A Farewell To Arms

Earnest hemingway

Chapter 23&24
 Chapter 23
Summary
On their last evening together in Milan, Lieutenant
Henry and Catherine Barkley take a room in a
hotel after he buys a pistol
 Active themes

WAr
LOve and Lose
REality Vs FAntasy
Self Vs Duty
Manhood
REligion
Significant Lines From this Chapter

"But at my back I always hear

Time's winged chariot hurrying near"
Henry quotes from "To His Coy Mistress," a lyric poem
by Andrew Marvell. The reference to the poem itself,
about a woman who is sexually unavailable, is ironic,
considering all of Henry and Catherine's premarital
sexual activity. But the lines themselves are consistent
with the sense of doom that pervades the novel.
 Symbolism

Fog, Rain, mist

Rain as a Potent symbol of Tragedy
 The Hemingway
Style

Hemingway's novels and stories are remarkable, and

distinctively modern, for their lack of exposition.
Though A Farewell to Arms contains almost no
information about Henry's life prior to the war, much
less Catherine's, we don't particularly miss it, as the
present action is so compelling.
 Chapter 24
Summary

Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley say goodbye at

the Milan train station. Henry has paid a soldier to save
him a seat on the train, but to avoid trouble, he gives his
seat to a captain. The train departs for the front.
 Active Themes

Love and loss

Reality vs fantasy
War
Self vs duty