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In “A Farewell to Arms,” the protagonist (Henry) often revisits the central theme of love and loss. In the novel, he shares the devastations of war and the solace that he seeks in his love for his girlfriend (Catherine). This solace, allowing him to drown out the harsh realities of war, and the loss and pain that war causes.

A Farewell to Arms features Henry, an American serving on the Italian front during WWI as an ambulance driver. As the war continued, more and more troops were deployed for combat from the fort Henry was assigned; many of which were his friends which he never saw again. After being stationed at the fort for some time, Henry came to know a nurse named Catherine. The two quickly fell in love due to ulterior motives of their own. Catherine wanted to distance herself from the recent loss of her husband, while Henry wished to neglect the realities of the war’s destruction. Their feelings towards each other quickly transition from amusement that distracted them from their duties, to the very passion that sustained them. Later when Henry is overseas behind enemy lines, he finds the trials of war too much to handle and deserts The Army. He later tracks down Catherine and they flee to Switzerland. While in Switzerland, the two discover a new level of intimacy and share the sanction of each other’s love, ignoring the hardships of war in their own refuge. Towards the end of the story, Catherine (now pregnant) goes into labor and is rushed to the hospital. After hours of prolonged labor, the child turns out to be a miscarriage; strangled by it’s own umbilical cord. Henry walks to a nearby cafe for a quick dinner and returns to discover Catherine had had a fatal hemorrhage. He enters the operating room and exchanges a few words with her until the nurses ask him to leave the room to allow her to rest. Henry re-enters the room later after she has fallen unconscious from a series of hemorrhages and stays with her until she dies. He walks back to their