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Chapter 23
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Farewell to Arms, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War
Love and Loss
Reality vs. Fantasy
Self vs. Duty
Manhood
Religion
Summary
Analysis
Henry and Catherine say their goodbyes in front of the train station in the rain.
Rain is always a bad omen in the novel.
Themes
The train is crowded, with every seat taken. When Henry gets on and takes the seat that he had paid someone to hold for him, an Italian army captain takes exception. After some back and forth, Henry lets the captain have the seat and goes to sleep on the floor.
The episode with the captain is a reminder of the petty bureaucratic idiocies that are a part of army life and which take precedence over goodness and fairness.
Themes
