Examples Of Fredrick Henry's Power In A Farewell To Arms

All throughout A Farwell to Arms the protagonist struggles with power. Frederic Henry wishes to free himself from warfare and live with his lover Catherine Barkley. After the first year of warfare, during winter, Henry is allowed to take leave; giving him a glimpse of what is to come once he leaves the medical groups he is in. Once Henry returns to the front he visits his friend Rinaldi and the new nurse Catherine. After he meets Catherine, they soon begin to fall in love. Thus leading into a complication. They still have their jobs as an ambulance driver and a nurse. Their relationship cannot continue while they have these jobs. They are powerless in this situation. Later in the book, Frederic is injured by an exploding artillery shell. It is important to realize that Catherine has been transferred to the same hospital in Milan
This ends horribly because of the humongous amount of injured and dying men. In a situation where Frederic has the power to save people and is free to help who he wants; he only able to save two engineers and two small children, proving that he is truly powerless. He later abandons the car to go back to Catherine. This can be seen as a tender moment, but the power of love has Frederic wrapped around its finger. After Henry returns to Milan, he finds Catherine he explains what he has done and here Ernest Hemingway shows how Frederic is still struggling to overcome a higher power than himself. Frederic tells Catherine how they need to escape into Switzerland so they can be truly free. Once they both escape into Switzerland they begin a normal life finally free from powers looming over him. Alas, one last power had to take its toll. Catherine goes into their unborn child and gives birth to a stillborn and later dies due to hemorrhaging. Here Frederic learns that no one can escape the power of