A Farewell to Arms
(Ernest Hemingway)

Chapter One

The narrator (Lieutenant Frederic Henry, though his name is not discovered until later in the novel), telling the story in the past tense, describes living in a house, in a village that is separated from the mountains by a river in the late summertime during World War I. He recalls soldiers constantly passing by his home and kicking up dust with their boots, though as fall comes in the dust turns to mud. He can see the fiery flashes from a gunfight in the mountains and soldiers driving by with supplies. When winter comes, the weather gets much colder, and there is an outbreak of cholera that drastically affects the soldiers. By the end of war, cholera will have killed over 7,000 men.

Chapter Two

Soon Lieutenant Henry’s platoon moves to the town of Gorizia which further from the fighting in the mountains. The men like to town because it has two brothels – one for the soldiers and one for the officers – and some cafes.

The officers have decided that, with the coming of the snow, the war will be over for the winter. In the mess hall the officers, who spurn religion, pick on the priest who simply blushes, though Henry does not join in. While Henry is not religious, he sees no reason to join the other men.

The men all get into a discussion about where Henry should go on leave; while the priest thinks that Henry should visit Abruzzi the other men think he should go somewhere more exotic like Capri, Rome, or Sicily. When the officers tire of this conversation, they all head out to the brothel.

Chapter Three

Henry’s roommate is a fellow lieutenant and also a surgeon named Rinaldi. Henry has just returned from leave, and he discusses his trip with Rinaldi, saying that he toured all over Italy. Rinaldi tells Henry that they do not need to travel to meet women because plenty of beautiful women have just been brought to the front to work as nurses and Rinaldi has fallen in love with one named Catherine Barkley.

Henry loans Rinaldi money so he can use it to make Catherine think he is rich. When the officers are eating dinner the following evening, the priest discovers that Henry did not visit Abruzzi, and he is hurt, though Henry explains, drunkenly, that circumstances did not allow for it.

Chapter Four

Henry is awoken by the sound of guns the next morning. He stops by the garage to speak to the mechanics who are working on the ambulances and then goes to the hospital to see Catherine with Rinaldi. Rather than speak to Catherine, Rinaldi spends his time speaking to a nurse named Helen Ferguson and Henry speaks to Catherine.

Henry is immediately taken aback by Catherine’s beauty and finds it odd that she carries a stick that resembles a riding crop. Catherine tells Henry that it belonged to her fiancé who had been killed in war. When Catherine inquires, Henry tells her he has never loved. When the men are leaving the hospital, Rinaldi realizes that Catherine seems more interested in Henry than in him.

Chapter Five

Henry goes to see Catherine again the following day but finds that she is unavailable until seven o’clock when her shift ends. Henry heads back to the trenches and looks at the progress being made on the roads that will soon serve as the means to make an offensive attack. After dinner, Henry heads back to see Catherine and finds her in the garden.

Henry and Catherine chat about Catherine’s job and quickly decide not to talk about the war. Henry makes a move to put his arm around Catherine, and, though she resists at first, she eventually allows it, though when Henry goes in for a kiss she slaps him across the face. Soon, Catherine does allow Henry to kiss her and she immediately begins crying and tells him that they will have an odd life together. When Henry returns to the barracks that night Rinaldi picks on him for his “glow”.

Chapter Six

After two days, Henry returns to see Catherine again, and she asks him if he is in love with her; when he says that he is she tells him to call her by her first name. The couple strolls through the garden together and Catherine tells him that she loves him as well, and the two days without him were almost unbearable.

Henry thinks to himself that Catherine is probably slightly insane, but he kisses her anyway, fully aware that he does not actually love her. Henry feels as though he is getting himself involved a highly complex game. Catherine, as though she can read Henry’s mind tells him she is not crazy, and it seems she is playing the game, as well. When Henry kisses her again, she abruptly stops and tells him to leave for the night. Henry is confused, and when he returns home Rinaldi can tell, relieved that he did not get mixed up with Catherine.

Chapter Seven

Henry picks up a soldier on his way home from post the next day. He finds that the soldier has a hernia but has gotten rid of his thruss (a device to help a hernia) in the hopes of being taken off the front. He does not want his commanding officers to find him, because he knows they will be familiar with his trick so Henry instructs him to give himself a bump in the head so he has a legitimate reason to be in the hospital.

