Structure of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example

A Farewell to Arms Nearly every single work of fiction follows the same map when it comes to plot. Although that statement may seem too broad, it is also, generally, the truth. Regardless of whether it is a plot laden with aliens and wizards, or the goings on in every day life, plot takes the same path which is known as narrative structure. This narrative structure can be identified by looking for the elements of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution or denouement. Within the classic novel, A Farewell to Arms, author Ernest Hemingway employs all of these aspects of narrative structure in order to effectively transport the reader through the plot. The exposition is generally where the author presents the background information to the reader. Background elements include the setting, introduction of characters, and the beginnings of the plot. In A Farewell to Arms, the exposition is identifiable in the first few chapters. Hemingway sets the scene for where a lot of the action will take place as he describes the initial setting of the story, “In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains”(Hemingway). Here, the reader is given both a basic sense of the time of year and a description of the location. A few sentences later, the author sets up an important aspect of the overall plot when he writes, “Sometimes in the dark we heard the troops marching under the window and guns going past pulled by motor tractors”(Hemingway). This introduces the reader to the fact that a war of some sort is happening which is likely to play a big part in the novel. For several paragraphs, Hemingway continues to describe both the setting and further delves into the plot. Finally, within the exposition, the reader is introduced to the main character of Frederic Henry. The author writes from the perspective of Henry from the beginning, so the reader knows that we are seeing the world from a specific character’s perspective. The author also introduces the reader to the characters of Rinaldi, who is a good friend of Frederic, the Priest, and Catherine Barkley, who is Henry’s love interest throughout the story. Once all of these elements have been set into place, Hemingway then sets up the rising action. The rising action is essentially everything that occurs within the plot which leads to the climax. Within A Farewell to Arms, there is quite a bit of rising action. The growing relationship between Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley is perhaps the biggest and most important piece within this aspect of the narrative structure. Up until the climax, Henry and Barkley go back and forth in their strange yet passionate relationship. At one point, Henry even describes Barkley as crazy: “I kissed both her shut eyes. I thought she was probably a little crazy”(Hemingway). In addition to their growing courtship, Frederic Henry is also dealing with the knowledge that he is going to have to go back to war which is a part of the rising action as well since it inevitably puts something of an expiration date on Henry and Barkley’s relationship which is made even further complicated when Henry discovers that Barkley is pregnant. “I’m going to have a baby, darling. It’s almost three months along”(Hemingway). Even though Frederic tries to get out of having to go back into war, he is unsuccessful. This rising action ultimately leads to the climax of the piece. The climax is basically the boiling point of the story where everything comes to a head, and a decision or action is made that impacts the rest of the story. The climax within A Farewell to Arms occurs when the Italians are basically forced to retreat, and Frederic Henry is placed in mortal danger when he is nearly killed by the opposing German forces. “‘Take him back with the others,’ the first office said. They took me down behind the line of officers below the road toward a group of people in a field by the river bank”(Hemingway). A few of the people that Frederic Henry is with end up being executed, but he is able to survive. It is this ultimate survival that leads to the falling action. The falling action is all of the action that occurs after the climax. The author begins to tie everything up within this part of the narrative structure as the resolution grows closer and closer. The falling action of this particular novel largely involves Frederic Henry fleeing the army after his close call with death which means he is considered a deserter. “I was going to forget the war. I had made a separate peace”(Hemingway). Henry then meets up with Catherine Barkley and prepares to live a normal life with her, even though he does appear to be afraid of being caught and sent to prison for his role as a deserter, and there are a few scenes where Henry looks like he will be found and arrested at any moment. The falling action also details several scenes where it seems like Frederic and Catherine will live happily ever after, but the resolution/denouement turns the piece back into a tragedy. A Farewell to Arms is resolved by several tragic events. Catherine gives birth to a baby, but the baby is stillborn. “I could see nothing but the dark and the rain falling across the light from the window. So that was it. The baby was dead”(Hemingway). Soon after this occurs, Catherine dies as well due to a hemorrhage. “I went into the room and stayed with Catherine until she died”(Hemingway). After these two events, Henry merely walks outside into the rain, presumably to disappear forever. “After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain”(Hemingway). So, ultimately, the resolution of the piece is that the main character loses everything he ever cared about, and he is alone again. Hemingway chooses to end the piece with uncertainty for both the reader and the main character. Hemingway provides a prime example of the classic narrative structure within his A Farewell to Arms. In studying and analyzing the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, a reader is better able to spot and understand the key similarities and differences between every written work that they come across. In the end, it is quite interesting, and something of a relief, to know that a genius such as Ernest Hemingway still stuck to the basics when it came to constructing this masterpiece. References Hemingway, Ernest. A farewell to arms. New York, NY: Scribner Classics, 1929. Print. Essay Outline Introduction A. Discuss the narrative structure B. Transition into A Farewell to Arms C. Thesis statement a. Within the classic novel, A Farewell to Arms, author Ernest Hemingway employs all of these aspects of narrative structure in order to effectively transport the reader through the plot. Body Paragraphs A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax D. Falling Action E. Resolution The Conclusion A. Conclusion and tie back to idea in introduction Read More