Describe The Relationship Between Henry And Catherine Barkley

"But we were never lonely and never afraid when we were together. I know that the night is not the same as the day: that all things are different, that the things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist, and the night can be a dreadful time for lonely people once their loneliness has started. But with Catherine there was almost no difference in the night except that it was an even better time. If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you
are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry. (Hemingway 249)." Ernest Hemingway's novel, A Farewell to Arms, is a story of a love affair in a war setting between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley. Although the war can be brutal, it can also affect us in more ways than one. Within the novel, Hemingway demonstrates a wound can be caused by war and leave a scar, but scar us in a much deeper way. Irony, symbolism, and imagery are used to illustrate that the brutality of war is nothing compared to the personal agony caused by war. The relationship between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley started as just an affair, then gradually escalated into a serious relationship.
Catherine, during their first encounter, explains the history of her past relationship to Henry. She continues to tell him about her fiancé of eight years who had been killed at war. At the start of their love affair, Frederick Henry was convinced he had no considerable interest in Miss Barkley. "I did not care what I was getting into... 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. (Hemingway 31)." The tenuous nature of love set the scene for tragic irony. Frederick Henry later finds him himself deserting the war, with his attitude towards the war dramatically changed, just to be with Catherine Barkley. The stakes in the game of love are set on the fact neither of them knows what will happen to them unless they try. The last chance they have is to risk it all. It becomes a distraction from the horrors of war to show the uncertainty of true love is greatest fight of
all. Symbolism is expressed throughout the novel by the effects of weather. In many occurrences, rain comes into action. When Frederick Henry leaves the army for Switzerland because the love he has for Catherine is much more important than the war, he gets off the train and it is raining outside. As they spend the night together, the rain continues to come down. While Catherine and Henry are lying in bed together, she admits, "I'm afraid of the rain because sometimes I see myself dead in it… And sometimes I see you dead in it (Hemingway 126)." The rain symbolizes the misconception of happiness. Also, when Catherine begins to go into labor it is raining outside on their way to the hospital. This foreshadows something unfortunate is going to happen. "I sat down on the chair in front of a table where there were nurses' reports hung on clips at the side and looked out of the window. I could see nothing but the dark and the rain falling across the light from the windows. So that was it. The baby was dead (Hemingway 327)." After the baby was born lifeless, Catherine started to hemorrhage and Frederick Henry knew the love of his life was in danger. Catherine Barkley was unconscious and had one hemorrhage after another, and eventually passed away. As Frederick Henry walked home from the hospital he says, "But after I got them to leave and shut the door and turned off the light it wasn't any good. It was like saying good-by to a statue. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain (Hemmingway 332)." The brutality of losing a love one is much greater compared to war. This wound did not heal as quickly as just a gunshot and hurt emotionally just as bad if not even worse. The imagery Hemingway uses to portray the brutality of war.
Frederick Henry explains how he was injured during the war; "I was blown up while we were eating cheese (Hemmingway 63)." Although this shows a brutality of the war, the importance is after he was wounded he was taken to a hospital where Catherine Barkley was busy being a nurse, and Frederick Henry was reunited with his wife while being a patient. "She looked fresh and young and very beautiful. I thought I had never seen any one so beautiful (Hemmingway 91)." It was a treacherous period of time while he was away from her because of the war, and the reunion of love comforts him even though he is physically hurting. The fact that Catherine could be there by his side while he was struggling to heal and feel well also shows that war hurts in more ways than one. Truly, without Catherine's position in Frederick Henry's life the war would have impacted him in a very negative
way. The love story of Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley is truly affected by the war, but the personal agony caused by being away from a loved one is shown to be a much greater challenge than any war. Irony, symbolism, and imagery demonstrate the ways Hemmingway tries to illustrate that the brutality of war is nothing compared to the personal agony caused by war. It is hard enough being away from a person you truly love for just one simple day, try fighting for your life a handful of miles away from them without being affected. Impossible… I know.