Farewell To Arms Paper :: essays research papers

Hemmingway has a unique style of writing. It works on multiple levels. A person could read Farewell to Arms and enjoy it as a tragic love story. Hemmingway’s concise writing style allows a literal interpretation. At the same time a reader could get involved with the various symbols that he has placed in the novel. In a way everything he has can be used as a symbol depending on a person’s biases. This is what makes Hemmingway’s writing even more unique. He can have what seems to be a straightforward sentence have multiple meanings. The transcendentalist and romantic writing styles leave ideas vague so the reader can reflect on his/her own thoughts. Hemmingway is pragmatic in the sense that his writing can be read literally, but also romantic if you read his work more in depth. One symbol that Hemmingway seems to use constantly is night and the fear of darkness. Fredrick is afraid of the dark. What this seems to mean is that Fredrick is afraid to be in the unknown. This is the idea that males want to know what is around them. Fredrick is afraid of what he does not understand. This symbol is also seen in â€Å"A Way You’ll Never Be† where Hemmingway’s character Nick will not sleep without a light. When a person sleeps they are resting and it seems that Fredrick does not want to rest without â€Å"knowing†. If Nick were to have the light he would be able to see what was going on. This would allow Nick to â€Å"know† what is happening. Thus it could be seen that the symbol of the unknown and how the male characters want to â€Å"know† what is happening. Another analysis of this could be that Fredrick is afraid of the malicious things around him. This is the superficiality of the male. Basically in this sense the male w ants to live in his perfect little world and not worry about the complexities of life. This is the opposite of the fear of the â€Å"unknown† because in this sense the males do not want to know. Fredrick would then be scared of the evil around him. War is part of the â€Å"evil† around him because with war comes with real sadness. Frederick’s fear of darkness is really fear of those evil elements and the sadness around him. Fredrick is afraid of the sad reality. He wants to live in the simple superficial world he is in.