Frederic Henry In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms
In Hemingway’s literature he creates very real characters. Characters that are not caricatures but characters that have strengths and weaknesses. Frederic Henry, the protagonist in A Farewell To Arms, is a very flawed person yet he shows courage and bravery by putting himself in the front lines of the First World War. What separates Frederic Henry from other characters in literature are his very human character traits.
It is very evident that Frederic has succumbed to alcoholism whether it is when the book takes place or before. Throughout the story Frederic is constantly drinking. The only time he seems not to be drinking is on the battlefield or when he is on the run. He drinks heavily so he can cope with all that is going on around him. He does not only drink to cope with problems but he drinks for fun and for love. This quote, from Christian Hengen’s Alcohol and Alcoholism in Selected Novels by Ernest Hemingway, shows how Frederic personifies alcohol “The novel starts with a ‘dry’ chapter, ironically setting the mood of the story; however, it does not take long for alcohol to make its first appearance. In Chapter 2, merely six pages into the novel, Frederic Henry states: ‘I watched the snow falling, looking out of the window of the bawdy house, the house for officers, where I sat with a friend and two glasses drinking a bottle of Asti’ (Hemingway AFTA 6). Hemingway’s choice of words is noteworthy. Frederic is not sitting with a friend at …show more content…
An example of his flawed personality is when he didn’t care that his newborn son had died and was more worried with his girlfriend’s health. He blames himself and his child for the death of Catherine. These examples prove that he has a flawed personality because a normal sane person would know that there was nothing that they could have done to save either Catherine or the child.
In conclusion these negative flaws make Frederic a great character to follow and read
It is very evident that Frederic has succumbed to alcoholism whether it is when the book takes place or before. Throughout the story Frederic is constantly drinking. The only time he seems not to be drinking is on the battlefield or when he is on the run. He drinks heavily so he can cope with all that is going on around him. He does not only drink to cope with problems but he drinks for fun and for love. This quote, from Christian Hengen’s Alcohol and Alcoholism in Selected Novels by Ernest Hemingway, shows how Frederic personifies alcohol “The novel starts with a ‘dry’ chapter, ironically setting the mood of the story; however, it does not take long for alcohol to make its first appearance. In Chapter 2, merely six pages into the novel, Frederic Henry states: ‘I watched the snow falling, looking out of the window of the bawdy house, the house for officers, where I sat with a friend and two glasses drinking a bottle of Asti’ (Hemingway AFTA 6). Hemingway’s choice of words is noteworthy. Frederic is not sitting with a friend at …show more content…
An example of his flawed personality is when he didn’t care that his newborn son had died and was more worried with his girlfriend’s health. He blames himself and his child for the death of Catherine. These examples prove that he has a flawed personality because a normal sane person would know that there was nothing that they could have done to save either Catherine or the child.
In conclusion these negative flaws make Frederic a great character to follow and read