A Victim Of War: A Historical-Biographical Interpretation Of Henry In A Farewell To Arms

A Farewell to Arms is one of Hemingway's classical works,and the hero Henry is a tragic figure who suffers from the war.The novel draws a lot of scholars' attention,and there have been many researches on it,including international studies and domestic studies.Studies of the hero Henry mainly talk about his tragic fate in the novel and his characteristics.International studies largely discuss Henry's anxiety about gender identity and his personal sufferings.While domestic studies mostly claim that Hemingway shapes Henry as a tragic hero and a confused resistant.Henry's experiences in A Farewell to Arms is similar to the author Hemingway's life experience.There are few former studies which specialize in close connection between Henry's tragic fate and Hemingway's life experience.The thesis interprets Henry's tragedy with the historical-biographical approach,and then states that Henry is a victim of the war like Hemingway.Historical-biographical approach is a branch of traditional approaches,and it regards a literary work as a reflection of the author's life and times.This approach considers author's life and times as an important factor in text analysis.Most Hemingway's works are supposed to be biographical more or less.Hemingway has joined in two world wars,and his experiences become the basis of his writings.He always inserts life experiences into his works,and Henry in A Farewell to Arms is created as a reflection of Hemingway.Hemingway's experiences during World War I are reflected by the hero Henry.Hemingway's feelings and thoughts will be expressed through the interpretation of Henry.From the perspective of the historical-biographical approach,the thesis discusses Henry's tragedy which is brought about by the war.The discussion of Henry's tragedy consists of two aspects: his tragic fate caused by the war and his tragic fate in love.Henry actively goes to the front line with full ambitions of glory and get seriously wounded in a bombardment.Henry's valiant act in the novel is based on the writer Hemingway's experience during the World War I.After Henry goes through the bombardment,he is aware of the cruelty and ridiculousness of the war.The gloriouswar is just a fake,and Hemingway expresses his hatred for the war through Henry and soldiers' detestation.Henry decides to get away from the war,and devotes himself to pursuing love.But his love with Catherine ends with tragedy in war time.Catherine who is considered as the reflection of Hemingway's first love,dies of Caesarean operation.Henry's tragic fate which comes from the war and love sent him into the depths of despair.With the interpretation of Henry's tragedy,the thesis comes to a conclusion that the writer is a victim of the war,and his sufferings from the war are reflected by the hero Henry's tragedy.The war not only results in his physical injuries,but also makes him become desperate in life.Great damages from the war are indelible,Hemingway's experiences in war time provide materials for his writing.In A Farewell to Arms,his anti-war idea is indicated by revealing the war damage to people.Hemingway creates the hero Henry who suffered from the war to show people's miserable life in war time and reflect his own experiences.Damages caused by the war are always catastrophic whenever it breaks out.