Hemmingway Catherine as a Code Hero - 1708 Words

Catherine: A Manipulative Caretaker In A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry is characterized initially by a sort of detachment from life-though well-disciplined and friendly, he feels as if he has nothing to do with the war. These feelings of detachment are pushed away when Henry falls in love with Catherine and begins to realize the hostile nature of the world. In this way, Henry serves the function of a character that becomes initiated in Hemingways philosophy of an indifferent universe and mans struggle against it. Due to the untimely death of a fiancà © previous to the events of this book, Catherine is initiated into Hemingways philosophy, and exemplifies the traits of the Hemingway code hero throughout the novel. She is†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m not brave anymore, darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me. I know it now† (Hemmingway 323). Catherine is clearly in fear of death, but she is not trying to run or hide from it. She faces death and tries to console Henry by telling him she is not going to die. After undergoing a caesarian section and giving birth to a stillborn baby boy, Catherine proves just how brave she is. Though she knows she is dying, she still has the dignity and strength to accept such a fate. In face, she finds herself trying to comfort her distraught lover once again. With death approaching, Catherine’s final words to Frederic Henry suggest she possesses some sense or understanding of her own mortality and of what is soon to come. She says, â€Å"I’m not a bit afraid. It’s just a dirty trick† (331). The â€Å"it† Catherine refers to is presumably death, but in fact, the indefinite may be referring to life, a process Catherine views as a â€Å"rotten game† (31), since so much about it is left to chance and death is always the end. Catherine stood brave in the face of a battle with her own body. Like the soldiers, neither her bravery, nor Henry’s l ove, could save her from death. In Henry’s mind, the death of the soldiers and the death of Catherine are parallel tragedies, which cannot be separated from each other. By weaving the tragedies together, he memorializes both such tragedies, and can perhaps hope to heal a bit of his pain. CriticsShow MoreRelatedErnest Hemingway Essay1365 Words   |  6 Pages ERNEST HEMINGWAY nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Ernest Hemmingway is a masculine writer of immense emotion. He writes off of his life experiences and his feelings towards different subjects. Ernest Hemingway’s themes are virile on the surface, but when analyzed, one will find them to be romantic and sentimental. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As one will find through the reading of Hemingway’s works he is a very masculine writer. Says one critic: â€Å"Hemingway fans have long made reference to the