything about the book. At first, I didn’t quite understand why the unnecessary death of Catherine and the baby happened. I was not aware that Hemmingway had experienced something similar- so then I guess that writing this story was a way to comfort himself. Knowing that Hemmingway wrote this based on feelings towards a girl that turned him down just makes this book very creepy because now, that I am aware of that, I assume that this is how he imagined things would be if Catherine had not denied him- which is a disturbing thing to think about since he wrote a complete novel about how Catherine gets pregnant, and later on dies along with her baby- based on his imagination. Are any of you guys bothered by this?
Austin’s response to Esteban….
ReplyDeletePersonally I liked the book even though some descriptive parts of the book were pretty boring like when he was in the hospital, but I think it was there to give you an idea of Italian society. The reason I think the book was interesting is probably because I can make a connection to it with my own life. I can relate to Henry and Catherine at this point in my life. My great grandfather also fought for the Italians in WWI and it’s interesting to see how he lived during this time, it also kind of shows why he came to America after the war and all. Your point about Iraq was a very valid thought based on the book, but a little inaccurate. The war isn’t going on in our homeland like with the Italians that’s a total difference because a country works as one and it affects everyone. The remembrance of lost soldiers is a good point to bring up though.
Austin’s response to me….
ReplyDeleteDid anyone know why they were fighting through the story though? The point is that he decided to fight for Italy and sometimes people don’t know why they do things they just do them with an underlined meaning they don’t even know about until its shown to them. Do brothers desert each other? No they don’t that’s why they shot the men who ran away, because they weren’t brothers of the other soldiers. Think of the mafia its in Italians culture to be a family and depend on each other. They thought about themselves too much to worry about the people around them unlike Henry who felt terrible he left the line. He didn’t leave anyone behind who didn’t want help and he didn’t tolerate cowards who weren’t there for Italy. The reason I think he left is because love makes you do crazy things you’d never dream of. Just look at plays of Shakespeare like when Benedick betrayed his own friends for a woman. Love is a mysterious thing that makes you do crazy things and that’s what happened to Henry.
Mikes first comment……
ReplyDeleteI agree mike it is fitting that they have total opposite characterization. European society isn’t so serious and protective as American society. If someone told you here that a twelve year old boy tried buying wine then I guarantee most people would flip. Europe is much different though everything is so open and easy going. Everything is not such a big deal there and you kind of go at your own pace. I did notice that Henry took things so seriously unlike Rinaldi, but their behaviors were the same they had a lot in common. I also like how Switzerland is the safe haven for everyone. It was so ridiculous how Catherine died in the end its like well what do I do now. All that work, sacrifice and time for nothing when he could be with his friends. That was a kind of weird ending if you asked me, but you kind of knew reading the book that one of them would pass. The reason I think he had Catherine die at the end was to mock the woman he fell in love with. He was like here is the life we could have had, but since we can’t you’ll die.
Thank you to all the participants!
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