Comment on how at least ONE character from Book I influenced Henry – or
how he influenced them. (The Priest, Rinaldi and Catherine Barkley) Include quotes and
page numbers to support your ideas. Once you have posted your ideas,
please check back periodically to comment on at least two other posts.
In the book Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, Henry was influenced by many of the characters. In return, many of the characters were influenced by him. One of the most influential characters was Rinaldi. He was the person who introduced Henry to Catherine Barkley in the first place. He tried to make Henry more open and to let loose a little. By introducing him to Mrs. Barkley he changed the way Henry acted. Henry became more open towards others, instead of just giving one-word answers to questions he actually talked to people. Not only did Rinaldi influence Henry, he was a great companion and stood by Henry throughout the story. “How are you baby? How do you feel? I bring you this-“ It was a bottle of cognac. The orderly brought a chair and he sat down, “and good news. You will be decorated. They want to get you the medaglia d’argento but perhaps they can get only the bronze” (63). This quote shows how Rinaldi stays by Henry’s side throughout the story because Rinaldi is coming to visit him while he is wounded in the hospital, which shows a sign that he cares. This quote also shows that Rinaldi wants him to let loose because he brings him a bottle of cognac while he is wounded in the hospital. Not only was Henry influenced by Rinaldi, but Rinaldi was influenced by Henry. Henry taught him to be careful about things and practical. Rinaldi and Henry are too opposite characters. Rinaldi is carefree and Henry is more practical. Throughout the story they develop traits from each other that make each of them better people in the long run. Overall, many characters in the book Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, influence Henry and in return are influenced by him.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned the fact that Rinaldi introduced Henry to Miss Barkley- I think a lot of people will forget how their relationship started!
DeleteI like that you really highlighted Rinaldi and Henry's friendship, because it is such an odd relationship they share.
DeleteI like how you talked about Rinaldi showing Henry something things.
DeleteI like how you mentioned the differences in Rinaldi's and Henry's character and how that makes them help each other to become better people!
DeleteAt the beginning of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Henry was a quiet, yet confident ambulance driver in the Italian army. His roommate, Rinaldi, tells Henry of his love for Miss Catherine Barkely, and he soon takes Henry to meet her. Catherine and Henry get along immediately, and there is a mutual attraction. At first they make small talk, like how she thinks it’s odd that he’s an American in the Italian army, but he doesn’t realize that Catherine will soon influence, and change, him forever.
ReplyDeleteWhen Henry goes to visit Catherine, he tries to put his arm around her and kiss her. She slaps him in an attempt to humble him, as written on page 26, “’Yes,’ I said. ‘Please.’ I leaned forward in the dark to kiss her and there was a sharp stinging flash. She had slapped my face hard. Her hand hit my nose and eyes, and tears came in my eyes from the reflex”. Despite the immediate anger from being slapped by his potential love interest, he finds instead that he is intrigued by Catherine’s courage. “She was looking at me in the dark. I was angry and yet certain, seeing it all ahead like the moves in a chess game” (pg. 26).
As time goes on, Henry finds himself really thinking about the feelings he is starting to develop for her, “I thought she was a little crazy. It was all right if she was. I did not care what I was getting into” (page 30). Catherine, on the other hand, is already verbally addressing her love for Henry, like on page 30. “’Yes,’ I lied. ‘I love you’ I had not said it before’. Henry starts to think about her more and more when they are not together, he fantasizes about seeing her and being with her on page 37. And not much longer after that, he starts to feel lonely when he’s not with her, “I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly” (pg. 41). Although Henry’s feelings for Catherine took longer to sink in and truly affect him, they did eventually nonetheless.
Catherine, on the other hand, was much quicker to express her emotions and her attraction for Henry. Catherine senses that Henry is trustworthy and opens up to him about her boyfriend who was killed in the Somme. “’He was a very nice boy. He was going to marry me and he was killed in the Somme” (18). After she slapped Henry for attempting to show his affection for her, she decides to take a chance on him and she finally lets him kiss her. “’Yes you are a dear. I’d be glad to kiss you if you don’t mind’” (pg. 27). But perhaps the greatest token of her trust is her Saint Anthony necklace. She gives it to Henry for good luck when she hears he will be leaving for a little while, and I believe this is the moment they both know they trust each other very much. “She was unclasping something from her neck. She put it in my hand. ‘It’s a Saint Anthony’” (pg. 43).
