Why A Farewell To Arms Should Be Banned

Throughout time, many books have been challenged or banned. Most of the time, it is parents banning books with content that they don’t want their child to be reading. For example, a war novel, A Farewell to Arms, has been challenged for some of its content but it also has positive aspects to the story.
In A Farewell to Arms, the main character, Frederic Henry, starts out in the Italian front as an ambulance driver. Eventually, he goes and meets a hospital nurse named Catherine Barkley with his good friend Rinaldi. They develop a relationship and spend a lot of time with each other, especially because Henry blows up his leg and has surgery. Catherine ends up getting pregnant but Henry has to return to the front once he is healed. Towards the
In the beginning of the story, Henry was about to go on leave and everyone from his house was giving him suggestions as to where to travel to. The priest wanted Henry to meet his family and go hunting and the others suggested he go somewhere else to whorehouses. When returning from leave, Henry explains his conversation with the priest in regret. “…I explained winefully, how we do not do the things we wanted to do; we never did such things” (12). Instead of hunting like the priest suggested, he went to the brothels only because that was what was expected of him from most people. This situation teaches you to do what your heart truly feels because otherwise it could lead to regret. Another lesson is taught with Henry’s knee injury situation. After Henry’s knee injury, the surgeon told him he would have to wait six months for surgery but that did not sit well for Henry as he could not be in bed that long. He wanted a new surgeon and the house doctor helped Henry and said, “I will send for Valentini. Do not worry and excite yourself” (98). To Frederic’s luck, the new surgeon said he could have the surgery the next day. In the end, this was the best decision for Henry because his knee healed without complications. This teaches to think through your decisions and not settle for one option. A valuable lesson is also taught when Henry got to see Catherine again after the Italians retreated. When Catherine saw Frederic again for the first time after going back to war, “Her face lightened up. She looked too happy to believe it” (146). This quote shows the happiness of Catherine when seeing Henry. If the Italians wouldn’t have retreated, than the couple wouldn’t have been able to see each other right away. This teaches that everything happens for a reason and that good things can come out of bad situations. A Farewell to Arms also teaches lessons along the lines of survival. To start, Henry and his