We talked in class a little today about symbolism of rain and the relationship between Frederic and Catherine. In Book 3/Part III, Frederic is back on the front. In chapter 28, the army retreats to the city of Udine and experiences start-and-stop traffic (something we still deal with). On pages 171-172, Frederic lost himself in a day dream where he says “blow, blow ye western wind” and asks for the rain to bring Catherine to him, then having a “conversation” with her. What do you make of his longing for Catherine — is he tired of the front/wartime situation already, does the rain make him think and worry about her, etc.?
The carabinieri were collecting, questioning, and shooting officers who had crossed the bridge because they believed that any officer was a German in disguise. Piani and Frederic encountered some Brigata di Pace soldiers before this. Compare the attititudes of the carabinieri and the Peace Brigade to killing officers:“‘The war won’t go on,’ a soldier said. ‘We’re going home. The war is over (p. 189).'”and“‘Down with the officer! Viva la Pace (p. 190)!'” vs. “‘It is you and such as you that have let the barbarians onto the sacred soil of the fatherland (p. 193).'”and “‘It is because of treachery such as yours that we have lost the fruits of victory (p. 193).'”Do either/both/neither propagate or inhibit the war?
“Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation (p. 200).” Considering the paragraph before talking about lying with guns and Frederic’s frustration over the carbinieri, as well as sections in the novel previously, does flowing/moving water symbolize something now for him as it does Catherine?
13 thoughts on “Abby Algeier’s Reading Questions on Hemingway Part III for 2/22”
1. I find his longing for Catherine interesting in relation to the other works we read this semester. I think Henry romanticizes his relationship with Catherine in a similar way to how Paul romanticizes being home. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to find the safety he truly longs for with her or if being with her is more dangerous, like Paul finds at home. He disassociates from the war and because he does not have another source of happiness(true or false), so whenever he faces a difficult situation Catherine is the first person he thinks of. The idea of asking the rain to bring Catherine to him interests me in that it symbolizes their shared experience. She is not an innocent girl he needs to shield from the war, but resembles more of a comrade in arms because she has probably experienced even worse trauma than Henry has. This is totally different from both Paul shielding himself and his family by not speaking of the war, but it is also different from Nellie angerly wanting to pull her mother into it.
Similar to Reese, I think it’s interesting to compare Henry’s longing for Catherine with Paul’s longing for his life before he was permanently damaged by the war. Even though I struggle with Heminway’s writing at times, I do appreciate how entirely different Henry’s character is from other characters we have read throughout this class because his “escape” from war is another person, not necessarily another place.
Rain evokes a sense of dreariness and, if caught in it, quite frankly, makes one miserable. In modern society, soldiers camping out on the field turn toward memories of someone they love to regain some sense of comfortability. It is not odd that Frederic would think of Catherine during dark times. Longing for a nicer time or a sliver of comfort is natural for anyone in a situation like his. It is a realistic aspect that was included.
1. I find his longing for Catherine interesting in relation to the other works we read this semester. I think Henry romanticizes his relationship with Catherine in a similar way to how Paul romanticizes being home. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to find the safety he truly longs for with her or if being with her is more dangerous, like Paul finds at home. He disassociates from the war and because he does not have another source of happiness(true or false), so whenever he faces a difficult situation Catherine is the first person he thinks of. The idea of asking the rain to bring Catherine to him interests me in that it symbolizes their shared experience. She is not an innocent girl he needs to shield from the war, but resembles more of a comrade in arms because she has probably experienced even worse trauma than Henry has. This is totally different from both Paul shielding himself and his family by not speaking of the war, but it is also different from Nellie angerly wanting to pull her mother into it.
Similar to Reese, I think it’s interesting to compare Henry’s longing for Catherine with Paul’s longing for his life before he was permanently damaged by the war. Even though I struggle with Heminway’s writing at times, I do appreciate how entirely different Henry’s character is from other characters we have read throughout this class because his “escape” from war is another person, not necessarily another place.
Rain evokes a sense of dreariness and, if caught in it, quite frankly, makes one miserable. In modern society, soldiers camping out on the field turn toward memories of someone they love to regain some sense of comfortability. It is not odd that Frederic would think of Catherine during dark times. Longing for a nicer time or a sliver of comfort is natural for anyone in a situation like his. It is a realistic aspect that was included.