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Similes
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Macaroni and Cheese:
At the battle site of Pavla, Henry and the other ambulance drivers get hit by a mortar shell while eating macaroni and cheese, an instance of situational irony. The passage also contains simile and imagery to make the scene all the more vivid:
I ate the end of my piece of cheese and took a swallow of wine. […] Then there was a flash, as when a blast-furnace door is swung open, and a roar that started white and went red and on and on in a rushing wind. […] The ground was torn up and in front of my head there was a splintered beam of wood. In the jolt of my head I heard somebody crying. I thought somebody was screaming. I tried to move but I could not move.
One would expect the danger to occur during the battle itself, so this scene comes about unexpectedly. Unlike the glorified injuries that soldiers receive in battles, Henry gets hit while eating with his fellow soldiers. Getting hit by a mortar shell while doing something as mundane as eating macaroni and cheese, though, undermines the gravity and glory of war. It is so sudden and unceremonious that it is almost darkly humorous, demonstrating the absurdity and senselessness of World War I.
Moreover, the sharp shift from discussing Henry’s “piece of cheese” to the "screaming" and splintering world around him takes the reader by surprise. The simile comparing the exploding shell to "a blast-furnace door sw[inging] open" and the ensuing visual and auditory imagery make the moment even more shocking and vivid. The jarring escalation in imagery, in particular, mirrors the shock that accompanies an explosion. This is one of the more emotive and dramatic moments in the novel, made ironic by its banal prelude.
Related Themes:
Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—The Drinking Priest:
In Chapter 11, the priest agrees to drink vermouth with Henry, which appears ironic due to his religious profession:
"I am so glad you are all right,” he said. “I hope you don’t suffer.” He seemed very tired and I was not used to seeing him tired.
[...] “You were very good to come, father. Will you drink a glass of vermouth?”
“Thank you. You keep it. It’s for you.”
“No, drink a glass.”
“All right. I will bring you more then.”
This situational irony appears again in Chapter 25 when the priest reluctantly agrees to drink the glass of wine that Rinaldi pours him:
“Drink some wine, priest,” Rinaldi said. “Take a little wine for your stomach’s sake. That’s Saint Paul, you know.”
“Yes I know,” said the priest politely. Rinaldi filled his glass.
While it is not considered a sin for Catholics priests to drink, drunkenness is considered a mortal sin in Catholicism, and priests are traditionally restrained in their behavior. So, it likely takes the reader by surprise that the priest drinks with the soldiers in the novel. The priest exhibits a certain amount of self-indulgence that contrasts his typical moderate character. Therefore, the priest’s drinking habit depicts the widespread effect of wartime on not just the soldiers but also the civilians. Even priests, who have God to confide in during such tumultuous times, feel pulled to indulge in the looseness that alcohol provides in order to cope.
Related Themes:
Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—The Drinking Priest:
In Chapter 11, the priest agrees to drink vermouth with Henry, which appears ironic due to his religious profession:
"I am so glad you are all right,” he said. “I hope you don’t suffer.” He seemed very tired and I was not used to seeing him tired.
[...] “You were very good to come, father. Will you drink a glass of vermouth?”
“Thank you. You keep it. It’s for you.”
“No, drink a glass.”
“All right. I will bring you more then.”
This situational irony appears again in Chapter 25 when the priest reluctantly agrees to drink the glass of wine that Rinaldi pours him:
“Drink some wine, priest,” Rinaldi said. “Take a little wine for your stomach’s sake. That’s Saint Paul, you know.”
“Yes I know,” said the priest politely. Rinaldi filled his glass.
While it is not considered a sin for Catholics priests to drink, drunkenness is considered a mortal sin in Catholicism, and priests are traditionally restrained in their behavior. So, it likely takes the reader by surprise that the priest drinks with the soldiers in the novel. The priest exhibits a certain amount of self-indulgence that contrasts his typical moderate character. Therefore, the priest’s drinking habit depicts the widespread effect of wartime on not just the soldiers but also the civilians. Even priests, who have God to confide in during such tumultuous times, feel pulled to indulge in the looseness that alcohol provides in order to cope.
Related Themes:
