A Farewell to Arms: Genre 1 key example

A Farewell to Arms is also a Modernist novel: as is characteristic of literary Modernism, the book features characters who are deeply disillusioned and alienated in rapidly changing society. Through discussions about power, loyalty, and purpose, the novel offers a commentary on war, ultimately arguing that it is utterly useless. Many characters introduced throughout the story, such as the surgeon Rinaldi or the priest, outwardly admit their hatred toward the war, building up a critique from Henry's perspective throughout the story. The book's focus on Henry's point of view is also characteristic of Modernist books, which tend to place more emphasis on the individual's inner experience of society than the wider world itself. In the same vein, the novel occasionally uses the stream-of-consciousness technique to make the reader feel as though they are inside Henry's head, fully immersed in his meandering train of thought.

Henry and Catherine spearhead the story with stoicism and apathy, demonstrating their past adversities and fractured loyalties toward the war. Their romance drives the plot, illustrating how disillusionment and distraction tend to become widespread during periods of turmoil. The couple takes refuge in each other, so that Henry may escape the everyday hardships of war and Catherine her own tragic past. Yet, despite their desperate attempt to evade the war and their duties, they meet their own fateful ends, with Catherine dying and Henry facing a solitary future.