Throughout our lives we all are trying to find happiness. Often this search is related to more then one aspect. Similarly the speaker in George Peele's poem and the main character in Ernest Hemingway's novel are both attempting to make sense of their beings. The two literary works are different, however, in the way they present the way to happiness. While Frederic suffers to maintain the balance between the two aspects of his life-war and love, Peele's character has to give one thing in order to obtain the other.
The novel "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway is primarily a love story that chronicles the relationship between Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley through courtship, consummation, reaffirmation and finally separation by Catherine's death. Throughout the story, the war serves as a catalyst to their relationship not only creating the circumstances that bring them together emotionally but force their temporary separation as well.
Ernest Hemingway in Milan, 1918
Ernest Hemingway's WWI paramedic cap.
Frédéric DABIDuring the course of the story, Frederic's ideas about love are influenced not only by his growing feelings for Catherine, but also by his conversations with the priest and later with Count Greffi. The priest informs Frederic that the true nature of love, such as the priest has for God, is one in which you desire to serve the object of your affections and the Count qualifies that sentiment by advising Frederic that love for a woman is an act of devotion on par with religious feeling. These sentiments come to a head during the crises of Catherine's protracted labor when Frederic, who previously espoused no particular religious feeling, prays to God for her safety. When we first meet Frederic he is an officer in the Italian army serving in the ambulance corps and the United States has not yet entered the war. Although the novel takes...