Farewell To Arms

In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, many different themes are present throughout the book. Love, lust, nationalism, tragedy, and hatred are what I think A Farewell to Arms is based on, but one theme that really caught my attention was the role of religion. I though the role of religion played a big part of this story because the love that Catherine and Henry shared was extremely influenced by religion.

Henry's feelings for Catherine were not only influenced by his feelings, but by his religious experiences. When Henry goes to talk to the priest, the priest teaches Henry what the true meaning of love is. The priest tells Henry that the love he has for God should be the same an individual has for the person they have affections for. Henry is somewhat religious, but Catherine is not. Catherine is an Atheist which cause some internal conflict with her and Henry. Henry understands religion and respects the power that God has, but he lacks some spiritual faith with God. When Catherine and Henry were sharing a night together, she tells Henry that, "You're my religion" (Hemingway 116). This shows that Catherine devotes her love and life to Henry making him "Her Religion." Another example is at the end of the book when Catherine was in labor. Henry asks if she was a visit from a priest, but all she tells him is, "Just You" (Hemingway 330). Again, this example shows how devoted her love for Henry is and plays a bigger role than religion does. While Catherine's religion is Henry, Henry still confides in God. During Catherine's emergency, Henry prays to God for her safety and begs him to save her life. This shows how Henry ties religion and love together for his love for Catherine.

In A Farewell to Arms, religion and love go hand in hand. For Henry, he confides in religion to find his love for Catherine. On the other hand, Catherine's religion is Henry. God is there to help