Religion in A farewell to Arms

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the themes in Hemingway's novel “A farewell to arms”. This behavior of Hemingway can also be illustrated through the novel “A farewell to arms” because, in this novel, the whole story revolves around the scenario of World War I and does not comprise a happy ending. However, for this paper I will consider the religious aspects depicted in the story.

Overview

Often regarded among the premier war novels of all times, A Farewell to Arms draws heavily on Hemingway's personal experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I. Since its publication in 1929, first as a serial in Scribner's magazine then as a novel, a plethora of critics have discussed its meaning and debated what it has to say in regard to love, war, and self-discovery. Let us take as an example the following conversation between Frederic Henry and the Priest. The Priest says to Frederic: "You understand, but you do not love God."

"No."

"You do not love Him at all?" he asked.

"I am afraid of Him in the night sometimes."

"You should love Him."

"I do not love much."

"Yes," he said. "You do. What you tell me about in the nights. This is not love. That is only passion and lust. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve."

"I do not love."

Analysis

The first thing to be notice about this conversation is the definition of love being offered by the Priest. He seeks to differentiate between lust and love, insisting that one wish to serve and sacrifice for the things you love. He offers this definition to demonstrate to Frederic that, despite his protests, he does indeed love. The priest is referring to the divine love and its beauty. Human beings have ...