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Chapter 39
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
March and spring arrive, and Henry and Catherine move to the town of Lausanne to get closer to the hospital. Henry reads in the paper that the German offensive against France has begun. He drinks a lot and, in deference to Catherine's wishes, continues to grow his beard. He begins to box at a local gym and she buys baby clothes, but they both have the feeling that with the baby coming so soon they cannot waste any time together.
Though Henry and Catherine have escaped the war, they cannot escape the other realities of life simply by hiding in Switzerland or disguising themselves with beards or doing domestic activities. Their desire to spend every moment together seems to imply that they sense some kind of approaching doom.
Themes