Henry thinks about the offensive that will begin in two days and wishes he were somewhere else, perhaps Milan having dinner and wine with Catherine. When he goes to visit Catherine that evening, drunk and chewing on coffee beans to sober up, Helens turns him away with the information that Catherine is ill and will not see him. Henry feels terribly lonely.

Chapter Eight

The following day Henry is informed of an attack that will be occurring that night. On the way to the front, Henry’s car passes the hospital, and he stops in to see Catherine. He informs Catherine that he will be otherwise involved that night, and she wishes him luck, giving him a St. Anthony medal for protection. Henry quickly leaves Catherine and heads back to the car. The car cavalry heads off toward Pavla, the site of the battle.

Chapter Nine

The atmosphere is ominous in Pavla as Henry spots the trenches filled with ammunition and sees the observation balloons from Austria hanging in the air. Henry and his men are put into a dugout and begin chatting with the other men about the possibility of ending the war, though some men think that it will go on forever if neither side stops fighting.

They grab some food from the wound-dressing station, and, as they are eating, the bombs begin to drop. Henry feels a blast, and suddenly he cannot breathe. The mortar round that blew up killed one of the men next to Henry and injured the other man and himself. Henry is carried away by two of the other drivers and taken to the wound-dressing station to get his nearly-destroyed leg taken care of.

Chapter Ten

Henry finds himself in the field hospital, and he is in extreme pain. Rinaldi comes to visit and tells Henry that he will be receiving an honor for heroism during battle though Henry insists that he was not heroic at all, he was just there. Rinaldi insists that Henry will be decorated, despite how he feels. Rinaldi gives Henry a nice bottle of cognac and leaves him alone, promising that he will soon send Catherine to visit him.

Chapter Eleven

That evening the priest visits with Henry in the hospital, admitting that he misses seeing Henry in the mess hall. He brings Henry some English newspapers, netting to keep the mosquitos away, and a bottle of vermouth. As the men drink and chat they get on the subject of war and whether or not it is hopeless to wish for its end. The priest says it is not hopeless, but he has a hard time hoping sometimes.

The priest tells Henry that he dislikes being harassed by the other men for his faith, but he is proud of his relationship with God. Henry says he does not know if he believes, but the priest notices in Henry an ability to love deeply and tells him so. Henry is skeptical of his ability to give himself totally over to another person. The priest takes his leave for the night, and Henry soon drifts off to sleep.

Chapter Twelve

Henry is being shipped to a hospital in Milan because the field hospital will need all of its beds for when the offensive begins. Before Henry is to be shipped off, he is visited by Rinaldi and another man from his company.

They get drunk and discuss the war, as President Wilson has declared war on Germany and Henry believes he will declare war on Austria soon as well, which is tremendously exciting for the Italians. Rinaldi tells Henry that Catherine will be transferred to the Milan hospital in which he will be recovering, much to Henry’s joy. On the train, the next day Henry drinks so much that he throws up all over the floor.

Chapter Thirteen

After a two day trip, Henry arrives in Milan and is unable to get a bed at first because the nurse on duty, Mrs. Walker says she needs a doctor’s orders to admit him. Henry asks the men who are clumsily carrying him and causing him pain to bring him into a room so he can sleep. The next morning he is woken by a young nurse named Miss Gage to take his temperature and Mrs. Walker comes into to change his bedding.

That afternoon Henry meets Miss Van Campen, the superintendent of the hospital and tells her he would like wine with his meals, which she refuses since it is not ordered by a doctor. Henry, obviously not getting wine from Miss Van Campen, sends a porter out to get him a few bottles, as well as some newspapers. That night, Miss Van Campen sends him eggnog spiked with sherry, which Henry believes to be a peace offering.

Chapter Fourteen

Miss Gage finds an empty bottle of Vermouth under Henry’s bed, and he thinks she may tell on him but instead she asks why she was not invited to drink with him. She tells Henry that Catherine has arrived at the hospital, and she is not too fond of her, but Henry thinks they will like one another just fine. Soon a barber and porter come to the room to give Henry a shave, per his request, and he wonders by the barber is so rude to him.

