Initiation in Ernest
Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
Since it was published in the late 1920s, Ernest Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms has mostly been read as a love story against the background of the First World War (Brooks 81; Matthews 77; Ross 90; Smith 78). This is right insofar as the novel deals with the young American Frederic Henry who, while being involved in the war on the side of the Italian Army, falls in love with a beautiful British nurse, Catherine Barkley. There is, however, more to this book: When looking at the world in which the protagonist finds himself, it becomes clear that it is one in which people are lacking proper, stable values. Everything that Frederic Henry learned in his teenage years, the world he grew up in and its complex value system based on such values as honor and dignity, has fallen apart. Frederic himself expresses this on several occasions, for example in Book Three, when he says,
I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it. […] Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the number of roads, the names of rivers, the number of regiments and the dates. (Hemingway 184-5)
Because of the meaninglessness of those old values, A Farewell to Arms is also a story dealing with a quest that was typical for Frederic Henry’s generation: a quest for knowledge and a way of living in a world whose foundations have been shaken by the chaos created by World War I.
At the beginning of the novel, Frederic Henry is, in many ways, lost: He neither knows where he belongs nor where he is going. He seeks pleasure in activities such as drinking huge quantities of alcohol and going to a whorehouse with his comrades. As it depicts his growth from immaturity to maturity, or, in a way, completion of his character, A Farewell to Arms should be read as his initiation story.
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Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. What is Initiation?
III. The First Phase: Exit
IV. The Second Phase: Transition
V. The Third Phase: Re-entrance
VI. Frederic Henry’s Mentors
VII. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms through the lens of the "initiation" theme, analyzing the protagonist Frederic Henry’s psychological and spiritual journey from immaturity to a mature, independent understanding of a chaotic, modern world.
- The theoretical definition of initiation in literary criticism.
- Frederic Henry’s development through the three phases: Exit, Transition, and Re-entrance.
- The role of mentorship, specifically focusing on Catherine Barkley, Count Greffi, and the priest.
- The impact of World War I on traditional values like honor, glory, and courage.
- The necessity of independence and personal value systems in a God-abandoned world.
Excerpt from the Book
Initiation in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
Since it was published in the late 1920s, Ernest Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms has mostly been read as a love story against the background of the First World War (Brooks 81; Matthews 77; Ross 90; Smith 78). This is right insofar as the novel deals with the young American Frederic Henry who, while being involved in the war on the side of the Italian Army, falls in love with a beautiful British nurse, Catherine Barkley. There is, however, more to this book: When looking at the world in which the protagonist finds himself, it becomes clear that it is one in which people are lacking proper, stable values. Everything that Frederic Henry learned in his teenage years, the world he grew up in and its complex value system based on such values as honor and dignity, has fallen apart.
Because of the meaninglessness of those old values, A Farewell to Arms is also a story dealing with a quest that was typical for Frederic Henry’s generation: a quest for knowledge and a way of living in a world whose foundations have been shaken by the chaos created by World War I. At the beginning of the novel, Frederic Henry is, in many ways, lost: He neither knows where he belongs nor where he is going. He seeks pleasure in activities such as drinking huge quantities of alcohol and going to a whorehouse with his comrades. As it depicts his growth from immaturity to maturity, or, in a way, completion of his character, A Farewell to Arms should be read as his initiation story.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: Presents the central thesis that the novel depicts Frederic Henry's initiation journey from youthful immaturity to a disillusioned yet mature independence.
II. What is Initiation?: Summarizes various critical definitions of the "initiation" theme, establishing a framework based on the stages of exit, transition, and re-entrance.
III. The First Phase: Exit: Analyzes Frederic Henry’s initial state of mind, his meaningless affairs, and his near-death experience, which marks his realization of the world's disorder.
IV. The Second Phase: Transition: Discusses Henry's changing perspective through love and the disillusionment with traditional concepts of war and heroism during the retreat from Caporetto.
V. The Third Phase: Re-entrance: Examines how the protagonist deals with loss and his final walk in the rain, signifying his rebirth as a mature, independent individual.
VI. Frederic Henry’s Mentors: Evaluates the influence of characters like Catherine Barkley and Count Greffi in guiding Henry's development compared to ineffective traditional mentors.
VII. Conclusion: Synthesizes the argument that true initiation requires an internal value system independent of societal expectations and traditional conventions.
Keywords
Initiation, Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry, Catherine Barkley, Modernism, World War I, Mentorship, Spiritual Journey, Maturity, Independence, Values, Loss, Death, Existentialism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on interpreting Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms as an "initiation story," tracking the protagonist's growth from a naive, hedonistic youth to a mature individual capable of surviving in a chaotic, modern world.
What are the key thematic areas?
Central themes include the loss of traditional values, the nature of love, the search for a personal moral code, and the necessity of achieving independence in a world where old social structures have collapsed.
What is the main research question?
The research explores how Frederic Henry transitions through the three phases of initiation (exit, transition, and re-entrance) and what specific role mentors play in his development of a new, viable mode of life.
Which methodology is applied?
The study utilizes literary criticism, specifically relying on Peter Freese’s model of initiation, alongside analyses of the protagonist's interactions with mentors and his shifting attitudes toward war and death.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section details Henry’s initial immaturity, his transformative near-death experience, his developing relationship with Catherine Barkley, the disillusionment triggered by the war, and his eventual stoic acceptance of death and loss.
What keywords characterize the work?
Keywords include Initiation, Modernism, Mentorship, Independence, Spiritual Journey, and the Hemingway Code.
Why does the author argue that Catherine Barkley is a mentor?
The author identifies Catherine as a mentor because she is already "initiated," possesses inner strength and dignity, and provides a model for how to face life's meaninglessness and inevitable death without relying on traditional societal conventions.
How does the author interpret the novel's ending?
The author interprets the open ending—Frederic walking alone in the rain—as a sign of his successful transition, showing that he has internalized his experiences and is prepared to survive as a mature human being in a hostile world.
- Quote paper
- Nina Dietrich (Author), 2002, Initiation in Ernest Hemingway´s ´A Farewell to Arms´, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/3069
