Title and Theme

Dr. Meet
Associate Professor
Department of English
GNC, Sirsa
 Title and Theme
• Major Works of the time refer to Literary and
Biblical Sources
• The Sun Also Rises
• The Waste Land
• Sound and Fury
• Ulysses
 Title and Theme
• A Farewell to Arms has been borrowed from
George Peele’s poem A Farewell to Arms
which was written in 16th century.
• The poem is included in The Oxford Book of
English Verse edited by Robert Bridges
• But the title is antithetical to the ideas
contained in the original poem
 Title and Theme
• Its meaning can be interpreted in two ways
because of the dual meaning of word ‘Arms’
• one is weapons or armaments
• another is the upper limb of the human body
that connects shoulder to the hand
• Arms- war- power- destruction- ideas of glory
and honour-
• Arms- embrace- comfort- love- security
 Title and Theme
• The title of the novel suggests Hemmingway’s
intention of blending two major themes of the
novel; theme of war and theme of love.
• The critics have interpreted the title to mean a
farewell to the arms of war, a farewell to female
arms, and a farewell to the arms of both war and
women, raising the fundamental question about the
nature of the novel
• novel of love, Novel- anti- war or a novel of both
love and war
 Title and Theme
• War- Peele
• Ideas of Glory and Honour
• Inspires going to/ participating in war
• The novel – antithetical view
• Realistic- Unromantic view of war
• Hemingway presents horrible reality of war
with journalistic details- no embellishments
 Title and Theme
• He states that “Troops went by the house and
down the road and the dust they raised
powdered the leaves of the trees”
• “with the rain came the cholera. But it was
checked and in the end only seven thousand
died of it in the army”.
• It focuses on the indifferent attitude of people
towards death in war, be it with guns, bombs
or by disease.
 Title and Theme
• The protagonist, Henry Friedrich, an American
citizen working in Italian Army as a
commander of a group of ambulance drivers
during World War
• His purpose of joining war is not clear
• But not- honour or glory
• An American in Italian army
• No patriotic fervour
 Title and Theme
• He never felt a sense of belonging there, we felt
him say that “I knew I would not be killed. Not in
this war. It did not have anything to do with me”
• Later we find him say, “I wished them all the luck.
There were the good ones, and the brave ones,
and the calm ones and the sensible ones, and they
deserved it. But it was not my show any more and
I wished this bloody train would get to Mestre and
I would eat and stop thinking. I would have to
stop.”
 Title and Theme
• These lines reflect that neither had he related himself
with the Italian war nor he has any plans to continue war.
• He slowly starts thinking of leaving the army.
• But bidding farewell is not going to be easy
• Brutalities of war, takes away from human beings ideas
of glory even human dignity
• one such episode can be seen in the novel when dying
man’s blood stream down on his face and referring to the
drops of blood he said, “The drops fell very slowly, as
they fell from an icicle after the sun has gone.”(66)
 Title and Theme
• Also it degrades and dehumanises them
• All of them visit prostitutes
• Renaldi gets fatal disease
• Henry does not visit priest’s village
• They have moved away from the concept of
love to sheer sex devoid of any emotional
connect
 Title and Theme
The depiction of the war certainly shows the
resentment and rejection towards it. Many
other characters besides Henry also detest
war. The Priest says, ‘I hate the war”(75)
Rinaldi says that “This war is killing me, I am
very depressed by it.”(177)
Rinaldi leaves after dinner, and the major says
Rinaldi thinks he has syphilis
 Title and Theme
• A large number of people criticise war
• The scene before the Henry is injured and
Passini is killed they are discussing war
• Passini wants it to stop
• There is no glory in war
• The way two engineering sergeants refuse to
help, Henry shoots one of them and Bonello
kills him
 Title and Theme
• Aymo is shot and killed.- Italians
• Bonello left to become a prisoner
• He prefers to live
• Henry and Piani think Bonello was a fool for
becoming a prisoner, but Henry decides not to
file a report that will cause trouble for
Bonello's family.
