The epitome of
submissiveness, Catherine is as feminine and gentle as they come to Henry. She
devotes herself to him and asks for nothing in return, and in the end makes the
ultimate sacrifice: she dies due to injuries sustained by giving birth to
Henry's child. When Henry learns of the first complications, he remarks "Poor, poor dear Cat. And this was the price you
paid for sleeping together. This was the end of the trap. This was what people
got for loving each other. Thank God for gas, anyway. What must it have been
like before there were anesthetics?" (320). He makes sure to point out
that "this was the price you paid for sleeping together," as if she was solely
responsible for the pregnancy. Further, Henry uses Catherine as a distraction
when he wants, and disregards her otherwise. When he returns to the front, he
speculates to himself "I was going to try not to think about Catherine
except at night before I went to sleep" (166). He is deliberately choosing
when and when not to think about her, which is very disrespectful to the woman
he "loves. " And finally, Henry's ultimate insult is when he his
saying his last goodbye to Cat's corpse. He comments "It was like saying
good-by to a statue" (332). Without being alive to pamper him, Catherine
has lost her appeal and becomes as meaningful to him as rock. Her role as
gentle and sweet woman has passed, so Henry moves on immediately.
Since the Civil Rights movement the situation for women has gotten
better, but there are still some scary statistics about unfair wages and
privileges regarding women's rights. Independent and strong women are viewed as
cold and belligerent, whereas independent and strong men are powerful and
aggressive. And likewise, timid and submissive women are revered, while timid
and submissive men have their masculinity questioned. Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms brings about this
theme and demonstrates how men like Henry can take advantage of women like
Catherine.
I agree with what you have said but I also believe that some of the women in the novel appear strong. For example, Helen Ferguson argues with Henry and berates him about how he has treated Catherine and the predicament he had gotten her into. Many women did what they had to do to survive in a time of war. Catherine also used Henry for comfort and a diversion. He tried to appease her in various situations in the book like when they were in the crowds of people and she didn’t want to be there. Catherine was lonely when she met Henry and was looking for someone to fill that void. She does not feel the need to be married and only considers it for her illegitimate child. Catherine shows strength because of the fact she traveled to a foreign country to take care of the wounded and she accepted her situation showing her independence.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I really appreciate the connection you made between Frederick’s treatment of Catherine and the role of women in Hemingway’s, and sometimes even our, society. I definitely agree with your point that Frederick abuses the meek tendencies of Catherine, especially by acting upon her clearly inauthentic permission to touch her on her deathbed. But I also feel that Catherine remained a strong willed character and could have asserted her independence had she determined it necessary, but as you pointedly remarked; women are often times criticized for exposing a strong self-determination. I particularly loved your reference to Frederick comparing the dead body of Catherine to a statue, revealing his selfish desire for her as a distraction. But I also think his description of her could reveal Frederick’s appreciation for Catherine’s personality as opposed to just her physical beauty. Illuminating that dead she is merely a pretty face and worth les than the value of her personality.
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