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Key Symbols In A Farewell To Arms

Decent Essays

7. What are key symbols in A Farewell to Arms? What makes them particularly important and what do they reveal about a particular character(s), settings or theme in the novel?
Two of the main symbols in the novel, A Farewell to Arms, are rain and Catherine’s hair. Rain is used throughout throughout the novel as a symbol of the inevitable disintegration of happiness in life. On page 109 and 110 of the novel, Catherine talks to Frederick about why she is afraid of the rain. She states, “All right. I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it.” “No.” “And sometime I see you dead in it.” She believes that rain has a tendency to ruin things for lovers and lead to death which frightens her. In reality, rain does not have the power …show more content…

He is a true depiction of bravery through his courageous act of denying the medaglia d’argento. On page 55 of the novel, Rinaldo comes to the hospital to visit Frederic. He states, “Tell me exactly what happened. Did you do any heroic act?” “No,” I said. “I was blown up while we were eating cheese.” “Be serious. You must have done something heroic before or after. Remember carefully.” “I did not” (55). In this passage, Frederic portrays himself as a man of duty. He attaches to this that he has no sense of honor and does not expect any praise for his service. Even though Frederic has been severely wounded, he discourages Rinaldi from pursuing medals of distinction for him. This act is incredibly courageous as well as notable because Frederic refuses to accept a medal for something he has not done. He does not want to be praised or rewarded for not doing a heroic deed. Only a truly brave and honest man could decline such an honor. Through Frederic, I believe that Hemingway suggests the theme of true heroes. He teaches the reader that a real hero is someone who will be honest and humble despite the consequences. I believe that Frederic was a great character to portray one of Hemingway's overall

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