 Title and Theme
• That the war in the novel is meant to be seen in all
its implications, and not merely in relation to the
individual response of the hero, can be judged from
the length of space the narrator devotes to incidents
like the retreat of Caporatto.
• Note, for instance, the following description in the
retreat portion of the narrative: in the night many
peasants had joined the column from the roads of
the country and in the column there were carts
loaded with household goods:
 Title and Theme
• The famous Caporetto Retreat in the novel presents a
detailed and vivid account of the chaotic situation of
the war when civilians also get involved.
• Soon after this Henry makes his final choice of
bidding a farewell to arms when confronts the
possibility of getting shot as a deserter or traitor by
some self righteous Italian soldiers; he jumps into the
river and thus makes a deliberate choice of farewell
to war, to arms
• He is not the only one who says farewell to arms
 Title and Theme
• The retreat scene shows that the neat columns of men begin to
crumble, so too do the soldiers’ nerves, minds, and capacity
for rational thought and moral judgment.
• Henry’s shooting of the engineer for refusing to help free the
car from the mud shocks the reader for two reasons: first, the
violent outburst seems at odds with Henry’s coolly detached
character; second, the incident occurs in a setting that robs it
of its moral import—the complicity of Henry’s fellow soldiers
legitimizes the killing.
• The murder of the engineer seems justifiable because it is an
inevitable by-product of the spiraling violence and disorder of
the war.
 Title and Theme
• One long paragraph in this chapter summarizes Henry's character
and a theme of the novel: "I was always embarrassed by the words
sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression in vain," Henry
tells us. "Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage or hallow
were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of
roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates."
• The war is antithesis of all that is in the popular imagination or
classical literature- there is no glory, no honour, no great cause, no
great ideal- just chaos where soldiers from the same army start
shooting one another
• War is just an endless slog through a dangerous landscape. Steep
roads, gutted woods, and crushed villages create the backdrop of the
narrative.
 Title and Theme
• From the opening account of cholera that kills "only" 7,000
men to the graphic description of the artillery bombardment to
the corrupt violence during the Italian retreat, A Farewell to
Arms is among the most frank anti-war novels.
• But Hemingway does not merely condemn war. Rather, he
indicts the world at large for its atmosphere of destruction.
Henry frequently reflects upon the world's insistence on
breaking and killing everyone; it is as if the world cannot bear
to let anyone remain happy and safe.
• Henry makes his final choice of bidding a farewell to arms
when confronts the possibility of getting shot as a deserter or
traitor by some self righteous Italian soldiers; he jumps into
the river and thus makes a deliberate choice of farewell to war,
to arms.
 Title and Theme
• From the opening account of cholera that kills "only" 7,000
men to the graphic description of the artillery bombardment to
the corrupt violence during the Italian retreat, A Farewell to
Arms is among the most frank anti-war novels.
• But Hemingway does not merely condemn war. Rather, he
indicts the world at large for its atmosphere of destruction.
Henry frequently reflects upon the world's insistence on
breaking and killing everyone; it is as if the world cannot bear
to let anyone remain happy and safe.
• Henry makes his final choice of bidding a farewell to arms
when confronts the possibility of getting shot as a deserter or
traitor by some self righteous Italian soldiers; he jumps into
the river and thus makes a deliberate choice of farewell to war,
to arms.
 Title and Theme
• Against the backdrop of war, Hemingway offers a
deep, mournful meditation on the nature of love.
• The theme of love is the second major theme of the
novel
• In the beginning Henry does not believe in anything,
God , Love,
• Henry as a man in search of order and values.
• In the beginning he refuses to visit Priest’s village-
spends his vacation - drinking and visiting brothels
• He finally finds faith- not God - Love
 Title and Theme
• In book I we find him going from one brothel to
another yet feel discontent.