Over the course of Book 1 in A Farewell to Arms, Catherine Barkley and Henry both change because of connection between them. They both learned to trust one another and open up. The beginning was slow, but the attraction is without a doubt there. There is plenty of foreshadowing to indicate that Catherine and Henry’s love will soon strengthen in Book 2.
I really liked the quotes you used to show how Catherine Barkley is influencing Henry, and how Henry is influencing her. I agree with the foreshadowing indicating their love will continue.
Deletethe amount of quotes you used was great! your details were thorough and your points were well established! I believe Catherine and Henry's love with strengthen further along in the story as well.
DeleteThe details you used in this makes the whole passage very well written! I love the quotes you used, they definitely show the relationship growing between Henry and Barkley.
DeleteI like how you used a lot of quotes from the book to back up what you were saying.
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ReplyDeleteI really like how you looked at their relationship from a different perspective. The quote shows their relationship from a new angle.
DeleteI agree! Catherine definitly had a big effect on Henry and his emotions!
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ReplyDeleteIn the book Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, Henry was influenced by the priest and many other characters. Henry values the priest's opinions allowing himself to be influenced by the priest."The priest was good but dull. The officers were not good but dull. The King was good but dull."(Hemingway 38). This portrays his respect for the priest's words and he values them more than the words of his companions. The priest becomes friends with Henry which is portrayed later on in the chapter when the priest visits Henry in the hospital. The priest is held in a high opinion of Henry when Henry compares him to the other officers, "You are different though. But I am really like they are. The officers don't see anything."(Hemingway 70). The relationship between the priest and Henry is mutual in the way that both respect one another's opinions and allow the other to influence themselves. An example is Henry trying to love after saying that he doesn't love in their last conversation. Henry respects the priest and can agree with some of his opinions and to Henry the priest's opinions hold value. Henry acts more responsible around the priest and values the priest as his friend.
I love that you picked the priest. Not many people talked about their relationship because it is so discrete. But it is also so so important. I also liked that you mentioned his respect for the priest, because most of the soldiers had very little respect for him.
DeleteI agree with you completely when it comes to the priest. I also loved the quote that you used.
DeleteWhile reading Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, I took note that the characters influenced each other and were influenced by each other as well. More specifically, Henry and Catherine Barkely. Henry was introduced to Catherine at the beginning of the book by his closest friend, Rinaldi. Rinaldi originally had intentions on marrying Catherine. “I am now in love with Miss Barkely. I will take you to call. I will probably marry Miss Barkely.” (Pg.12) Plans changed and neither Henry nor Rinaldi knew that the encounter of Henry and Miss Barkely would spark a connection between the two.
ReplyDeleteRinaldi introduced Henry to Catherine, as the woman he was in love with. This did not have any effect on the two, as there was an immediate connection. They talked and talked and she went in depth about the man she previously had loved. They both glance over at Rinaldi, who is already engaged in a conversation with another woman.
A little background information on Henry is that he is an American ambulance driver and he has great motivation but lacks passion. After meeting Catherine he is changed for the better, she has given him something to be passionate about. “I looked in her eyes and put my arm around her tight as I Had before and kissed her. I kissed her hard and held her tight and tried to open her lips; they were closed tight. I was still angry and as I held her suddenly she shivered. I held her close against me and her head went back against my hand and then she was crying on my shoulder.” (pg.27) Henry claims, also on page 27, that he and Catherine are “friends,” but there is no truth in that, they are much more.
Henry becomes softer and compassionate around Miss Barkely, something he had never experienced much before. “I did not care what I was getting into. This was much better than going every evening to the house for officers where the girls climbed all over you and put your cap on backward as a sign of affection..” (Pg.30) Perhaps what Henry means by this is that even though he claims he does not love her, he feels a sense of commitment towards her. “No. I’ll always come back.” He promised, on page 30 as well.
