The Inevitability of Death Revealed in a Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway has been heavily criticized for an alleged hatred of women that some believe is evident in his written. One of the main books that critics say displays this misogynistic attitude is A Farewell to Arms. It is counterproductive to interpret the book with such a narrow focus because the author deals with much deeper themes. Hemingway is not concerned with the issue of gender equality, but rather with the larger themes of the inherent struggle of life and the inevitability of death. The first images of struggle and death are seen in chapter 9 when Frederic is wounded. Up to this point in the story Hemingway had depicted a very serene pastoral setting and existence for the characters. It is here, however, that all this collapses. Hemingway shows the horrors of war. War is not a glorious and colorful event; it is a dirty and vile thing. This is the first hint that the romantic ideas Frederic clings to may turn out to be false. It is suggested here that human existence is quite tragic. Hemingway shows many deaths due to war. Passini, Rinaldi (who is presumed to have died of syphilis), unnamed officers, a sergeant, Aymo, and many others are victims of the crazy war. Their deaths are shown as random and random events in Frederic's life. Throughout the book Frederic seems to be trying to escape the death that surrounds him and retreat once again into the peaceful existence he enjoys at the beginning of the book. This constitutes what I believe is the theme of the book: struggle is inherent in life and death is inevitable. Another representative of death is Count Greffi towards e...... middle of the sheet ......ainst Hemingway who accuses him of hating women. Hemingway does not idealize Catherine out of a deep hatred of women. It does not subordinate her to display male dominance. In fact, I think Catherine is less of a factor in this book and is more of a tool used for thematic purposes. Hemingway uses it to show Frederic's inability to escape death. To use the ant metaphor (327-328), we are all ants on a log running unconsciously into the fire. And just when the log is tilted so that we are away from the flames, just when we think we are safe, someone puts us back into the fire and we die. Hemingway is showing that man's frantic struggles and running here and there are useless, we all die in the end. Furthermore, try as we might, we cannot keep death out of our lives. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest A Farewell To Arms. Scribner Paperback Fiction: NY, 1995.