546 Hemingway, Ernest
sure, he chose the side that opposed military expan-
sion, but it all seems a grand adventure. Catherine
Barkley asks him, “Why did you do it?” He claims
not to know. Ms. Barkley, like his readers, should be
skeptical. Nonetheless, his response is notable for its
lack of rationale. He places himself in mortal danger,
driving from the front lines of active battle back to
hospitals and stations, through difficult (and some-
times impassible) terrain, under fire and exposed to
the constant threat of injury or death. And yet he
offers no reason for it. There is no history to dic-
tate his dedication to this cause. His family is not
recently immigrated. His home is neither affected
nor in danger due to the war. There is no apparent
need for his presence at the front. Yet he comes to
Italy to seek out a position in the Italian army.
Although nationalism can be hard to define,
some would call it the (often) extreme dedication to
patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts. Putting one’s
life on the line for a national cause is the textbook
instance. Austria and Germany are invading Italy,
and Gino, Rinaldi, the priest, and the other officers
are fighting for their homes. Their cause is personal
and patriotic. They are passionate in their nation-
alism. Even nurse Barkley joined the war effort
because her life and home are threatened (Britain
is also at war with Germany). In the end, however,
it is Lieutenant Henry’s story, and Hemingway’s
choice of narrator dictates the polemic of the novel’s
perspective. While Lieutenant Henry never explic-
itly takes a position on nationalism, it is clear from
his attitude that he is not nationalistic but believes
himself motivated by a higher calling.
For Lieutenant Henry, nationalism, and its per-
sonal counterpoint of “patriotism,” is at best an
excuse and at worst a compulsion. He finds the label
useful only to withdraw funds against his grandfa-
ther’s goodwill. He poses the rhetorical question of
whether or not his grandfather can morally send
him to jail rather than give him the money. Clearly,
however, such “sight drafts” are a manipulation of
the nationalistic impulse of his grandfather. Though
Lieutenant Henry may be doing the right thing
in engaging in the war, his motive for using the
patriotic sympathies of his family and friends is
manipulative. Beyond the simple utility of national-
istic rhetoric, it holds little value for the lieutenant.
If nationalism is not used to better his own situation,
it is the force by which otherwise peaceful men are
conscripted and condemned. In a short conversation
with an orderly at the convalescent hospital, Lieu-
tenant Henry offers a compelling rationale for those
who would make war versus those who would other-
wise be peaceful: “But [those who make war] make
them do it . . . And the ones who would not make
war? Can they stop it?” The orderly responds, “They
are not organized to stop things and when they get
organized their leaders sell them out.” Nationalism
leads to conscription, then. Perhaps there are better
reasons than nationalism to fight and defend one’s
home (family, heroism, masculinity to name a few),
but invoking love of the land upon which you hap-
pen to be born is only rhetoric and propaganda.
Aaron Druckerparenthood in A Farewell to Arms
At its end, World War I was the deadliest interna-
tional conflict in history. It was called “The War to
End All Wars.” The second half of the novel A Fare-
well to Arms chronicles the romance of Lieutenant
Frederic Henry and nurse Catherine Barkley. The
affair begins as such wartime romances do: a friendly
meeting, growing closer, an injury, the recovery, and
finally the passionate exchange. Catherine becomes
pregnant with Lieutenant Henry’s child; after a
series of unfortunate events, they decide to desert
their posts in Italy, have their child, and move to
America. Their son, the product of their passion in
a time of fear and violence, is meant to grow and
thrive in the aftermath of the decimation of Europe.
But in the face of destruction, desertion, and isola-
tion, life proves too difficult to sustain. In war, all
life is stillborn.
Joking as they make their escape, Lieutenant
Henry assures Catherine, “Rowing in moderation
is very good for the pregnant lady.” They cross into
Switzerland to escape the war and begin their life as
a family. At the onset of book 5, the reader rejoins
the couple settling into a routine of lazy ease near
Montreux. They have thwarted the deadly insan-
ity of war. “We had a fine life,” Lieutenant Henry
extols. “We lived through the months of January
and February and the winter was very fine and we
were very happy.” Throughout the last few chapters