The fact that Hemingway was a really big drinker is no secret. I was reviewing today’s section of A Farewell to Arms and one sentence jumped out at me: “And I’m very brave when I’ve had a drink.” (pg. 122)
This got me thinking about Hemingway’s use of alcohol in his work. I found this interesting article that mentions how alcohol is ” omnipresent throughout the novel” in A Farewell to Arms. This article also pointed out how Frederic’s narration associates drinking with positive characterization.
Thank you for this perspective. I wonder how truthful Frederic’s character is to Hemingway’s life? Was this Hemingway’s approach to an autobiography? I learned in class that Hemingway fell in love with a nurse at war, who later left him for someone else. How does this change our reading of Frederic and Hemingway himself?
Hi! I think A Farewell to Arms is semi-autobiographical. Hemingway was indeed broken hearted when, at just aged 19, his fiancee, Agnes von Kurowsky (who was a bit older) broke it off and married an Italian officer. I also think there is so much in the character of Catherine. This is just my opinion but I think Hemingway wrote her as a “flat character” because he was bitter about Agnes. However, I believe that Catherine is more complex, intelligent, and noble than Frederic. So, I think that Catherine is the hero of this book. I feel the themes and psychology of the characters in this work are much more complex than they seem.
Hemingway’s simple language fools the reader into a very straightforward interpretation which may be too elementary.
My theory is that Hemingway did, in fact, make Catherine the hero of this work but it takes some really deep analysis to see it.
Hemingway’s battle with alcohol and mental illness was a lifelong exertion, which he lost when he committed suicide on July 2, 1961.