An Analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms involving Reader-Response Criticism

by Paul Mikesell

Reader-response criticism involves the reader’s interpretations, responses, and emotional reactions to the text they are reading. This form of literary criticism is only concerned with that reader’s individual interpretation of the text. By using this technique, the reader only concerns themselves with their understanding of the literature because the understanding of the work is the creation of each reader. Every person that reads each work has the potential to react to the work in a different way.

Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms, is an excellent example of a piece of writing that can evoke different responses depending on the beliefs of the reader. Some may see Fredric Henry’s departure from the Italian army as cowardly, while others may think it is the most courageous thing he could have done. I found myself believing that Henry was right in leaving the army and the war that he did not believe in for something he did believe in. His loyalty to Catherine Barkley seems to be much more real than any abstract honor that could possibly be gained through fighting in World War I.

Analyzing Hemingway through reader-response criticism is different than for a large majority of novelists. Most writers present leave the reader with a batch of questions that need to be answered. The writing of Hemingway asks these questions too, but at the same time, he also proposes solutions to them. They are not always the right ones and are not always the same for everyone, but Hemingway does give at least some idea of how to answer these questions. It becomes up to the reader to then assess if they believe these would be the right measures to take.

When Henry leaves the army to go back to Catherine, I see that as him taking control of his own destiny and proving to himself that he will have the power regarding what happens in his life, not any of the world powers that create war. The opposite way of interpreting this event, which is probably how the character of Gino in the novel would see it, is that when Henry deserts, he is showing disrespect to his home country of the United States, Italy, and anyone else that he had worked with in the war. My interpretation of the novel supports my belief about Henry’s actions. Hemingway’s prose describes the hopelessness displayed in all of the soldiers as the Italian army was retreating. As the reader, it felt like I was there, experiencing this bleakness and despair with the soldiers. When I felt this, I immediately sympathized with Henry, knowing that he was in more misery as he was also separated from the woman that he loved. Henry had to make a personal choice, and for me as the reader, I believe that he made the right one.

The honesty in Hemingway’s writing is another reason that A Farewell to Arms was able to connect to me as a reader so well. Even without knowing that much of the novel is autobiographical, based on Hemingway’s time spent as an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, the tone of his writing illustrates the fact that Hemingway has respect for his characters. By showing this respect, Hemingway shows that he believes in these characters, which in turn, makes it easier for the reader to believe in them. The character of Henry is so well written that I was instantly drawn into his inner-mind and feelings.

The positive characters in all of Hemingway’s works believe in loyalty to what one’s true ideals are instead of false romanticism. This meant being realistic about what was actually happening. During the army’s retreat from Caporetto, Henry thought, “All I had to do was get to Pordenona with three ambulances. I had failed at that. All I had to do now was get to Pardenona. I probably could not even get to Udine. The hell I couldn’t. The thing to do was to be calm and not get shot or captured.” His realistic viewpoint also comes in handy for him as he realizes that the officers that want to kill him are just fighting for their country. He takes initiative to escape, therefore making his own “separate peace.”

Hemingway’s beliefs about life are ones that I have attempted to use in my own life. He describes his thoughts in A Farewell to Arms: “If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The word breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” Suffering is an inescapable aspect of human life. Hemingway’s realistic beliefs state that no one can escape death, but they can find things to make it less painful by remaining true to themselves. When I have read Hemingway’s work, this set of beliefs has jumped out at me and made an impact. Life is about finding what makes one happy and living the best life they can according to their own values, not just trying to escape the inevitable death.