Spring is a Liar:

My body is hot and dry, and my breath comes heavily. This is the situation when every time after saying goodbye with a weapon, it comes towards me and mostly stabs me in the heart.

I always think of Frederick Henry when saying goodbye with a weapon.

As if I was beside him when he cut the salami with a pocket knife, ran into the cold inside the wagon and huddled up. He was depressed and alone inside, and in that darkness, he thought of Catherine. That loneliness, that escape from being, that spectacle of a lost conscience when seeing the burning of the laughing tree and doing nothing, and that silence and taciturnity out of helplessness, I have understood more than ever before.

Catherine was dying, and he had become more nervous and taciturn than ever. You are dying and you don't know what the matter is. Once in the railway station, he set fire to a log that was full of ants. As soon as it started to burn, countless ants poured out. First, they went towards the middle where the fire was burning, then they turned back and fled to the end of the log. They fell into the fire, some like Henry went in, some were burned and charred. At that moment, he thought that perhaps it was the end of the world and it was a good opportunity to become Christ and pull the log out of the fire, but he did nothing. The moment he believed that Catherine would die, his heart had become empty. He prayed to God not to let him die. He called out to God and promised that if Catherine didn't die, he would do anything for God. The goodbye with a weapon that is always read takes on a more profound story. A story about losing one's faith in everything that has taken us away.

I feel that fatigue from seeing the repetitions of life in Henry. When he looked at the wounded and smelled their fear, he remembered his own wounding. He remembered the time when his soul separated from his body due to the stress and returned to his body before his long death. I felt his escape when listening to the soft moaning of the shells. You weren't afraid, you just came for the sake of love. When he went to his room with Rinaldi for the last time, it was snowing outside. He went to the window and looked out. He returned to Rinaldi's bed and felt Rinaldi's body in its empty place for the last time. I knew that he was thinking of the night after the illness in the hotel room with Catherine and was becoming more and more certain of leaving the war. He returned to the battlefield again to observe the annihilation more precisely. When reading, when getting lost in the story, more than ever, I believed that no one is guilty. But what can be done? When writing with Aymo, Bonello, and the priest before the retreat, only he knew that this was a small goodbye party. He wanted to forget the war, he wanted to go away with Catherine and be happy, he wanted to reach peace, but every time he felt excitement and came down the snowy roads with Catherine, he was sure that his excitement was a false spring. Every time I watched his leaving the hospital, I felt more of the stiffness of his muscles in my body, and his heavy steps in that rain pulled me into the story more. When sentences like this ended, what a headache came to him? I felt the dryness of his fingers when he looked at Catherine's statue in my own hands. I always want to think of you. On the nights when he ate dinner around the table with the priest, Rinaldi, and other officers, wrote and laughed, he didn't even think for a moment what days were waiting for him. He didn't think that after a while, in order to escape from the war, his boat would be forcibly held on a wooden plank and the hope of getting a little pleasure in life would make him try and prevent his death. I'm sorry that you became so hopeless and thought so much about that wooden plank after that night, that if only you had followed that path at that time.

I'm also grateful to Shaqayeq and Ali for coming together and reading it with me, which made me spend more attention and perseverance.

This book narrates a different perspective of war.

Of course, the protagonist of the book is a man with a special personality.

He is an American officer in Italy and gets involved in love with an English nurse during the turmoil of war.

The war scenes in the book are also not few, and it also shows the reality of war.

Soldiers are desperate for a chance to escape from the war or get leave, and they even wound themselves to be hospitalized.

The beautiful love of Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley was the climax of the story. This part was written extremely well and was full of emotions.

However, I didn't enjoy the war scenes and their descriptions at all. In my opinion, it was a bit too long.

I think this book was a goodbye to Hemingway for me.

I read "The Old Man and the Sea" and this book. I don't have any feelings for reading other books of his anymore.

Far away though we are, in both place and time, from the First World War, Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms can give the interested reader a profound sense of the horrors of that war.

It also reveals the despair and disillusionment that the vast blood-letting of the war caused throughout the Western world. Hemingway seamlessly combines an epic story of World War I battle action with a tender and affecting love story.

It is, for many admirers of the work of this great American author, their favorite Hemingway novel. I know that it is mine.

Hemingway fans and scholars alike know how closely A Farewell to Arms corresponds with key events from Hemingway’s life.

Hemingway wanted to serve in the First World War, even though the United States Army had rejected him for military service on account of his poor eyesight.

Therefore, he travelled to Europe and volunteered as an ambulance driver for the Italian Army in 1918. Seriously wounded by mortar fire along the Italian Front, Hemingway convalesced in a hospital near Milan.

There, he became involved in a passionate though ill-fated love affair with a Red Cross nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky.

These bare-bones details were fleshed out by Hemingway to become A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway’s fictional counterpart for this novel is Frederic Henry, who like Hemingway is an American.

