A Farewell to Arms: Apathy or Self-Preservation? Lieutenant Frederic Henry goes through hell in Hemingway's famous pacifist novel, A Farewell to Arms, but as each crisis washes over him, it doesn't seem to quite register. He tells the story a decade later, which may partly explain the audacity of statements like this: “But [cholera] was controlled, and in the end only seven thousand in the army died” (4). He describes the horrors of war in stark, matter-of-fact tones while speaking more eloquently about the countryside or food and drink. He also often recounts his times with Catherine in a flat, unyielding voice. Is he simply a passive observer, content to let the traumas of war toss him from one place and mindset to another? Perhaps his near-monotonic narration isn't so much apathy as a defense mechanism that has allowed him to survive the devastating experiences of war and loss. The opening chapters focus so intently on the surrounding countryside, the forests, valleys and villas where Henry and his fellow ambulance drivers live, that the war seems almost incidental. He also notes with some complacency the possibility of an Austrian occupation of the city: "I was very happy that the Austrians seemed to want to return to the city one day, if the war was over, because they didn't bomb it to destroy it." but only a little in a military sense" (5). This is a man who does his job, doesn't question authority, and makes the best of the situation. It is never overtly explained why Henry, an American , drives the ambulance for the Italian army, but there is talk of family disputes and an architectural practice in Rome interrupted by the war. So this is also a man who seems...... middle of paper..... .d States after the war. The war is back in the background and is only mentioned as something you read about in the newspapers; Henry's feelings about it are mentioned, but not in any depth. In the story's tragic conclusion, when he realizes that Catherine is dying, he retreats again to talk about the meals, the drinks, who he sees in the tavern, with wonderful details. Even as he agonizes "But what if he were to die? He won't die. He's fine. But what if he were to die?" there is still that sense of detachment (321). After her death, he sees her as a statue and his farewell "was of no use" (332). He goes out into the rain, after sowing the seeds of his survival by staying a little away from chaos, passion and the need for connection. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest, 1929.