Revision: Flowing with Stability
BEFORE
Flowing with Stability
There’s more to everything than meets the eye. In A Farewell to Arms there are many symbols used to convey certain ideas, but one in particular stands out the most. The constant mention of the river throughout the novel demonstrates an important symbol of an inner need for something constant through times of war, as well as times of peace. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Hemmingway depicts many concepts through mention of the river. By identifying that the river is a symbol for something deeper, Hemmingway leads the reader to interpret and understand the meaning of this landmark. The first indication that the river is important in A Farewell to Arms, is the fact that it is mentioned in the first line and following lines of the novel. As a description of the setting Hemmingway writes: “In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river…In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders…” (3). Even though this is a simple use of detail, it is a clear signal that the river is going to be an important part of the setting as well as the plot. It is also mentioned numerous times on page four to depict the story line. Frederick Henry talks about his navigation saying, “…and we crossed the river in August and lived in a house in Gorizia…The river ran behind us…” (4). Frederick also uses the river to escape obstacles. For example, when he is trying to escape the German officers he dives into the river for protection. He describes his escape by saying, “I ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river, my head down. I tripped at the edge and went in with a splash… (225). Without this escape route, this could have been the end of Frederick’s journey, but as usual, the river is present with constant support. In the first “book”, the river is mentioned various times including in regards to setting as well as being referred to as an obstacle to surmount and other references. Regardless of the context, the river is recognized early on in the story as an important aspect of the plot and an efficacious way to enhance the complexity of the story. As the novel progresses, the importance of the river as a symbol begins to be more and more understood. Through setting and imagery, Hemmingway continues to portray the significance of the river in relation to the plot of A Farewell to Arms. For example, to describe his journey back to Catherine, he links his explanations of his surroundings and his path to the river. The fact that the river is so influential and gathers so much attention gives evidence that it is more than just a simple landmark. In Frederick’s account of his trek, he states, ‘The river was low and there were stretches of sand and pebbles with a narrow channel of water…I saw arched stone bridges over the river where the tracks turned off from the road…”(44-45). The constant mention of the river in these types of situations acts as the breaking point for the realization of the river as a symbol. Not only is the river used to describe setting, but it helps the reader understand and visualize what is going on in the plot. The river is a constant object that is always relied on to be there; therefore it is something that the reader can connect with. Moving away from the river in relation to the setting, it is also seen as an obstacle to get across, always there and never changing. Even though it is seen as a comfort of stability, in relation to the war and enemies, it is a fear in the back of every character’s mind. Rinaldi demonstrates this by asking Frederick, “Did they cross the river all right?”(63). He seems to be unconcerned by the casualties due to fighting or the conditions of the front, he wonders about their journey across the river, demonstrating the magnitude of it as a symbol. It is apparent that the war is being fought on either side of the river; therefore demonstrating an obvious importance of it as a symbol. The appearance of the river is inevitable in almost every “book” of the novel. The river is recognized as an important symbol almost immediately, the interpretation of what it is symbolizing progresses alongside the plot. As A Farewell to Arms spirals to an end, all of the characteristics of the river as a symbol begin to piece together to complete the big picture. Various aspects of the river combine to create an overall meaning of it as a symbol. By being unchanging and always present, the river acts as a symbol for stability by pointing out the changes surrounding it.. In times of war, everything is always changing. People change, places change, even countries change, but in A Farewell to Arms the only thing that doesn’t change is the river. By staying constant and always being referenced to with description, the river points out the even changing of everything affected by the war. In order to obtain a positive goal, the war makes many negative changes, which are exemplified by the presence of the river. Through its many appearances in different parts of the novel, the river demonstrates its significance through imagery, setting, plot, and even plays a role in one of the many conflicts. In the end, the river plays its role by pointing out the changes of war through contrasting it with its own characteristics. It would be difficult for one to deny the fact that the river is an ever-present symbol in A Farewell to Arms. The first sign that the river is important is that it is mentioned in the first line and continuously throughout the first chapters of the novel. As the story progresses, the intricacy of the symbol heightens and leads to greater understanding of the novel. By staying constant, the river demonstrates the effects of war on the people and places of the times. If simply overlooked, the river would not seem like an important symbol, but beneath the surface, the river places an important role in plot interpretation and setting development. The river is full of mysteries.
