Farewell to Arms

 Farewell to Arms

by Ernest Hemingway

A "classic" book, by a classic author? For me, after this read the question remains at large. This book is mostly a life/love story about a foreign national couple who found each other while managing their lives on the Italian side of the Austro/Italian front of the Great War. I call it the Great War because in Hemmingway style, the book is written so much in absolute first person that construction of the main character, Henry, does not make the date setting clear until the last part of the book. Hemmingway does indeed live up to his reputation for making you feel "right there" inside the body” of the main characters.

He builds an appreciation for the moral conscience of those engaged in war. He describes the people within his medical unit as ambivalent to the power mongers of the commanders on either side of the armies at war. This observation does indeed resonate with other material I've read, whereby even the magistrates of the countries involved, were disconnected and somewhat not in control of their armies.

The other moral message that Hemingway raises is one whereby life keeps beating a person into submission of the throws of society. He raises this in the conclusion of the book where Henry looses both his wife and newborn first son in childbirth. Both moral lessons are merely broached with little story line follow through.

The book is only 300 pages in length, which leads me to conclude that his moral lessons were mere coincidences in the course of telling a love story. I can say that his reputation had me looking for a deeper pool of thought. To his credit, he did a nice job describing the northern Italian and Swiss countryside. I can say I did find myself envious of the lifestyle of the average American man with a wealthy father of 1916 in Europe. Send me more money!!!

For Whom The Bell Tolls

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Ernest Hemingway

This an action-drama book where the central theme in the storyline is to blow up a bridge.  The duration of the story is four days and takes 500 pages to cover.  In classic Hemingway style he blends the time period, setting, character development, and moral message into the mission of blowing up the bridge.  The time period is early WWII set in Spain with the Spanish Fascist in league with  German allies faced off  against the newly formed Spanish Republicans.  In that aspect the reader learns of the internal Spanish tensions as well as the goal to fend off Germany. 

The key protagonist is Robert-Jordan, an American who is tasked with an assignment to blow up a bridge in the mountains of Spain.  He hooks up with a band of Republican guerilla fighters and is holed up in a cave near the targeted bridge.  Each character’s personal story that drives his moral conscious is detailed in the course of the story.  Hemingway diverts into what is immediately on a characters’ mind as he is executes on orders from Robert-Jordan.  While four days in the cave, the dynamic interplay between all the members of the guerilla band adds robust color to the mind of man.  Two moral questions are addressed.  First is when is it ok to kill another man.  Second is confidence found in courage.  If any of the members see a lack of confidence found courage, the other members plot to rid him, up to killing him. 

 Standout characters are Pillar and older battleaxe of a woman who becomes Robert Jordan’s “right hand man”.  And Maria, a young tender woman, beaten up by the enemy, who falls into the arms of Robert-Jordan.  Hemingway brings actions, suspense, drama of moral conscious, and love into focus around one mission.  Blow up a bridge.  Will they be successful?  Will Robert-Jordan and Maria live happily ever after? Read the book and find out.