A commissioned officer with the rank of lieutenant, Henry serves on the Italian front, is wounded, recovers in hospital in Italy, and falls in love with a nurse.

Her name is not someone with a “von” in her name (might confuse the readership – aren’t we supposed to be fighting the Germans?), but rather a demure young Englishwoman named Catherine Barkley.

Part of the novel’s interest inheres in Frederic Henry’s changing attitudes toward war. At first, the wounded Frederic is eager to return to the front, to the camaraderie of men-at-arms and the shared dangers and joys of a soldier's life.

As the novel continues, however, Frederic comes to feel that his primary duty is to Catherine, and to the child that eventually results from their love for each other.

Hence Frederic’s ultimate willingness to declare his “farewell to arms,” to separate from the warrior code that has hitherto sustained him, and to place a simple, peaceful human relationship with wife and child at the center of his life.

Many readers back in 1929 would no doubt have sympathized with Frederic’s decision. Eleven years after the Armistice of Compiègne concluded the “War to End All Wars,” most observers would no doubt have seen the First World War as a vast exercise in futility.

That attitude toward the carnage of World War I can be seen when Hemingway writes that “abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates.”

That attitude toward war also comes forth in Hemingway’s recounting of the Italian retreat from Caporetto, a dramatic highlight of the novel.

Small wonder that Frederic and Catherine make their own “farewell to arms,” crossing the border into Switzerland and enjoying an idyllic winter interlude.

Yet just as Hemingway’s real-life relationship with Agnes von Kurowsky did not end happily, so complications attendant upon the birth of Frederic and Catherine’s child pose the danger that their love, while true and intense, may be short-lived.

I returned to A Farewell to Arms in the context of a trip, some years ago, to Havana, Cuba.

There, my wife and I saw various sites associated with Hemingway and his life.

And perhaps this novel occupies my thoughts today because it is Veterans’ Day, a federal holiday in honor of American veterans, and a day that had its historical antecedents in the armistice that ended the First World War on November 11, 1918.

For me, no other American novel of World War I captures the horror of that war, or the cruelty with which war separates people from one another, so well as A Farewell to Arms.

Ernest Hemingway, after completing the first draft of "A Farewell to Arms", in a letter to his publisher, Max Perkins, said:

"I would like to put it aside for two or three months and rewrite it. The rewrite will not take more than six or two months. But it is very important for me that before rewriting, I put it aside for a while and do nothing with it."

Then he continued:

"I want to make sure that I have put it aside long enough so that I can pick up on things that I may have forgotten while writing and convey them to the reader."

This shows Hemingway's meticulous and dedicated attitude towards his writing. He understood the importance of taking a break and reflecting on his work before attempting to improve it. By setting the manuscript aside, he was able to gain a fresh perspective and notice details that he might have overlooked during the initial writing process. This attention to detail and commitment to quality is what made Hemingway one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

There was nothing that made me happy.

The text was very nerve-wracking.

It seemed as if there was a void within me, and no matter what I did, I couldn't find that source of joy. The words on the page, instead of bringing any comfort or inspiration, were like thorns pricking at my nerves. Each sentence felt like a burden, weighing me down and making it difficult for me to find any semblance of peace or contentment. It was as if the world around me had lost its color and vibrancy, and all I was left with was this dull and nerve-wracking text that offered no solace or relief.

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my mind, but I find myself completely at a loss when it comes to putting them into words.

It's as if my ideas are like a jumble of puzzle pieces, and I can't seem to figure out how to fit them together to form a coherent sentence or thought.

The frustration is overwhelming, and I feel like weeping rainy tears.

I long to express myself clearly and effectively, but the words just won't come.

Maybe it's because my thoughts are too complex or because I'm afraid of not being understood.

Whatever the reason, it's a feeling that I'm all too familiar with.

I hope that one day, I'll be able to find the right words and share my thoughts with the world.

"Tell me exactly what happened. Did you do any heroic acts?"


"No," I said. "I was blown up while we were eating cheese."


What more can I add to what has already been said?

Yes, the romantic aspect between the man and the woman is extremely awkward. All those "Darlings" and "Say you love me" lines sound like really bad movie dialogue.

However, I really loved listening to all the characters expressing their views on the war. The action sequences are not only captivating but also often quite disturbing.

Moreover, Henry's witty exchanges with Rinaldi are truly precious!

Plus, considering this is a story centered around war, the book had significantly more humorous moments than I had anticipated. So, here's to you, Papa!

I truly had a great time listening to the audiobook. John Slattery, who is perhaps most famous for his role as Roger Sterling in Mad Men, did an outstanding job. He managed to bring the book to life in a wonderful way.

People who sin have a good taste

Third Reading: 27 June 2024

This third time through, my focus shifted to the reasons why I had previously withheld that fifth star from its rating. As I reflect on my two previous readings, I remember feeling that the portrayal of the relationship between Fredric and Catherine seemed somewhat childish. Their exchanges were mainly composed of single-syllable words, mostly centered around their intense insecurities regarding their love for each other.