AFTER
Flowing with Stability
Fish are not the only things seen in the river in A Farewell to Arms. Amidst the various symbols used in the novel, the river stands out as the most influential. The constant mention of the river demonstrates a symbol of an inner need for a source of stability in war times and peace times. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Hemmingway depicts many concepts through mention of the river. By demonstrating that the river is a symbol for something deeper, Hemingway leads the reader to interpret and understand the meaning of this landmark. By introducing it early on in the novel, Hemingway recognizes the importance of the river as a symbol. As early as the first line of the novel, Hemingway uses the river in a description of the setting writing : “In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village hat looked across the river…In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders.”(3). Even though this is a simple use of detail, it is a clear signal that the river is going to be an important part of the setting as well as the plot. It is also mentioned numerous times near the beginning of the novel to depict certain aspects of the story. In the first book, the river is mentioned various times in regards to setting and plot through the use of detail. Regardless of the context, the river is recognized early on in the story as an important aspect of the plot and an efficacious way to enhance the complexity of the story. As the novel progresses, the importance of the river begins to become more greatly understood. Through setting and imagery, Hemingway continues to portray the significance of the river in relation to the plot of A Farewell to Arms. For example, to describe his journey back to Catherine, Frederick Henry links his explanations of his surroundings and his path to the river. The fact that the river is so influential and gathers so much attention gives evidence that it is more than just a simple landmark. In Frederick’s account of his trek, he states, “The river was low and there were stretches of sand and pebbles with a narrow channel of water…I saw arched stone bridges of the river where the tracks turned off from the road…”(44-45). Frederick also uses the river to escape obstacles. For example, when he is trying to escape the German officers, he dives into the river for protection. He describes his escape by saying, “I ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river, my head down. I tripped at the edge and went in with a splash…”(225). Without this escape route, this could have been the end of Frederick’s journey, but as usual, the river is present with constant support. The constant mention of the river acts as the breaking point for the realization of the river as a symbol.Not only is the river used to describe setting, but it also helps the reader understand and visualize what is going on in the plot. The river is a constant object that is always relied on to be there; therefore, it is something that the reader can connect with in their minds. Even though it is seen as a comfort of stability, in relation to the war and enemies, it is also a fear in the back of every character’s mind. On either side of the river is where the war is taking place, where the fighting occurs. It is the only unchanging object during wartime, but it has negative connotations attached to it. Rinaldi demonstrates this by asking Frederick, “Did they cross the river all right?”(63). He seems to be unconcerned by the casualties due to fighting or the conditions on the front. Rinaldi only wonders about their journey across the river, demonstrating the magnitude of it as a symbol. The fact that the war is being fought on either side of the river demonstrates the obvious importance of it as a symbol. The appearance of the river is inevitable in almost every book of the novel. The river is recognized as an important symbol almost immediately while the interpretation of what it is symbolizing progresses alongside the plot.As A Farewell to Arms come to an end, all of the characteristics of the river as a symbol piece together to complete the big picture. Various aspects of the river combine to create an overall meaning of it as a symbol. By being unchanging and always present, the river acts as a symbol for stability by pointing out the changes surrounding it. In times of war, everything is always changing, but in A Farewell to Arms the only thing that doesn’t change is the river. It is always being referenced to with description, pointing out the ever-changing theme of everything being affected by the war. In order to obtain appositive goal, the war makes negative changes, which are exemplified by the presence of the river. It appears in many different parts of the novel, demonstrating imagery, setting, plot and even plays a roll in one of the many conflicts. In the end, the river demonstrates its significance by pointing out the changes of the war through contrasting it with its own characteristics.It would be difficult for one to deny the fact that the river is an ever-present symbol in A Farewell to Arms. The first sign that the river is important is that it is mentioned in the first line and continuously as the story progresses. The more the story develops, the greater the intricacy of the symbol becomes and leads to greater understanding of the novel. By staying constant, the river demonstrates the effects of ht war on the people and places of the time. If simply overlooked, the river would not seem like an important symbol, but beneath the surface, the river places an important role in plot interpretation and setting development. The river is full of mysteries.
