A Farewell to Arms Analysis
A Farewell to Arms AnalysisJohn Stubbs' "Love and Role Playing in A Farewell to Arms"
John Stubbs' essay is an examination of the defense
which he believes Henry and Catherine use to protect
themselves from the discovery of their insignificance and
"powerlessness...in a world indifferent to their well
being..." He asserts that "role-playing" by the two main
characters, and several others in the book, is a way to
escape the realization of human mortality which is unveiled
by war. Stubbs thinks that Hemingway utilized role-playing
as a way to "explore the strengths and weaknesses of his two
characters." Stubbs says that by placing Henry's ordered
life in opposition to Catherine's topsy-turvy one, and then
letting each one assume a role which will bring them
closer together, Hemingway shows the pair's inability to
accept "the hard, gratuitous quality of life."
Stubbs begins by showing other examples, notably in In Our
Time and The Sun Also Rises, in which Hemingway's characters
revert to role-playing in order to escape or retreat from
their lives. The ability to create characters who play
roles, he says, either to "maintain self-esteem" or to
escape, is one Hemingway exploits extraordinarily well in A
Farewell to Arms and therefore it "is his richest and most
successful handling of human beings trying to come to terms
with their vulnerability."
As far as Stubbs is concerned, Hemingway is quite blatant in
letting us know that role-playing is what is occurring. He
tells that the role-playing begins during Henry and
Catherine's third encounter, when Catherine directly
dictates what is spoken by Henry. After this meeting the two
become increasingly comfortable with their roles and easily
adopt them whenever the other is nearby. This is apparent
also in that they can only successfully play their roles
when they are in private and any disturbance causes the
"game" to be disrupted. The intrusion of the outside world
in any form makes their role-playing impossible, as
evidenced at the race track in Milan, where they must be
alone. The people surrounding them make Catherine feel
uncomfortable and Henry has to take her away from the crowd.
He goes on to describe how it is impossible for them to play
the roles when they are apart and how they therefore become
more dependent upon each other's company.
Stubbs goes on to explain how, "neither mistakes
role-playing for a truly intimate relationship, but
both recognize that it can be a useful device for satisfying
certain emotional needs." He says that originally Henry and
Catherine are playing the "game" for different reasons but
eventually move to play it as a team. Henry is...
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