A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Studies show that the human race cannot survive without the water produced by rain. This precipitation provides the earth with not only a plentiful supply of drinking water but also a means for trees to flourish and emit oxygen. Moreover, rain essentially plays a crucial role in literary classics; however, its significance drastically differs from its importance in actuality. In Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, the motif of rain conveys the main characters’ attitudes about love and war through its depictions of death and departure.

Frederic Henry, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, is no stranger to war and, consequentially, death. His comrades are repeatedly killed while rain falls, as he confirms by relating, “The three of us squatted over him in the rain…..he died while I was stopping up the two holes” (Hemingway 213). The intricate relationship between rain and war symbolizes the disintegration of Henry’s faith in the gruesome war. At the start of the novel, Frederic argues with Passini and claims that there is nothing worse than defeat; even a continuous war is preferable to being conquered.

However, as more and more deaths occur in juxtaposition with rainfall, Frederic grows increasingly desperate to leave the battlefield; he even drinks himself into jaundice in his attempt to escape the brutality of war.

Furthermore, Frederic expresses his urgent desire for the war to cease when he ruefully remarks, “If the rain should stop and planes come over and get to work on that column…it would be all over” (Hemingway 299).

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This statement directly contradicts his previous assertion that it is not worth ending the war if the Italians are defeated. In this manner, the rain represents Frederic’s change in attitude in regards to warfare. In addition, he decides to desert the war and flee into Catherine’s arms as the rain, symbolic of the ceaseless manifestation of war, continues to fall about him. After asserting that he is through with the war, Frederic hopefully thinks to himself about his future together with Catherine in a distant land, far away from the country he once defended.

The immense power of rain also washes away Catherine’s façade of strength and replaces it with the truth, revealing her ultimate vulnerability and dependency on her loved ones. When questioned about her fear of rain, she reluctantly admits, “I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see you dead in it” (Hemingway 126). Once more, the rain is linked with war and the death and destruction it brings. Catherine holds a special fear of the war because her previous fiancé was killed in battle. Her loss now causes her to fear that all of her loved ones will be separated from her and she will be left alone. The war has scarred her internally, leaving her heartbroken and desolate, longing to find and latch to a man like Frederic. Thus, the rain not only represents her deathly fear of war and death but also makes known her anxiety towards loneliness.

As it so often occurs, one does not realize their love for another person until it is too late. The same holds true for Frederic; as the fog turns to rain while he says goodbye to Catherine, he realizes how much he will miss her and how important she is to him. He takes her to a lavish hotel, allows her to buy an extravagant nightgown, and repeatedly tells her, “You’re a lovely girl” (Hemingway 153). There is no doubt that he cares deeply for Catherine, although whether or not this is true love is debatable.

Frederic’s earlier statement that he “did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her” (Hemingway 30) has completely disintegrated. The rainfall during his admission of love towards Catherine symbolizes this breakdown of earlier beliefs. Frederic’s change in attitude is a shift for the better, unlike his negative outlook on the war. On the other hand, the motif of rain clearly reflects Catherine’s hesitation towards love. She expresses her doubts that Frederic does not truly love her when she questions, difference?”

“And you’ll always love me, won’t you? And the rain won’t make any (Hemingway 125) Catherine is like a broken eggshell; the war has tampered with her heart and rendered her unable to accept Frederic’s love at face value. She further supports this assertion when she confides that rain, or war, is “very hard on loving’ (Hemingway 126). Catherine has evidently faced much hardship and adversity throughout her lonely life, and these trials have resulted in a lack of belief in love. After losing her fiancé, she begins to realize that true love, like everything else in life, cannot withstand the challenges it must face. She sees both herself and her lover lying dead in the rain, signifying the destructive power that war has upon love. The pounding rain only serves to confirm these fears, foreshadowing a horrifying fate for either Frederic or Catherine herself.

In summation, Hemingway depicts rain as a dual symbol of both love and war and a representation of the main characters’ attitudes in regards to these two complicated phenomena. The overall significance of rain in this literary work of art is how it reveals Frederic Henry to be a dynamic character, as his feelings concerning both war and love drastically change throughout the course of the novel. Meanwhile, Catherine remains an undeveloped character, making it difficult for the reader to relate to her, since her past life remains a mystery.

Nonetheless, Catherine remains important to the protagonist, as both need a familiar face to cling to in the terrible times of war. Hemingway’s ultimate purpose in choosing rain as a motif is to reveal how love can be found within the tragedy of this war, where friends and lovers must stick together to prevail.