Fiction

26 July 2013

Professor W.D. Stalling

Lamar Harvey: lbhharvey@gmail.com

The subject of my paper is the analysis of the characters in the story “A Farewell to Arms” bye Ernest Hemingway.

As readers we should be familiar with elements of fiction in order to uncover the true meaning of authors work such as Ernest Hemingway’s novel “A Farewell to Arms”. By analyzing this story I hope to point out Hemingway’s use of plot, setting, character progression, tone, theme, and symbolism in his story about Lieutenant Frederic Henry and his love interest Catherine Barkley.

War can bring about tragedy and despair to all involved. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is about a character that seeks love and solace in the midst of war which in turn leads to disappointment, despair, and tragedy. Through character analysis, the evidence of tragedy, love, disappointment and despair is conveyed.

How does Hemingway convey to reader about the setting of this story? How does he describe to the reader how war has affected the character of Lieutenant Henry? How do the characters in the story progress from the beginning to the end of the story? What is the main theme that Hemingway is trying to convey to the reader? Does he use symbolism in the story, if so what symbols does he use? What tone is Hemingway using to describe the events taking place in the story?

I intend to analyize the key words that I have learned in “An Introduction to Fiction” to explain Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”.

X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia. 2009. An Introduction to Fiction. 11th edition. Longman

Bob Corbett. 2005. Ernest Hemingway NY: Charles Schribner’s Sons, 1995 from the 1929 original. http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/personal/reading/hemingway-farewell.html

Shmoop University, Inc. 2013. http://www.shmoop.com/farewell-to-arms/literary-devices.html