“I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly, I had gotten somewhat drunk and nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow.” (pg.41) This is how Henry feels after going to visit Catherine and being told by a receptionist that she is not well. He had taken seeing her too lightly and almost forgotten to show up, and he is crushed when he finds out that he will not be able to see her. I think that he realizes that this is more serious than he thought and he should be more responsible. This clearly shows his attraction and affection for Miss Berkely, for if she was truly just a ‘friend’, he would not feel despair and emptiness like he did. His feelings indicate love and commitment towards her.
Henry has most definitely been influenced by Miss Catherine Berkely so far in Farewell to Arms, and it will be interesting to see what becomes of them further on into the book.
You really show how Henry is heavily influenced by Berkley! Your description of them being more than "friends" is great!
DeleteI like how you added background information on Henry! Also, I liked the quote you used from page 41.
DeleteIn the book Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway, Lieutenant Henry is a brave, confident ambulance driver who does not speak out much. His friend, Rinaldi, introduces him to a young V. A. D. , Catherine Barkley. At first sight, Henry is attracted to Catherine Barkley, and she soon has a huge influence on him. At the beginning of the book, Henry has never fallen in love, but Barkley has. She had fallen in love with a young boy who was killed in war. When Henry and Barkley start becoming friends, Henry soon finds that he has the companionship of Barkley, and even though she is a little crazy, that he will go along with it. The first night when he tries to kiss her, she denies him but then soon decides that she will let him. He does not think that she influences him so much until one night he went to go see her and she wasn’t there, he soon felt incomplete, “I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly” (41). Throughout the rest of book one, you notice that Henry keeps thinking of Barkley on and off, and that the more he thinks of her, the more he wants to be with her. Barkley is very open to Henry, and even gives him her St. Anthony necklace to wear while he is away. He soon loses the necklace and does not think anything of it, which shows that even though he is developing feelings for her, they are not as developed as hers are for him. Henry has also influenced Barkley’s character heavily. She learns that she can see someone again and even open up to him, as she does when she tells him about her fiancé that was killed in war, “He was a very nice boy. He was going to marry me and he was killed in the Somme.” Henry was greatly influenced by Barkley, but she was also greatly influenced by him.
ReplyDeleteI love how you go into a lot of detail and blend everything together so smoothly!
DeleteI really like all the detail you used and the quotes you used are really good examples.
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ReplyDeleteIn the book ‘A Farewell to Arms’ by Ernest Hemingway influence had a lot of part in the way things turned out and how the story of unfolded. Inside the novel many people influenced Henry throughout the chapters but he in turn also influenced many other people. Henry is a Lieutenant who works as an ambulance driver at a place just outside the battle front. I believe the biggest way he was influenced, though, is between the girl he starts to fall in love with, Miss Catherine Barkley. He first falls in love with her when he is introduced to her by Rinaldi who originally loved her and had actually planned on marrying her before he found out that she was more taken by Henry than him. As said on pg. 21 “miss Barkley prefers you to me. That is very clear. But the little Scotch one is nice.” When he first met Catherine he had never fallen in love before. Once he meets her though he realizes that he is starting to. These are the first signs of how Ms. Barkley influences him. At first she denies him when he tries to kiss her but realizes he did as she asked by dropping the subject of war and allows him to kiss her. An example of how he influences her would be when they first met each other she still thought of her old fiancé who was killed during the beginning of the war. Pg. 18 (He was a very nice boy. He was going to marry me and he was killed in Somme.” They had been dating and engaged for eight years but had never gotten married because she thought it would be harder on him because it was a bigger commitment. But what he doesn’t realize is that he is repeating for her what happened to her last fiancé. She loves him but he doesn’t feel the same way about her as she does about him. This is proven when he loses the necklace she gave him and he doesn’t really mind or feel badly that he did. When he gets injured during the war it also relates to what happened to her last fiancé except that he survived. How she influence Henry, though, was that he found a friend in her that he had never had with anyone else. Originally she allowed their ‘romance’ to carry on even though he lied when he said he loved her. But soon enough he finds that he has actually fallen in love with her and becomes much softer and gentler with her because he realizes that he would truly be upset if she ever left. Pg. 41 “I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly, I had gotten somewhat drunk and had nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow.” These are a few examples of the many ways Henry and Catherine have influenced each other throughout Book 1 of “ A Farewell to Arms”. There are many other ways in which characters had affects on each other but none more so, I believe, than between Henry and Catherine.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was great that you chose Catherine. To me it seems she would've been a harder character to choose since she isn't seen in the book as much a the priest or Rinaldi.
