Ernest Hemingway: a Farewell to Arms
A FAREWELL TO ARMS
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
A Farewell to Arms
In the novel A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, the audience is granted a historical and geographical background of World War I. Throughout the novel, references are made to the people, places and the government that Hemingway assumes his audience will recognize. The novel is broken down into five books: exposing us to warfare and the turmoil left in its’ wake, love, hatred, betrayal and murder. Being a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, I was able to relate to this book and I was able to understand the intended message behind it. Overall, I was very impressed at how easy and simple the book was to read. The structure of this novel was arranged so even the weakest of readers would find this book appealing. Hemingway’s writing style was very easy to follow. By having this format, the author presents little to no confusion. It structure allows the readers to follow the story in its entirety. Throughout the story, Hemingway tells the truth about the war instead of glorifying it. He conveyed the story chronologically, in a strictly linear fashion, with no flashback scenes. Never before have I enjoyed reading about warfare, but because the story progressed chronologically, the simplicity actually made me rethink my feelings about overrated war stories. Maybe if more books are written the way Hemingway wrote this novel, more veteran and even avid readers will be more inclined to read them. This method also allowed me to see how the main characters were impacted physically and emotionally by the war and while they were in hiding. This method also helps me stay focused on what was going on at that particular time in the story, allowing me to follow the story from cover to cover. I was able to stay focused on the information being presented at the time.
In the novel, the plot could be summarized as follows: boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl. The
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
A Farewell to Arms
In the novel A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, the audience is granted a historical and geographical background of World War I. Throughout the novel, references are made to the people, places and the government that Hemingway assumes his audience will recognize. The novel is broken down into five books: exposing us to warfare and the turmoil left in its’ wake, love, hatred, betrayal and murder. Being a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, I was able to relate to this book and I was able to understand the intended message behind it. Overall, I was very impressed at how easy and simple the book was to read. The structure of this novel was arranged so even the weakest of readers would find this book appealing. Hemingway’s writing style was very easy to follow. By having this format, the author presents little to no confusion. It structure allows the readers to follow the story in its entirety. Throughout the story, Hemingway tells the truth about the war instead of glorifying it. He conveyed the story chronologically, in a strictly linear fashion, with no flashback scenes. Never before have I enjoyed reading about warfare, but because the story progressed chronologically, the simplicity actually made me rethink my feelings about overrated war stories. Maybe if more books are written the way Hemingway wrote this novel, more veteran and even avid readers will be more inclined to read them. This method also allowed me to see how the main characters were impacted physically and emotionally by the war and while they were in hiding. This method also helps me stay focused on what was going on at that particular time in the story, allowing me to follow the story from cover to cover. I was able to stay focused on the information being presented at the time.
In the novel, the plot could be summarized as follows: boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl. The
Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York, NY: Scribner, 1957.