Fear as a Literary Device: Hemingway’s Exploration of Trauma and Survival in War

Abstract

In 1929 Ernest Hemingway published A Farewell to Arms which positioned itself among war literature masterpieces while delving into human responses to war and love alongside the experience of losing someone dear. The main character Frederic Henry portrays war as an unpredictable force which organizes human destinies during the Italian Army service in the book A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. The novel displays fear complexly by using it both formally as a literary mechanism and more broadly to shape characters along with the story's arc and central thematic elements. Hemingway showcases psychological trauma of soldiers and civilians by using his minimalist strategy to suggest deep emotions rather than expose them directly. The Caporetto retreat presents a terrifying story about mass panic yet the story of Henry’s abandonment depicts the struggle between self-preservation and moral duties. Fear permeates the novel's romantic story because both Henry and Catherine Barkley attempt to persevere their love through an enduring threat of mortality. An analysis of how Hemingway employs fear throughout his narrative reveals his technique to portray war-induced mental trauma and shows how characters fight to live and how eventual loss becomes necessary. Through his understated literary writing combined with disjointed conversations and representative visual elements Hemingway shows that his novel A Farewell to Arms depicts fear in human beings as a natural element of their persistence. Through fear Hemingway establishes the novel's three major themes which include war trauma alongside survival and because of eternal war's destruction of love relationships.