Paying attention to this persistent detail made me realize just how young these characters were. They must have been in their early twenties, which aligns with Hemingway's own age during his involvement in WWI and his relationship with a Red Cross nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky.

This awareness of their age led me to examine my own inability to rationally handle the all-powerful force of love at such a tender age. Through this self-examination, Hemingway's depiction began to make sense. Fredric and Catherine (and Hemingway himself) were little more than adolescents, swept up in a desperately emotional bond. It's no wonder their insecurities dominated their every word and action. This is Hemingway drawing from his own life once again to make his story as authentic as possible. With this understanding now in place, I can award the fifth star, and A Farewell to Arms becomes even more real in my mind.

Finally, this version of the novel includes a significant amount of draft material in its appendices. It was fascinating to see how the novel originated in Hemingway's mind. I was amazed to learn that at some point, he changed the perspective from third to first person, and knowing that Fredric Henry was initially named Emmett Hancock satisfied my love for trivial knowledge. But most importantly, it was enlightening to see that every one of these draft passages was of a lower quality than the final corresponding material in the novel. It was inspiring to realize that the key to good writing truly lies in rewriting.

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Second Reading: 27 June 2019

The current state of the American government is a farce. Our leaders appeal to senseless emotions or simply lie to those who are willing to accept falsehoods out of loyalties similar to religious beliefs. They aim to lead us down a path that has been traversed many times in the past to further巩固 their power.

However, today's situation holds promise. Our present farce is a result of technicalities that favored a minority rather than widespread political support. As a society, we have never been more reasonable, and we have grown since the days of WWI. Although this growth has not been without bumps, it is growth nonetheless.

Amid this path of growth lies A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway offers a critical perspective on war and questions some of the fundamental reasons why we engage in war. He presents a story that examines the duty to reason and contrasts it with the blind loyalties that pervade war. Hemingway argues that once the government abandons reason, abstract loyalties should be abandoned as well. It is through this individual process of thought that the atrocities of war can be avoided in the future. While it is evident that Hemingway was ahead of his time, he was undoubtedly on the right track.

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First Reading: 6 November 2004

"Adio, arme!" This is the story of the author himself, who was sent as a "volunteer" to the front in Italy (World War I) and fell in love with a Red Cross nurse. The passion with which love is described in the second part of the novel and its tragic ending (which made Hemingway withdraw into solitude) represent a profound experience, an experience whose consequence was the crystallization of the artistic halo.

Hemingway's style is concise and rarely has fragments in which to describe states, thus leaving it to the reader's latitude to interpret the uncertainty of the feelings so evident in his writings.

A film, "In love and war", was also made, only the subject is much modified. However, the ending of the film seems to me much more overwhelming than the ending of the novel. The film may have taken some liberties with the original story, but it managed to create a more powerful emotional impact. It shows the power of love and war in a different light, making the viewer reflect on the sacrifices and losses that come with both.

Overall, both the novel and the film offer unique perspectives on Hemingway's life and work, and both are worth exploring for those interested in his art.

The CCLaP 100 is an interesting project where the author reads a hundred so-called "classics" for the first time and then writes reports on whether or not they deserve the label. In this installment, the focus is on Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms".

The story, set during World War I, follows Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver for the Italian army. It's a semi-autobiographical tale that showcases Hemingway's unique style. The book is not about glamorizing war but rather highlighting its mundane aspects, like the red tape and BS conversations among soldiers. At the same time, it also delves into the monstrous developments of World War I, such as the use of the new European railway system.

The arguments for "A Farewell to Arms" being a classic are twofold. Firstly, Hemingway is considered an important novelist and a key figure in Modernism. Secondly, the book is seen as a great document of the times, similar to other works from the "Jazz Age" or "Lost Generation". However, there are also arguments against it being a classic. Some critics believe Hemingway is overrated, his style is hackneyed, and his "man's man" shtick is old. They also claim the book has bad prose and aimless meanderings.

Despite the negative things said about Hemingway, the author's verdict on "A Farewell to Arms" is positive. The book is surprisingly tight, illuminating, fascinating, and even funny in parts. The love story in the middle, involving Catherine Barkley, is also more sophisticated than it might seem at first glance. Overall, "A Farewell to Arms" is a cracking read and a definite classic that comes highly recommended.

The original article is not provided, so I can't rewrite and expand it specifically. However, I can give you a general example of how to expand an article.

Let's assume the original article is: "The dog is running in the park."

Expanded version:

The lively dog is joyfully running in the beautiful park. The park is filled with green grass and colorful flowers. The dog's tail is wagging happily as it enjoys the freedom and fresh air. People are strolling around, and some are even playing with their own pets. The dog seems to be having a great time, running here and there without a care in the world.

This is just a simple example, and you can adjust and expand it according to the actual content of your original article. If you can provide the original article, I will be able to give you a more accurate and detailed rewritten and expanded version.