How Does Hemingway Challenge the Notion of Heroism

1. “He was a legitimate hero who bored everyone he met.”
How does Hemingway challenge the notion of heroism within A Farwell to Arms?

The concept of heroism in A Farewell to Arms is contested as Hemingway asserted what he defines as the deeds, goals, and the necessity of a hero. Heroism is defined by Hemingway as a character trait which allows the person to abide by a personal code that not only fights for themself, but for those around him. These actions are called into question as the arrogance of other characters, such as Ettore, Bonello, and the engineers, is compared to Henry who seemingly eschewed glory for the sake of protection. This allowed Hemingway to articulate how a hero should act and determine what a hero should base their decisions upon. The gratification of heroism is also put in context as Hemingway challenges what a hero should fight for. Whether they fight for a sense of personal glory and success, or a far more intangible notion, such as happiness. Indeed, Hemingway does define heroism as the ability to abide by a moral code of honour to achieve survival and defend companions in the hope of achieving some form of happiness, a definition made manifest through the protagonist, Frederic Henry. The nature of heroism is not the only theme Hemingway explores here, with the relevance and necessity of bravery in society also up for examination.

The intrinsic notion of heroism was challenged continuously by Hemingway throughout the novel as he justified how a hero should act and think. Hemingway's hero, Henry, shunned glory for a more personal code of honour, as, “abstract words such as glory, honour, courage, or hallow," were ‘obscene’. Implying that a hero does not seek accolades or recognition for acts, unlike the selfish and boastful Ettore, who Hemingway uses in juxtaposition to Henry.

Hemingway’s definition of a hero also does not seek heroism for heroism's sake; instead, the hero's moral code defines his actions, determining whether a sacrifice is necessary to the situation. Henry exercised this process of thought during his attempted execution. The lieutenant-colonel before Henry takes the arguably more heroic route stating “If you are going to shoot me…please shoot me at once without further questioning.” Henry, however, abides by his law of self-preservation and shrewdly determined that the sacrifice was not necessary as he fled into the river. The river "washed away…any obligation" as his code determined that the military was not a necessity. Hemingway’s hero therefore, was a man who is not obstinate in his ways as heroism comes secondarily to his survival.

Hemingway also further defines heroism against other forms of supposed ‘heroes’ throughout the text. Characters such as Bonello and the engineers serve the literary point that the well-being of others must have some part to play in decisions if a form of valour is to be achieved. Bonello was "afraid he would get killed," the engineers were afraid of being ‘cut off’, so both effectively abandoned Henry for their own sake. These people represent literary foils for Henry, allowing Hemingway to show that while survival is necessary in this situation, the safety of comrades should be a priority – even if this requires danger. Hemingway invites us to explore the idea that to be a hero is to abide by a moral code of honour whereby survival is paramount but the lives of friends are not compromised. The resulting rewards from an act of bravery are also questioned by Hemingway, as it appears that the reward was not commensurate with the actions required for bravery.

The rewards which are associated with heroism in A Farewell to Arms are fundamentally confronted by Hemingway as their frivolity and conceitedness are brought to the forefront. Ettore Moretti, an American-Italian soldier, is the means through which Hemingway challenges this notion of heroic reward as he was largely compared with Henry. Hemingway paints Ettore as a crass, arrogant soldier who clings to inconsequential rewards. “I’ve got the bronze twice and three silver medals,” Ettore remarked in association with his success, stating further that "…the papers on only one have come through". Again, Hemingway invites the reader to ponder the senselessness of these medals, as highlighted by Ettore’s poignant remark “When the action isn’t successful they hold up all the medals", implying that heroism should not only be deemed heroic if success has accompanied it.

Henry, however, is a point of comparison between other military figures such as Ettore, as he appears disinterested and feels himself undeserving of the reward, stating frankly that he wasn’t acting heroically, but rather “was blown up while…eating cheese." Hemingway identifies the world as a source of much devastation as it, "…killed you in the end," further presenting that these material rewards are inconsequential, and only through the maintenance of a rhetoric of honour can something representing happiness that is real and tangible be found while trying to survive.

Henry on occasion displays this idealism, finding brief glimpses of happiness in his ‘love’ of Catherine, and other external sources such as alcohol, saying “It was one of the pleasant parts of life.” The concept of heroism and the rewards which acknowledge it is heavy challenged by Hemingway as the true reward for heroism, Hemingway argues, is existence and the moments of happiness which come with it. This is articulated as Catherine states “We’re happy” during the text. Displaying that the happiness that Henry experiences is directly relatable to the relationship shared with Catherine – not the acknowledgement he receives. The rewarding of a hero is challenged vigorously by Hemingway, with the usefulness of these acts also drawn into question.

Hemingway does not simply just challenge the notion of what heroism is; he also challenges the necessity and the implicit failure behind the concept. Hemingway argued that the role of a hero was meaningless, as the progression of Henry was doomed from the onset. This is due to the reminiscence of the novel, as the reality of the author is that Catherine is already dead, the feelings and emotions of the characters, therefore, are all in the context that Catherine’s death is unavoidable. This shows an implicit failure of heroism as the point of Henry’s survival was for the goal of Catherine’s love. As is shown by: ‘I could remember Catherine but I knew I would get crazy if I thought about her when I was not sure yet I would see her.’ This thereby rendered his actions, and any form of heroism, meaningless. Henry extends on this, candidly remarking, "The things that were glorious have no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago."

Hemingway's exploration of the idea of heroism also extends to Catherine, who can also be considered a hero owing to her bravery and innate sense of justice. For example, Catherine fends off death, describing it as a ‘dirty trick’. She also plays a part in furthering Hemingway's contention that heroism is largely irrelevant, because if "people bring so much courage to this world, the world has to kill them to break them," suggesting that all true heroes and by extension, all true acts of heroism, would be met with a unsavoury fate. The inevitable death of Catherine illustrates Hemingway's contention that bravery is ultimately futile. Even though Catherine attempts to be brave, the world ‘broke’ her. Nowhere is Hemingway's rational more lucid; heroism is not a necessary concept as the people who seek it often die in its pursuit.

Hemingway contends that heroism should not be celebrated owing to its toll on society as lives are lost in its pursuit. Hemingway believes the ideals central to heroism are easily corrupted by a lust of appreciation and recognition, further arguing that calm methodical thinking that is life preserving is what is necessary for a hero to achieve some form of success, while retaining his life. 'A Farewell To Arms' serves as Hemingway's opus to the futility of the hero; someone who is ultimately useless in Hemingway’s world as any form of heroism is doomed from the onset due to the necessity of death for the success of a hero.