The porter tells him that the barber thought he was an Austrian and seriously considered slicing his throat, which the porter seemed to find amusing. Catherine comes to see Henry and he realizes as soon as he sees her that he truly is in love with her. Henry brings Catherine into his bed, and they have sex for the first time.

Chapter Fifteen

A small, frail doctor comes in the morning to see Henry and attempt to remove the shrapnel from his knee. The doctor tires of the mundane and precise task quickly and calls in a few doctors for a consultation. The doctors agree that Henry should not have an operation for six more months, an idea that sounds unbearable to Henry as he cannot possibly stay in bed that long.

Henry asks for a second opinion, and, within a couple hours, he is introduced to Dr. Valentini. Henry finds Dr. Valentini to be cool, confident, and cheerful as the men chat and have a drink together. Dr. Valentini tells Henry that he will operate on him in the morning.

Chapter Sixteen

The night before Henry’s operation Catherine stays with him. The two lie in bed together and stare out into the night. Henry fears that someone will discover them lying in bed together, but Catherine tells him that everyone else is asleep so no one will come in.

In the morning, Henry wishes he could have breakfast in the park, but Catherine tells him that he must get ready for surgery, despite his efforts to get her back into bed. She tells him that he will be groggy from medication that evening and to be careful that he does not tell anyone about their relationship, as the medication often makes patients talk too much.

They begin to discuss their relationship, and when Catherine asks Henry how many women he has been with he tells her she is the only one. Despite the fact that Catherine is sure he is lying, she is happy with his response to her question.

Chapter Seventeen

Henry falls ill after his operation, and while he is recovering three new patients are admitted. One of the guys blew up a fuse cap in his own face, and another guy has malaria, and another has both malaria and jaundice. Helen becomes Henry’s ally as she passes notes to Catherine for him when she is working.

Henry asks Helen if she wants to come to their wedding, but Helen does not think that Henry and Catherine will get married. She worries that Catherine is getting sick and tells Henry so. Henry talks to Miss Gage about Catherine taking a couple of days off of work to rest and she agrees to it. After three days off, Catherine comes in to see Henry, and they are ecstatic and passionate to be reunited.

Chapter Eighteen

Henry continues healing and learns to use crutches to help him walk by summertime. He and Catherine spend a lot of time together out and about in Milan and spend their nights together. They discuss the topic of marriage though both of them are opposed to it for the time being. Catherine feels that a married woman would not be able to stay in the military hospital so she is content with where their relationship is for now. She tells Henry that she is fully committed to him regardless of marriage, sure that while many terrible things will probably happen to them, infidelity will not.

Chapter Nineteen

Henry spends a lot of his time wandering around Milan and makes friends with some locals, mainly an older couple called the Meyerses. Henry sees the Meyerses one day while walking the streets, and after parting ways, he buys some chocolates for Catherine. He heads into a bar where he runs into a guy from San Francisco who is also serving in the Italian army.

The man, Ettore Moretti, has many war medals and Henry considers him a real hero but finds him quite bland. He goes back to the hospital and tells Catherine he ran into Moretti, whom Catherine is not fond of because she does not consider him a gentleman. Henry and Catherine talk for hours though when it starts to rain, Catherine cries. She tells Henry that rain is “hard on loving”.

Chapter Twenty

Henry and Catherine take the Myers’ tips to the races and bring with them Helen Ferguson, or “Fergie” as Henry calls her, and one of the other guys from the hospital. Though the Myers’ do well in the races, they are reluctant to share all of their secrets.

The race that is going on that day is all horses who have never won big but Catherine spots something she thinks is suspicious. She finds a horse that looks as though it has an unnatural purple-hue to it as though its fur has been dyed to conceal its identity, and perhaps it is a champion.

They bet on the horse, but, unfortunately, do not make very much money off the race. Catherine soon grew uncomfortable being in the crowd so she and Henry went off by themselves. They both enjoy being alone together, claiming that being alone together rather than in a crowd makes them feel less lonely somehow.