DeleteI also agree with you that Catherine had the most influence on Henry. I like the examples you used to support the reasons why Catherine influenced him.
DeleteCatherine really had a strong effect on Henry's emotions. She really forced him to look deeper into himself and attempt to understand what he feels.
ReplyDelete"'This is a rotten game we play isn't it... You're a nice boy,' she said, 'And you play it as well as you know how. But it's a rotten game.'
'Do you always know what people think?'
'Not always. But I do with you. You don't have to pretend you love me. That's over for the evening. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?'
'But I do love you,'" (31). Catherine refused to let Henry get away with just saying words, she insisted that he mean them, and if not she did not put up with it. She really taught Henry a lot about how to face his feelings for people and how to deal with them honestly.
Rinaldi was a very large factor in Henry's life at camp. He was the person that made Henry feel accepted at the front and teased him in a very friendly way. I really found it funny that even though Rinaldi and Henry have been barely friends yet Henry is loaning money.
ReplyDelete"'Have you any money?'
'Yes.'
'Loan me fifty lire'"(Hemingway 12).
Rinaldi also introduced Henry to Ms. Barkley. Ms. Barkley is the one who has almost taught Henry how to love. Rinaldi is a pinnacle Henry's life at the front and I am excited to see how it continues in the book to come.
The character Lieutenant Henry in A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway was influenced by several characters throughout Book 1, and influenced them as well. One of the characters, the priest, is a young man who Henry is particularly fond of and influenced by. They make each other think about and realize what is going on around them, and how others treat them. "'I don't love much.’ ‘Yes,' he [the priest] said. 'You do...When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve'" (72). The priest explains to Henry that passion and lust is different than love and when he finds it he will be happy. By being told this, Henry will most likely subconsciously try and find the real meaning of love. They try to make each other feel better as well. While Henry was in the hospital, the priest visited him and brought him a few gifts; a mosquito net, a bottle of vermouth, and English papers. He tells Henry, “I miss you at the mess” (69). Henry makes the priest feel more comfortable when he is picked on and taunted at the mess. He accepts him for who he is and provides support for him. "'I [the priest] would be too happy. If I could live there [Abruzzi] and love God and serve Him.' 'And be respected,' I [Henry] said. 'Yes and be respected. Why not?' 'No reason not. You should be respected'" (71). Henry notices the disrespect directed towards the priest by the other officers and tries to convince him to go back to Abruzzi where he would be respected for doing something he loves; serving God.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Henry has been influenced by the Priest. I thought it was interesting how Henry did not join in with the other officers when they where making fun of the Priest. It shows a lot about his character.
DeleteIn the book A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway, the main character, Henry, was heavily influenced by Catherine Barkley. Catherine and Henry were first introduced to each other by Henry’s close friend, Rinaldi. Immediately after meeting Miss Barkley, Henry discovers he’s attracted to her—“Miss Barkley was quite tall…blonde, and had a tawny skin and green eyes. I thought she was very beautiful” (18). She begins influencing him by teaching him to become more sociable and how to care for and love others. On page 19, during their first conversation, Catherine asks Henry if he’d loved anyone before. Henry replied by simply saying no. As the pages go on, it becomes clear that Henry is becoming passionate about her. “Lonely and empty” (41) were the feelings he acquired when Catherine wasn’t around.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of Miss Catherine Barkley and Henry’s relationship, Catherine was in turn influenced by him. With Henry, she was able to love someone other than the last boy she was with, whom she had been engaged to for eight years. The reader first learns about Catherine’s fiancé during her and Henry’s first conversation—“’She was carrying a thin rattan stick like a toy riding-crop, bound in leather. ‘ ‘It belonged to a boy who was killed last year.’ ‘I’m awfully sorry.’ ‘He was a very nice boy. He was going to marry me and he was killed in Somme.’” (18). Both Henry and Catherine influenced each other in the first section of the book.
