Frederic Henry in A farewell to Arms. His traits as a Hemingway Hero

1. The Traits of a Typical Hemingway
Hero
 Pride
 Will
 Courage
 Silence/Humility
 Endurance
 Man is Alone
 Man can be destroyed but not defeated
 Quality of the Struggle is more important than outcome
 Man Suffers Silently
 "A Man's Gotta Do Whats a Man's gotta Do"

2. • we can better understand the character of Frederic
Henry by studying,
1. His character in war.
2. His character as a lover.

3. Frederic Henry In War; Casual and
Superficial in His Attitude To War
 He is an American volunteering himself for a foreign
cause.
 His reason for this service is not clear even for himself.
 There is no humanitarian cause specific, seen in his
character.
 He holds the rank of lieutenant but does not show any
passion or favor for his job.
 He even tells lies about his working at the border.

4. Having a Good Time
 “A good time” to Henry means spending time by his
own way.
 He is fond of drinking and regularly visiting brothels at
the war front.
 While on leave, he neglects the Priest’s advise to visit
Abruzzi and meet the priest’s family at Capracotta.
 He finds more pleasure in wine and women while on
leave.

5. Self Assessment
 He does not deceive himself.
 Returning from leave, he finds his ambulance fine,
considers his presence and absence the same matter
for those at war front.
 He does not exaggerate.
 He is outside, as inside he is.

6. Fearless and Sympathetic
 He does not fear the rain of shells exploding around
him, while visiting the war front.
 He even helps a wounded soldier and takes him to the
hospital.
 As an ambulance driver, he shows sympathy which is
expected from him.

7. No War Hero, No illusion, No
Vanity
 He was willing to join the war as a fighter but being
medically unfit, joins ambulance.
 He knows that drivers are sometimes killed in wars, but
they don’t get a chance to kill.
 He seems to believe that his risk in the war is not so great.
 He wishes that the war should end. He is less willing to
keep it going.
 The war, he thinks, does not vitally concern him.
 While on war front, he is humanitarian and ready to risk
his life for fellow soldiers.
 We see no vanity in his character. He is serious when job
demands his services.

8. The Persistence of Thoughts of War
 The sense of guilt developed in him during war does
not leave him even afterwards.
 On the train to Stresa, he keeps a newspsper in hand
but avoids reading it. He does not want to remember
war.
 While talking to Count Greffi, he avoides talking about
war.
 In the mountains with Catherine, he hardly thinks
about war.
 He is far away from war forever, at the end of the novel.

9. Fredric Henry As a Lover.
 He is a physical lover initially.
 The experience of love with Catherine Barkly makes
him a spiritual lover.
 He is careless about the society and does not accept
any religious norms in the matter of love with
Catherine.
 He calls his girl friend his wife, before all.

10. Change in His Quality of Love
 He is a physical lover happy with alcohols in brothels,
at the beginning of the novel.
 The vulgarity of the officers’ mess and the romance
less love of the whore-house becomes distasteful to
him, and he regrets having treated Catherine so
lightly.
 Away from her, he feels “lonely and empty”, “lonely and
hollow”.

11. Feelings of Emptiness In spite of a
Romantic Bliss
 His affair with Catherine cannot be regarded mystic
sort of love at the very beginning.
 After a night of Love with her, he feels “hollow and
hungry”.
 After his escape from the military police, he feels
“hollow and sick”, “lonesome inside and alone”
 Perhaps, his condition is a subconscious longing for
Catherine’s return to him.

12. He is Better With Catherine
 While with Catherine afterwards, he says, “it is grand
here”. “it is nice”.
 Both are fully committed to each other and Catherine
says, “Don’t let me spoil your fun, darling. I’ll go back
whenever you want”.
 He forgets the wounds, the scars, the war scenes and
the worries of the world, while being with her.

13. Henry’s Distraction; Waning of
Happiness
 Although happy with Catherine, in horse riding, drinking
and love making, he is distracted to war.
 He feels difficult with the war memories and wants to reach
some peaceful land.
 He loves Catherine but feels unsatisfied comparing his past
of whoring and time waisting.
 While on leave to Switzerland he says to Catherine, “oh
Darling I love you so.” yet he senses trouble in paradise.
 For him, reducing himself to the smallest world of
Catherine proves fruitful.
 She says, “you will fall love with me all over again.”

14. The Biological Trap; Not Ready as a
Father and Husband
 During Catherine's difficult delivery time, he considers
love a Biological trap.
 He prays to God and is not read to be a father.
 The child for him is, “a by product of nights in Milan.”
 After Catherine’s “murder” by the Biological Trap, he
considers himself trapped by the responsibilities
which his free nature never accepted.
 He was not ready to become a father or a husband

15. Submitted to Respected Madam
Sundas
 Prepared by Muhammad Ayaz
M. Phill English Literature 1st Semester
Minhaj University Lahore, Pakistan