Chapter Twenty-One

As September comes around, the Allies are losing the war, and Henry is informed that if things keep up the way they are the Allies will lose the war within the next year. Henry has nearly healed from his surgery and is expected to make a return to the front after three weeks of leave. He and Catherine are planning to take a trip somewhere together, and as they are planning Catherine tells Henry that she is three months pregnant with their child. Worried that Henry will want to leave Catherine tells him that she will not cause any trouble for him but Henry surprises her by saying he loves her and is happy they are having a child. Henry tells Catherine that “a coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one” and they try to recall who made that sentiment but cannot remember. Catherine muses that the intelligent, brave men probably die thousands of deaths but are smart enough to not say anything.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It starts to rain again and just when Henry is about to take his leave he develops jaundice. Miss Van Campen decides that Henry’s jaundice has been caused by his excessive drinking, as she has found all of the empty liquor bottles that Henry has been stashing under his bed. Miss Van Campen thinks that Henry has made himself sick on purpose so that he does not have to return to battle and so she decides to punish him by putting in a petition to take away his leave, and so it is.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Henry begins packing his things and saying his goodbyes as he is heading to the front. As he is walking down the street, he sees Catherine in a cafe and signals for her to join him. Henry remarks that the couple they pass embracing outside a cathedral is like them, but Catherine disagrees as she thinks there is no one like them. He stops to buy a new gun, and he and Catherine decide to get a hotel room so they can be alone before he leaves again.

Catherine feels like a cheap prostitute, but they have no other choice for the time being. Henry worries about how Catherine will deal with having the baby while he is gone, but she assures him she will be fine and have a home set up for him when he returns.

Chapter Twenty-Four

A carriage picks up Henry and Catherine and takes them to the train station where they will part ways. When they arrive Henry gets out to catch his train and sends Catherine in the carriage back to the hospital. Henry tells Catherine to be careful to take care of herself and the baby, whom he refers to as “little Catherine”. Henry has caused a stir on the train because he has asked someone to save a seat for him while he says his goodbyes and the train is terribly crowded. Henry decides to offer his seat to the officer who has been complaining and spends the night on the floor instead.

Chapter Twenty-Five

When Henry returns to the front in Gorizia, he speaks with the lead major about the status of the war, and the possibility of it coming to an end. The major is pleased about Henry’s decorations but tells him that had he been sent on leave he would likely not have returned.

Henry goes off in search of Rinaldi whom he has not seen in quite some time. Rinaldi checks out Henry’s knee and cannot believe he was sent back to the battle after his surgery. He asks Henry if he is in love with Catherine, if they are married, and whether she is any good in bed, a question which Henry deems inappropriate as it is a private matter.

The men toast to Catherine and head to dinner where Rinaldi makes fun of the priest for old time’s sake, despite the fact that his audience is considerable smaller than it was just a few months before.

Chapter Twenty-Six

When the men are done with dinner, Henry stays and has a talk with the priest. They discuss the ending of the war, which the priest thinks will happen soon though he is not sure why. He thinks that the war has made the men more mild and gentle as that tends to happen. He cites Jesus Christ as an example as his struggles made him a gentler man. Henry no longer cares about victory or even believes in it because even if they win they have lost too many people to make the victory a happy one. The priest asks what Henry does believe in these days, and Henry replies “sleep”.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The next day Henry goes to Bainsizza where the fighting is occurring and learns from another soldier named Gino about the weaponry of the Austrians. He says that if the Austrians are to attack then the Italians will essentially be helpless. Henry feels like there is no meaning to words like “sacred” or “glorious” anymore and the only words that have meaning are names and numbers.

A bombardment occurs that night, and the Italians learn that the Germans are included in the enemy, which scares them because they have never had to deal with the Germans before. They find out that the Italian line has been broken, and everyone is being evacuated. Henry finds out that Rinaldi has gone to the hospital, and he and some of the other drivers – Bonello, Piani, and Aymo – stop to rest before continuing on their way.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

A motorcade of soldiers exits the town together forming a seemingly endless line. They take turns sleeping and driving and shortly after Henry wakens he finds that the line has stopped moving.