Much like those of real people Lieutenant Henry's personality in A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway did not stay the same throughout time yet was influenced and changed by many characters throughout the book. I thought his relationship with his friend Rinaldi was particularly interesting. Rinaldi is a very humorous loving, and caring person and influenced Henry to be the same. For instance he brought a sense of humor to the lieutenant. Before Rinaldi's character was introduced the lieutenant he seemed to be sort of dull, but when he interacted with Rinaldi that changed. He brought out a whole new side of Henry we hadn't seen before. ""Loan me fifty lire... I must make on Mrs. Barkley the impression of a man of sufficient wealth. You are my good friend and financial protector." "Go to hell" I said"(12). Rinaldi's presence seemed to change the lieutenant dramatically, and being more humorous wasn't the only change. His love for his friend is obvious from the way he kisses him hello each time he sees him to the concern he shows when Henry is hurt. When Rinaldi first saw Henry after he was injured the first thing he did was kiss him and say, "How are you baby? How do you feel? I bring you this-" and gave him cognac. The sincerity of his love for Henry is portrayed especially well when he said, "I wish you were back. No one to come in at night from adventures. No one to make fun of. No one to lend me money. No blood brother and roommate. Why did you get yourself wounded?"(65) Though Henry doesn't realize it at first he displays that same sincere love he learned from Rinaldi with Catherine. When Miss Ferguson said Catherine was not feeling well and that she couldn't spend time with him that evening he was heartbroken and ashamed that he had drank before he went to see her, and thus in his mind not treated her like she should be. “I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly, I had gotten somewhat drunk and nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow.”(41) Rinaldi also influences Henry to be more caring. He often looked out for Henry like when Henry had been in a drinking contest and was supposed to meet Catherine later "Rinaldi went our with me. We stood outside the door on the patch and he said, "You better not go up there drunk." "I'm not drunk, Rinin. Really." "You'd better chew some coffee" "Nonsense" "I'll get some, baby. You walk up and down." This type of caring behavior rubbed of on Henry and is prominent when the dugout the ambulance drivers and he were in got hit by a trench- mortar shell and instead of first checking out his wounds or trying to get to safety he tried to save Passini. Lieutenant Henry was influenced by many other characters throughout Book One but in my opinion the most influential character was Rinaldi.
ReplyDeleteI love how you thought of Rinaldi as the person who had influenced Henry. Before I read your analysis I hadn't even really considered Rinaldi. It was interesting to hear your perspective on who has influenced Henry.
DeleteIn the book "Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemmingway, the character who has influenced Lieutenant Henry the most so far is Catherine Barkley. The first time that Henry meets Catherine he is with his friend Ronaldi who believes that Miss Barkley is very beautiful and wants to call upon her. When they arrive however Ronaldi ends up speaking with Catherine's friend Helen and Henry spends that time speaking and geting to know Catherine. The next day Henry goes to call upon Catherine and while there he tries to kiss her. "'Oh darling,' she said. 'You will be good to me won't you?' What the hell, I thought" (Hemmingway 27). This qoute shows how Catherine is far more invested in the emotional side of the relationship which Catherine and Henry have begun. It shows that while Catherine wants this to actually go somewhere Henry is more just looking for someway to pass time during the war. "I did not love Catherine nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards" (Hemmingway 30). In this passage it shows even more the small amount of emotion which Henry has been commiting into this thing that he as going on with Catherine. She is always asking him to tell her that he loves her but he just wants to have fun. However when Henry gets sent away he starts to think about speaking with Catherine with a sense of longing and lonelyness. It seems that as this part of the book progresses Henry develops actual feelings for Catherine and trully cares about her. So maybe next time when he says that he loves her it will not be a lie.
ReplyDeleteI love that you mentioned what each person wanted out of the relationship. I hadn't thought about how Henry was pretty much just using her at the beginning of it.
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