Cruelty In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms

Throughout times in history, war has illuminated the greatest trials of a man’s resilience through the cruelty that is endured. In the midst of the horrific events that war allows, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway shows the functions and effects of cruelty and brutality in the perspective of a lieutenant, Fredric Henry. With war came brutality and suffering, along with hope and triumph for the men who fought alongside one another in the Italian army. As events progressed, though, lieutenant Henry was ultimately modified by the crucial and overwhelming cruelty that functioned in the novel. This crucial motivation present in the novel functioned in Henry’s relationship with Catherine Barkley, his psychological well being, as well as his
Before lieutenant Henry had experienced the consequences of the cruelty he experienced, he was very loyal to his country and his men. When, for example, he resorted to shooting and killing the engineer who refused to help the men with their army ambulances, Henry was overcome with his duty to his men and thought only of being loyal and dedicated (180). However, as he grew wary and distressed, his ambitions for his cause grew fainter and became unimportant in his mind. The cruelty of the events that unfolded caused for a political upheaval among the army, functioning as a stressor among their job and allowing for a drift away from nationalism. As Henry became more aware of his place in the army, he mentioned, “I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression in vain” (161). With an American heritage and culture in his background, the victim was no longer a nationally motivated lieutenant due to the political factor of cruelty, shot soldier on 180. The political factor primarily impacted the solider and the army, by creating a less motivated group of men in the pursuit of Italian victory. Cruelty, immorality, compromise, and victory all encompass the common ideas of a war. In A Farewell to Arms, cruelty became a dominant motivation that drove the events in the novel. Lieutenant Henry is impacted by this factor through several aspects of his life, including his relationships, his psychological well being, and his nationalism towards the country he represented. In this novel about war, love, and pain, cruelty acts as a crucial motivation as well as a political factor in the life of Lieutenant Fredric