• Neither friendship nor army provides him any
discipline or solace that he tends to seek.
• When he first met Catherine Barkley, an English
nurse working with Italian army, he is attracted
towards her.
• Henry intends to get as far away from talk of the war
as possible.
• Catherine is in mourning for her dead fiancé –she
also wants to distance herself from the pain of her
loss.
 Title and Theme
• For both of them love is like a game. Catherine
admits and so does Henry.
• He says “I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor
had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like
bridge, in which you said things instead of playing
cards”
• It is just an escape from them. Henry and Catherine
find temporary solace from the things that plague
them.
• Love was not part of the deal. The narrator tells us in
retrospect, “God knows I had not wanted to fall in
love with her”
 Title and Theme
• But slowly and reluctantly he falls in love with her.
• When he gets injured and is sent to hospital, catherine
looks after her. their love blooms
• They , in fact create a little island of love amidst
destruction of war .
• Love brings solace, contentment and order to his life.
• He finally accepts “I loved her very much and she loved
me”
• For them, love becomes a kind of religion that would
define their priorities and decisions.
• Before Henry goes back to war, she tells him that she is
pregnant . He wants to marry her. but she tell him that
they shoud wait as they will have to separate if they get
married.
 Title and Theme
• Before Henry goes back to war, she tells him that she
is pregnant . He wants to marry her. but she tell him
that they should wait as they will have to separate if
they get married.
• She is thinking more rationally now.
• Love has changed her. She has grown into mature,
more balanced, confident and strong woman. When
they are crossing the lake , she helps Henry row the
boat, in spite of the fact that she is pregnant.
 Title and Theme
• Henry finally deserts army and goes to Stressa to find
her.
• He tells her that he felt that he was nothing without
her.
• To Count Greffi’s question, “What do you value
most?” Henry replies, “Someone I love”
• But that love cannot survive war and violence.
• They escape from Italy to Switzerland across Lake
Maggiore and it is very windy and rainy night.
•
 Title and Theme
• They escape to Switzerland
• They plan an idyllic life together that would heal the
damages that the war has inflicted.
• Far away from the violence and destruction of war,
each intends to be the other’s refuge.
• If they are to achieve physical, emotional, and
psychological healing, they have found the perfect
place in the safe remove of the Swiss mountains
surrounded by snow..
• Here Catherine tells Henry that she plans to cut her
hair short and wants to become him.
 Title and Theme
• In the novel two distinct themes have been blended
perfectly.
• Love – escape/ refuge from war and pain
• Antidote – the scars of war
• Alternative worldview/ philosophy
• “separate peace”
• The two themes of love and war run parallel
• Book I – War - destruction
• Book II- Love- amidst war
• Book III- War – disillusionment
• Book IV- Love – news of war- far away
 Title and Theme
• Beginning- war
• Ending – love
• The mountain begins to wear a bleak look with the advent
of the rains.
• Time for Catherine's delivery -come down to Laussane.
• Complications in her delivery
• the child had already died and is still born.
• Catherine herself undergoes one internal hemorrhage after
another and she soon succumbs.
• It is during this time Henry prays- intensity of his love
• “Oh, God, please don’t let her die.”
 Title and Theme
• She dies- goes to say good bye –but he cannot
• It was like saying goodbye to a statue.
• The novel ends, Henry alone walking in the rain
• First farewell to army- jumps into river
• Refuge in Catherin’s arms- she dies –
• Tragically- he has to again say farewell to arms –
• “separate peace” does not last
• As he himself said the world in general is cruel and
destructive and destroys good and sensitive people
 Title and Theme
• “If people bring so much courage to this world the world
has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them.
The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong
at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It
kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave
impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will
kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”
• The title hints at the inevitability of saying farewell to arms
• Hemmingway has artistically fused both the themes. His
intention of blending twin themes can be made out from
his skilful selection of the title, which refers to both the
themes