FREE ESSAY ON A FAREWELL TO ARMS CHARACTER ANALYSIS

A FAREWELL TO ARMS CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Character Analysis
In the novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway shows Frederick Henry's
progression into a code hero. Frederick Henry achieved many code hero characteristics by
the end of the novel with the help of Catherine, a code hero herself. All the
characteristics seem to follow the path of a person with masculine characteristics who is
continuously striving to live his/her life to the fullest. Throughout the novel,
Frederick Henry's behavior matures into one's of a code hero. 
In the start of the novel, Frederick Henry immersed himself into the sensual pleasures
that surrounded him. Henry had drunk much wine, and had aimlessly wondered from woman to
woman in Book one of the novel. He had no self-control to contain himself from the
brothels during this time. He drank heavily on a regular basis, yet he was never a sloppy
drunk, and could hold his liquor very well. Henry enjoys the food he ate, the love he
made, and the wine he drank whenever he felt the desire to, as a code hero often does. He
could not learn to control himself until he had developed a relationship with Catherine.
By receiving the support and confidence from her, he was able to change. Henry finally
disciplined himself near the end of his stay at the Ospidale Maggoire.
Henry had always had trouble sleeping as many of the code heroes do in a Hemingway novel.
Henry could not sleep during the night because the night was a representation of death to
him. Death to Henry was the end of all things because he did not believe in any sort of
after life. If he did not asleep, he could avoid having to deal with this immense fear.
As their relationship develops, Henry was often accompanied by Catherine during the
nights at the Ospidale Maggoire. Henry once said to Catherine, who was already an
established code hero, 
There was almost no difference in the night except that is was an even better
time.(pg.138)
Henry sleeps all day long, in order to stay up all night. Unfortunately, Catherine
eventually had to go back to working during the day, instead of working the night shift,
and stopped spending her nights with him. Henry is left to stay up alone all night. He
shows a great change of character when he does not ask Catherine to come stay with him,
thus controlling his desires to be with her physically. From this point of the book,
Henry shows he is able to discipline himself.
Although Henry did not believe in the institution of marriage, he was extremely loyal and
committed to Catherine. When he is first introduced to Catherine, he discovers a capacity
for love that he had deep with in himself. This begins the process of development when he
transfers his love and loyalty to Catherine, and deserts the Italian Army. Although most
men in this time period would marry a woman if they got her pregnant, Henry did not marry
Catherine when he found out she was pregnant. He was not a traditional man, but he was
defiantly a loyal one. 
Henry never once talked about his beliefs or feelings throughout the novel. He does not
talk about his hatred for the Carabinieri or his feelings when he was cheerful or
downhearted. He showed no signs of remorse for deserting the Italian army. In the end of
the novel, Henry is faced with his love's death. Henry told God,
Don't let her die. Oh, God, please don't let her die. I'll do anything you want if you
don't let her die. Please, please, please, God, don't let her die.(pg.330) 
the moment before he entered the door where Catherine finally passed away due to a
hemorrhage. He asked God to save his greatest love after taking his child, and does not
receive an answer. 
Hemingway's code hero, Frederick Henry, evolutionizes into a man whom the reader could
identify with and understand. Henry unknowingly becomes a code hero, and a better person
with the help of Catherine. Henry becomes a code hero in the end due to the help of many
incidents. . He concludes that death is the end, and when it gets you, there is no where
to go. Henry never becomes a true code hero until the end when he accepts death as the
end of existence.