Henry checks on the other men, finds that they are okay, and goes back to Piani’s truck where he falls asleep once again. Henry has dreams of Catherine and even speaks to her in his sleep. More people join the retreat that night, mostly peasants, and the next morning Henry and his men decide to leave the retreat and take another route themselves. They stop at a farmhouse for breakfast before continuing on their journey.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

While on their retreat, the car driven by Aymo gets stuck due to the soft ground, and Henry knows the only way to ensure it does not happen again is to cut brush to lie over the ground and drive across. The other men do not want to help because they feel if they stop for any reason the enemy may catch up to them. Henry gets frustrated with the men for not wanting to help and shoots one of them. Bonello takes Henry’s gun from him and shoots the man again, killing him.

The men use everything they can find to keep the car out of the mud, but nothing seems to be working. They decide to leave the car there and continue on with the other cars, though they do not get very far before they are stuck again. Two girls that had been riding with Aymo are given money, and sent to a nearby village to hopefully take them out of danger, and the men are forced to retreat on foot as they cannot move their vehicles.

Chapter Thirty

The men see the Germans coming and try to avoid them by taking another road and heading toward an embankment. The men are shot at the Aymo is killed immediately. They realize they have been shot at by the rear guard and Aymo has been killed by his own people out of fear. They realize they are in more danger from their own people than the Germans and find a farmhouse to hide out in until dark.

Piani and Bonello go to look for food, but Piani returns alone as Bonello has gone looking for the enemy with the hopes of being taken in because he feels that is his best chance of escaping. The next day they hope to rejoin the Italians and find a bunch of officers being interrogated to find out who is responsible for the rogue Italian soldiers who turned on their own people. Henry is seized and notices another officer being shot near him.

Henry takes the opportunity to duck away from his captors and jumps in the water to escape. He keeps swimming away until the sounds of the gunfire fade into the distance.

Chapter Thirty-One

When Henry thinks that he is far enough away he gets out of the water, careful to remove the stars on his uniform that identify him as an officer. Henry counts the money that he has on him and proceeds to walk across the Venetian Plane toward the closest military train station, which he arrives at that night.

A young soldier sees Henry, and Henry is worried that his cover is blown, but the soldier allows him on the train as he assumes that Henry belongs there. Henry hides under a tarp of canvas in the gun car so he will not be found, cutting his head in the process. He reminds himself to pick the dried blood off his head before he exits the train because he does not want to draw attention to himself.

Chapter Thirty-Two

As Henry rides under the tarp, he thinks about how strong his knee has been, surprised that the surgery was so effective. He thinks about Catherine though he tries not to because he feels he may go crazy just thinking about her when he does not know if or when he will see her again.

Henry feels sure that there is no place in the war for him anymore because his army and his friends are no longer there. Physical needs overcome Henry’s thoughts as he realizes that he needs to eat, drink, sleep, and be with Catherine. All Henry wants now is to find Catherine and take her to a place where they can be safe and happy together.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Henry lets himself off the train in Milan and goes out in search of Catherine. He stops in a wine shop for coffee and ends up having a glass of wine with the owner of the shop. The owner asks Henry if he can help him with anything but Henry says he is fine. He heads to the hospital to find Catherine but finds that she has left for Stresa.

Henry finds one of the opera musicians, Ralph Simmons, he had made friends with before he left and asks the man how he can go about getting to Switzerland to be free and meet with Catherine. Simmons gives Henry some civilian clothing and sends him on his way, wishing him good luck with everything.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Henry feels strange on the train to Stresa because as a young man he is expected to be a soldier, though he is obviously not according to the public as he is wearing civilian clothing. When he arrives in Stresa, he checks in to a hotel and tells them that he is expecting his wife to be joining him. He hears that two English nurses are at a small hotel nearby, and Henry knows that must be Catherine. When he arrives, Catherine and Helen are having lunch and Catherine is delighted to see him though Helen hates him for what he has made of Catherine’s life. Henry enjoys the night he spends with Catherine as it is true bliss for him.

