A Farewell to Arms as a Classic Literary Work

A Farewell to Arms as a Classic Literary Work

A Farewell to Arms as a Classic Literary Work



A classic literary work has been defined as a work "that lasts through generations because of its universality of theme, ageless symbolism, word choice and the ordering of detail." A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway should be considered a classic literary work due to the universal themes, ageless symbolism, word choice, and story detail.



Although there were several themes in this book, a major theme seemed to dominate the story. This theme is the importance of love and loss in a male emale relationship. These two lovers were so absorbed in each other that they needed no one else in their life.



'Wouldn't you like to go on a trip somewhere by ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...He had just suffered a major loss and dealt with it in the only way that he knew; through alcohol. Although drinking at this point was not actually mentioned directly, we can nevertheless assume that he was going to make this connection just because of the setting in the rain. This book had many examples of symbolism and they all point to the fact that there is always a terrible price to pay for weak actions or for blind love.



The word choice and ordering of detail of this book also leads one to believe that they are reading a classic. Hemingway's style is one of simple, straightforward dialogue with the absence of slang. Many generations of readers can read and understand the story. An example of this simplicity of dialogue is as follows:



'Where do you want to go, Cat?'



'Montreux.'



'It is a very nice place,' the official said. 'I think you will like that place.'



'Here at Locarno is a very nice place,' another official said' (Hemingway 282).



Although this simple dialogue is very easy to read, it is also very powerful in it's directness and simplicity. On the other hand, his use of language when describing scenery is very elaborate.



The next year there were many victories. The mountain that was beyond the valley and



the hillside where the chestnut forest grew was captured and there were victories beyond



the plain on the plateau to the south and we

... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...