Goodbye, weapons

Author: Hemingway Zou Qingsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: "A Farewell to Arms" was published in 1929 and caused a strong reaction at the time. Like many Western and European anti-war writers, Hemingway portrayed the process by which people moved from throwing themselves into war to doubt, then disgust, and finally apathy and numbness, reflecting the spirit of the "Lost Generation" after World War I, characterized by cynicism and a crisis of faith. The protagonist, Henry, evolves from fulfilling his duty to mocking and criticizing the war, revealing the attitudes of various social strata in Italy toward the war. Hemingway intended for people to "understand the thoughts and feelings of humanity in war" through this book. However, things did not go as planned. In Italy, people with extreme patriotic and militaristic tendencies were unwilling to see themselves portrayed negatively, while some Italians, despite having experienced painful war firsthand, were reluctant to have the humiliating and disintegrating scenes (especially the Battle of Caporetto retreat) described in writing, as if they were scars that constantly reminded people of their suffering. As a result, when the novel was published in 1929, it was banned in Italy. Under pressure from the Italian side, the serialized novel in the U.S. was labeled, some scenes in the film were cut, and critics like Robert Herrick attacked the novel in an article titled "What Is Trash."