An Analysis Of Henry’s Disillusionment With War In Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms

Hemingway, one of the greatest American novelists in the 20 th Century, has an amazingly rich experience of war and deaths in his life. As the witness of the cruelty of war, he has experienced and felt them in his unique way, which is greatly revealed in his noted works such as A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Sun also Rises. Based on his work A Farewell to Arms, this thesis will give a detailed study of the main character Henry’s war experiences, together with his injury and disillusionment with war, so as to reveal the great destruction of war to society and humanity. Through the reflection about the destructions caused by war, the great effects and damage of war on human beings will be discussed.This thesis consists of five chapters. Introduction, the first chapter, focuses on the real-life experiences of Hemingway, as well as his works and influence on the literary world. The second chapter will be a description about Henry’s first involvement with war; the third chapter will introduce the war experiences of the hero Henry and analyze the plot of the story and the characteristic scenes of this novel; then it will explain the gradual development of Henry’s resentment of war. The fourth chapter will be a detailed study of Henry’s resentment of war, escape from war and complete disillusionment with war, and give a specific analysis of the pain and hurt caused by war and explain the ultimate reason for his disillusionment. The final chapter will be the conclusion: based on the analysis and study listed above together, a conclusion can be drawn about the cruelty of war and its destructive nature; it not only injuries people’s body but also hurts people’s minds and cause great desperation and disillusionment.