Frederic Henry is the protagonist who makes the show of love and war moving through his narration. We cannot guess about his age as there are no peculiar clues concerning his age. Yet he is considered a student under the age of 25. The nature of Henry's character changes as the story moves on.
A Play Boy
Henry does not seem interested in developing spiritual love. He rather takes a fancy to practice common love. That's why he acts against the advice of the priest to visit his native Abruzzi. But instead, Henry visits the city of brothels, indulges himself, drunken, in sexual activities in whorehouses during his vacations from the war front in early chapters of the novel.
His love for Catherine is also based on a common love. He narrates his "affair" with Catherine as thus: "I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her,". He is often seen comparing his love for Catherine to the bridge game.
His Respect for the Priest
Priest is a source of entertainment for the rest of the officers. Henry has termed their disrespectfulness towards the priest as "priest-baiting". Although Henry does not follow the advice of the priest to visit sacred places yet he is not seen in the priest-baiting. In this way, he shows his respect for the priest by not indulging himself in tormenting the poor clergyman. The Priest knows Henry better than Henry himself.
An Ill-matured Boy
His boyish attitude towards the war and love makes him an ill-matured boy as compared with his beloved, Catherine who is superior in intellect to that of Henry as she has already suffered the loss of her fiancé in the war. He humorously chatters with Catherine: "Let's drop the war.". But Catherine replies with a more realistic and practical answer: "It's very hard. There's no place to drop it.".
A Brave Lieutenant
Despite his boyish attitude towards the ethics of love and morality of war, he bravely encourages and protects his ambulance personnel in a ditch during an abrupt shelling on the other end. According to Henry, defeat is worse than the war itself. When an ambulance driver dies or gets wounded due to the constant fire of mortar shells, it is Henry who lifts them to hospitals.
His Separate Peace
Henry gets injured and when he is recovered, he is again sent to the war front reluctantly. The fierce bloodshed and Italy, losing the war made him bit a farewell to arms. War already had injured him both physically and mentally. The "show was already over for him. "
His Love for Catherine Improving
His regular meetings with Catherine inspired his boyish intellect to flourish accordingly. In Switzerland, when Catherine shows her intension to cut her hair down in respect of Henry's hair, Henry replies, elaborating his Catherinic change: "We are the same one. "
Conclusion
Henry, an American student, the lieutenant in Italian Fronts, was a man of words, not deeds but as his Rinaldiac influence was corrected by Catherine and Priest, he successfully shaped himself as a hero.
Source
- CliffsNotes
- A Farewell to Arms - Critical Study by Ramji Laal
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