Before reading this book, I was told that it was the ultimate anti-war novel. Naturally, I was curious and excited to dive in and explore whatever perspective on war that Hemingway would offer.
I found myself both drawn to and repulsed by the protagonist, Frederic Henry, and his love interest, Catherine Barkley. I wanted to like Frederic. He was charming and personable, always making friends along the way. He seemed to appreciate the people he met and the relationships that he developed. Somehow he made people feel like they were valued, like he really saw them. I like that he was not intoxicated with hatred for an enemy, nor was he hungry for violence or revenge. Catherine’s character was a perhaps a little too excessive for me to really appreciate. On the one hand, it was commendable how she seemed to care more about Frederic’s happiness than anything else. It was somewhat poetic how she longed to relinquish her own sense of identity in order to be completely redefined together with Frederic. Even so, I found this dynamic to be rather frustrating because I felt like she was so fragile that she could not handle being strong for her own sake. She was consumed with determination to be entirely pleasing to Frederic, and she suppressed any quality about herself that might make her less desirable or might cause Frederic to lose interest in her. Frederic was intoxicated with the way Catherine made him feel. She gave life a sense of radiance that he had not experienced with any other woman previously. She affirmed him in a world where manhood was validated on the battlefield and honor was attained through willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of one’s homeland.
Neither Frederic nor Catherine exhibited the patriotism and desire for national victory that fueled everyone around them. They were not in their homeland and did not have vested interest anywhere in particular. Basically, I felt as thought they were infected with a dose of apathy. The world around them was in disarray and they only cared to the extent that the chaos threatened their ability to be together. In a world where most everyone felt the responsibility to stand up against opposition in defense of what they loved, Frederic and Catherine sought to escape any responsibility other than to each other.
I want to refrain from presenting the entire plot here so I’ll go ahead and settle into my overall reaction.
As the story of Frederic and Catherine unfolded before me, I felt like this story was less and less about an actual war. In fact, the war seemed to be rather peripheral. I might be persuaded to propose that the story exemplified less anti-war qualities but rather demonstrated apathy toward anything that did not serve self-gratification. Frederic had an uncanny ability to make friends and gain the respect of others almost instantly; yet, he did not seem to care about them beyond the time and space that they shared in a specific moment. I had the feeling, or perhaps the hope, that he wanted to care deeply for others. If I were to be generous and allow him the benefit of the doubt, I would contend this was simply a coping mechanism protecting him from the prospect of suffering from the grief of losing any of these relationships. I would contend that Frederic and Catherine cared for each other more than anything else because they were hungry for the way that they made each other feel. I wonder if they actually came to care for one another for their individual qualities and worth, independent of what was benefited from the other.
Of course, I would have to submit the perspective that I have presented for criticism because I realize that the lens through which I read this story has been developed by my own life experiences.
If you have read this story, I would be curious to hear perspectives you would submit.
anothervapor 