A Farewell To Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
Table of Contents
Chapter 25 to Chapter 32
Chapter 25 Summary
Back in Gorizia, Henry asks the major about the progress of the war while he was gone over the summer. The major reports that the summer was bad, and says that Henry was fortunate to be wounded. The major says he is sick of the war. He does not believe he would return to the front if he were ever given leave. Henry goes to his room and lies down on the bed. He tries not to think of Catherine, but can think of nothing else. Rinaldi is thrilled to see Henry when he comes back to the room and insists on looking at the job the surgeon has done on Henry’s knee. He is upset, saying that Henry should not have been returned to the front as he is not fully recovered. Henry says he’s well enough. Rinaldi brings up Catherine, wanting to know if Henry is married. He wonders how Catherine is in bed, and Henry is offended and tells him not to ask that. By way of apology, Rinaldi drinks a toast to Catherine. They go have dinner in the mess hall, where Rinaldi tries rather pitifully to entertain his friend by teasing the priest.
Chapter 26 Summary
Henry talks with the priest that night in his room. The priest has an unexplainable feeling that the war will be over soon, but Henry does not share his optimism. The priest tells Henry he senses that the men have changed, suggesting that they have become more gentle. Henry compares their gentleness to that of Jesus Christ, whom Henry suggests was made docile only after he was beaten down so badly. The priest finds Henry’s words discouraging, and insists that he will keep hoping for something. Henry says he no longer believes in either victory or defeat; he only believes in sleep. He tells the priest he has enjoyed talking with him, though, and they agree to talk again soon.
Chapter 27 Summary
The following day, Henry visits the Bainsizza, a mountainous region which has seen a lot of fighting. There he encounters an Italian patriot named Gino, and feels embarrassed by Gino’s use of words such as “sacred,...
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