A Farewell to Arms; Ernest Hemingway (1929)
"If a person brings so much courage into the world that the world must kill him to break him, so of course it kills him. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those it cannot break it will kill. It kills the very good, the very gentle, and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these things the world will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."It’s a quote like this that makes my posting on A Farewell to Arms either very difficult or very simple. Not much more really needing to be said, to be drawn from Hemingway’s romance based upon his time as an ambulance driver in World War I. As much as this quote defines what creates the stoic character, about how our personal trials and setbacks become our greatest strengths, the quote, and the novel, also celebrate the fool that rushes into the blind dangers of love, of fiercely maintaining their innocence, staying committed to courage while keeping a back turned to encroaching tragedy.
The crossroads sit mute and silent when a person must decide between the choice of allowing oneself to be broken or remain steadfast and complete, the un-killed. To be broken implies the entry of bending compromise, submission, loss, adaptability. Which can help the continuation of one’s survival, but the toll of such a path can be great when it begins collecting from the personal of who we are. In contrast, one can keep their self pure and whole, either remaining oblivious or choosing to ignore the ravage cost that will be imposed by the world. But also knowing that the longer one holds out, the heavier, and hungrier, the demands of the world can become. Just how much are we willing to give up, to sacrifice to the powers larger than ourselves? And what we are not? Those things which we claim to be pure, to be ours and not allow the world to take from us, no matter what the cost? That’s where guts comes in and who we are becomes revealed. What Hemingway wanted us to learn about ourselves. And that war is a very bad thing.
posted by Brian @ 8:38 PM
11 Comments:
Nice post, Brian. You really capture the experience of reading this book. When I was in college studying literature, I thought that his was one of the great American novels, and Hemingway, along with Fitzgerald, became one of my favorite writers. I haven't read A Farewell to Arms in a long time, but reading your post now makes me want to revisit it.
The passage you quote is amazing.
Thanks Michael. And that is an amazing passage. I actually had a section before it marked, where Lt. Henry is thinking about Catherine when hiding out in a train car carrying guns, but when I made it to that quote, it just stopped me in my tracks.
This summer I plan on reading quite a few of Hemingway's books that I either haven't ever read or not since college. He's too good of a writer to leave exposure limited to an academic education, provides too much learn and think with respect to life, or our attitudes to it.
That's a good summer plan. I've had For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Sun Also Rises sitting on my shelf for a long, long time, and I should really read them soon -- but, if I pick up any Hemingway, I think I'll start with Farewell first, since it was one of my favorite books and, as you say, it would be nice to read it (as well as the others) outside an academic setting.
i read "a farewell to arms" about six or seven years ago. your post has inspired me to revisit it.
I'd recommend you both pick it up. I actually had put it off for some time as well, but I'm glad I finally picked it up. Its a fairly quick read with Hemingway's minimalist style, making it somewhat opportune for a summer read, but its also incredibly satisfying at all its levels-- war, love, courage, aesthetics.
Maybe Hemingway's best novel??? I'll have to hold off on a final decision until later.
I read it late last year and saw the Frank Borzage film version while I was in the middle of it. Beautiful book, beautiful film.
I'm no Hemingway expert, but I would recommend checking out the reconstruction of his unfinished the Garden of Eden before you conclude your Hemingway kick. I loved it.
Thanks for the suggestion of Garden of Eden Brian. That might have been one that I overlooked. As far as personal favorites, currently,A Farwell is tied in first place with the first part of Islands in the Stream, which provides one of the more indepth characters Hemingway wrote (likely because it was somewhat autobiographical).
I'll have to give the Borzage film a viewing too. Didn't even know that it was made into a film.
Brian, the passage you quote is of course, among Hemingway's best known .. yet, the epilogue from Death in the Afternoon, in its entirety, is possibly the most powerful and accomplished piece I have ever read in English literature..too long to quote here sadly. Maybe you could put up a post on it
One of my favorite books, and my absolutel favorite passage from it.
I don't absolutly love this book as a matter of fact I don't like it at all it just drones on and on now I'v read A LOT of books and I can reconize good writing and i can reconize poor writing and this definetly poor writing though I will admit that there are a lot of good passages in it I really don't see how one could find this book compelling to read
Though the sentences are short and brief, too little style as the other readers may think, but this is Hemingway’s style of writing that made him famous. While reading the book, we have to keep our imagination wide and open, and be aware of the important icon throughout the story.
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