The next morning Catherine realizes just how horrible Henry’s experience must have been because he does not want to read the paper or anything about the war. He tells Catherine that he will share his experiences with her someday when he fully wraps his head around it. He feels as though he has committed a crime by leaving, but Catherine assures him that he is no criminal, and she cannot wait until they take off for Switzerland together.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The next morning Catherine goes off to see Helen and Henry goes fishing with Emilio, the bartender from his hotel whom he becomes fast friends with. Emilio has told Henry that any time he wants to use his boat he can. Henry and Catherine dine with Helen for lunch and run into a man named Count Greffi whom Henry knows from an earlier trip to Stresa, who is staying with his niece at the same hotel. Henry and Count Greffi spend some time together that evening and play some pool with another. The Count tells Henry his misconceptions about religion, and they discuss the war, and whether it will end in a victory for Italy.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Henry is woken by Emilio that night who tells him he has heard that the military police have a plan to take Henry in when the morning comes. Emilio offers Henry and Catherine his boat, as he feels they should leave immediately and row themselves to Switzerland where they can be safe.

Henry immediately wakes Catherine, so they can pack their things and leave. Emilio provides Henry and Catherine with the supplies they will need for their trip – a boat, sandwiches, and a bottle of brandy. Henry pays Emilio what he can for the supplies, and they make an agreement for Henry to send back 500 francs as payment for the boat when they get established.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Henry rows for the most of the night though it hurts his hands quite a bit due to the choppy water conditions from the storm. Catherine rows for a short time but Henry will not allow her to row for long. When they finally arrive in Switzerland in the morning, they are relieved and settle in to have some breakfast.

They are soon taken in by the Swiss guards who hold them until they can get temporary visas. Henry and Catherine are soon released, to their relief, and find themselves a hotel to stay in where they immediately go to sleep after their long and tiring journey.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Henry and Catherine set up a home in the town of Montreux and make friends with the couple who live downstairs from them, the Guttingens. Henry and Catherine immensely enjoy their life together in their cozy mountainside home and spend a lot of time in town together. One day they go to town so Catherine can have her hair done and they stop at a bar to have a beer.

Catherine is sure that drinking beer will keep the baby small in size because she is worried that she will have a hard time giving birth due to her narrow hips. Henry and Catherine approach the idea of marriage again, and Catherine feels it will be only right for them to wed to make their baby legitimate.

Catherine cannot wait to be American when they are married and see famous American landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Niagara Falls. Around Christmas time Catherine notices that Henry seems to be growing restless, and she suggests he change something about his appearance, such as grow a beard, to calm himself. They try to fall asleep at the same together, but Henry cannot sleep and he instead he lies awake and stares at Catherine because his mind will not rest.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

During January, Henry’s beard grows to an impressive fullness. They continue taking walks together in town and enjoy the isolation of being together in a place where no one knows them. They worry that after the baby arrives they will no longer be able to enjoy the solitude that they hold so dearly.

Catherine tells Henry that after the baby comes and she loses the weight she will cut her hair shorter, and make herself attractive again so Henry will fall in love with her all over again. Henry tells Catherine that he loves her plenty already so that will be unnecessary.

Chapter Forty

Henry and Catherine decide to move to a town called Lausanne in March because the baby is about to come and they want to be closer to the hospital pending the baby’s arrival. Rather than find a place to call home right away they spend three weeks in a hotel. Catherine spends her days finding baby clothes and Henry spends a lot of his time working out at the gym. They try to spend as much of their time together as possible because they feel that the baby is remarkably close to making its arrival.

Chapter Forty-One

Catherine goes into labor around three o’clock in the morning one day and is rushed to the hospital where she is given a room and a gown. She tells Henry to go to breakfast because she feels he has time and so he does, though upon returning he finds that Catherine has been taken to the delivery room. Catherine spends most of the day inhaling anesthetic gas to help her through the pain of a difficult labor that is not making much progress.

The doctor decides Catherine needs to have a cesarean section and takes her away on a stretcher. The doctor comes out soon, fussing over the baby boy, but Henry rushes past him to see Catherine. Catherine asks about the baby, and Henry says he is fine, but the nurse, confused by this statement, pulls Henry aside and tells him that the baby had been strangled by the umbilical cord while it was still in the womb.

After dinner, Henry learns that Catherine is bleeding heavily and when he goes into see her she tells him she is dying. She asks Henry to promise her that he will never say the same things to other girls that he has said to her and Henry stays by her side in her last moments. After Catherine dies Henry tries to say his goodbyes with her but he cannot and he just leaves the hospital and walks through the rain alone, back to the hotel.