Abstract

A Farewell to Arms was written on the basis of Hemingway’s own experience as an ambulance driver during the First World War. This novel is one of his most famous masterpieces, he takes the war as a backdrop, tells a love story between an American ambulance driver and an English nurse. Hemingway expresses the theme of anti-war and peace-loving by depicting the miserable fate of Henry and Catherine. Readers can see anti-war sentiments from everywhere in this novel, the cruelty and the evil nature of war were uncovered through the detailed descriptions of battlefield and the depictions of the reality of the war, which all reflect the theme of anti-war. This paper aims to discuss the theme of anti-war by analyzing its contents as well as its way of manifestations.

Key words: Ernest Hemingway；the theme of anti-war；the First World War

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction.1

 1.1 Introduction of Ernest Hemingway.1

 1.2 Introduction of A Farewell to Arms.1

 1.3 Introduction of the theme of anti-war2

2 Ernest Hemingway’s Anti-war View.2

 2.1 Criticizing the hypocrisy and ugliness of bourgeoisie.3

 2.2 Criticizing the cruelty and mercilessness of the war.4

  2.2.1 The war-weariness among the soldiers.4

  2.2.2 The tragic romance between Henry and Catherine5

  2.2.3 The description of battlefield scenery5

 2.3 The source of Hemingway’s anti-war view.6

  2.3.1 The historical source.6

  2.3.2 The personal experience.7

3 The Change of the Hero-Henry.7

 3.1 The changing process of Henry.7

  3.1.1 Henry’s change in the war7

  3.1.2 Henry’s change in love.8

 3.2 The reasons for Henry’s change9

  3.2.1 Henry suffered from the war.9

  3.2.2 Henry’s love and loss.10  

4 The Symbolic Meanings of the Natural Phenomenon.10

 4.1 The symbolic meaning of the mountain11

 4.2 The symbolic meaning of the plain.12

4.3 The symbolic meaning of the rain.12

5 Conclusion.13

References .14