Senior English
Sunday, October 2, 2011
A Farewell To Arms - K Classes Only - Blog #6
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 introduce Frederic’s love interest and one of Hemingway’s most critically reviled (by Feminist critics at least) characters, Catherine Barkley. What is YOUR opinion of Catherine? Does her past play at all into her behavior – and does it make a difference in how you read her? Discuss their early relationship – their motivations, their level of trust, etc. What do you predict for their future (if you KNOW and spoil it, I will NEVER EVER EVER forgive you!)
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I think that Catherine is kind of lame. I think that she might have been a stronger, more happy woman when her fiancee was still alive, but like everyone else of the time period, her world was shaken by the war. The effects of her fiancee's death made her insecure and unsure of what to think of the world. Since Frederic's character seems to be pretty volatile, I'm not sure if they will be a good match for each other.
ReplyDeleteI cannot stand Catherine. When she ask Henry to say he loves her, ugh!!! Shes forgotten what love is and Henry has never known. They are just letting each other fill a void.
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand Catherine as a character. I don't get why she can't be normal and why she has to be the fleeting person she is. I feel the loss of her fiance though has caused her to be so sketchy because she doesn't want to put everything into someone due to a fear of losing them. I feel that in their early relationship they have little to no trust towards each other since they don't know what to expect from the other. I expect just a nice picturesque ending where they fall for each other completely.
ReplyDeleteHer past plays a major role in Catherine's character, after her fiancé dies I think she becomes vulnerable and insecure to both love and the world after affected by war. She is insecure because she is unsure of what the world is once her fiancé dies and she doesnt get her happy ending. And vulnerable because after three days she already "loves" Henry. Personally I think Catherine is crazy and confussing. Like her sudden outbursts of weeping, followed by laughing, and her "crazy" ways of talking makes me think is she mad? And she becomes paranoid when Henry leaves her.
ReplyDeleteI think Catherine used to be a strong woman until war became apart of her life. When her husband was blown to pieces she was torn and tries to pretend it didn't happen to deal with it. She is now desperate for love again that's why she acts the way she does with Frederic. Even though Frederic doesn't really want to love her, they both will end up falling in love and getting together. Just so its not a "happy ending" like all books, I hope they get married and Frederic dies haha!
ReplyDeleteCatherine doesn't really annoy me, the only thing that sets me off about her is her uncertainty of Frederic, always asking him over and over again if he really loves her, and if hes going to leave her. But that does tie in with her past because the last person she loved died, and thats really hard to open up again. I think they will get married if all goes well.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I don't really like either of the major characters (Catherine & Frederic). My problem with Catherine is her ambiguity toward Frederic. With Frederic, my simple question is; why Catherine? He expresses that he basically just wants in her pants, so why doesn't he just have the other girls with Rinaldi? To me, Catherine puts her guard up, but then takes it down two seconds later. I think she just wants someone to love her, so she can feel wanted. I really hope that they don't get married... Unless if Frederic truly and honestly cares about her, I don't want them to get married
ReplyDeleteI don't like Catherine. I don't think she understands what love really is and I think her attitude would be completely different if it was not for the death of her fiancee.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Catherine is a good spirited woman looking for love in a dangerous surrounding. Her past has been tragic and it has taken a negative impact on her perspective of love. She views love as if it is a good thing disarrayed by war and in a sense this is true. Early in Frederic and Catherine's relationship there was no compassion but as they grow in their relationships flares of love have arouse. In the future their relationship will perish because of the lack of consistency on both ends. This is what you call puppy dog love to me.
ReplyDeleteCatherine is a women that see the world very different and thinks that asking a guy to tell her that he loves her is really love. She has lived tough love but now she is going to live a dangerous love. She needs to learn what love is
ReplyDeleteCatherine is naiive childish and a sorry excuse for a woman. Her being major character in the book enrages me to no end. I don't think her love is true. I feel as though she feeds on the love and affection that was robbed from her after her fiancées death. Furthermore her past has haunted her and made her the vulnerable and easy to the male gender. In book two you can tell that her feelings grow deeper for Henry as she subjects herself to him. Emotions such as jealousy and needyness comes Into play. Catherine is definitely a confusing character in the story.
ReplyDeletecatherine is pointless as a major character. her ideas of romance in war are flawed especially when she thinks that the guy she likes will come back with a saber cut, when swords arent even involved in the war going on.
ReplyDeleteCatherine is different from most girls, because she is able to compartmentalize her feelings and put them off to the side. this is what you have to do in a situation of war, but as she is compartmentalizing she is losing the meaning of love, and goes on to the next guy who happens to be Henry.
ReplyDeleteI believe Catherine lost a few senses here and there when she found out her fiance was blown to bits. Her loss of innocence has turned her into a very doubtful and undecisive kind of character. I read her as someone very annoying but after finding out about her past, it seems that she has her own reasons why she acts the way she does.
ReplyDeleteThe ability of catherine toput things in the back of the mind for the sake of others; almost makes me fustrated at her personality. Her niave attitude towards war contributes to my fustration. I believe her and Fredric will have a small fling
ReplyDeletecatherine is complex character with her inner thoughts and her actions. Her joining the army for her 8 year fiance shows her little knowing of war. Her belief of just a simple sabre cut leads me to be angered at her simple but drastic hope of him landing in her hospital. Catherine is too easily pushed in pressed into what others wants and put assides her own wants. Catherine and Fredric henry are going to romanticly connect throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteCatherine is weak be wise she thinks war is glorious but she soon finds out it isn't what people make it out to be when her fiancé get blown up.
ReplyDeleteCatherine is a woman who had to grow up very quickly and none to easily at that. She had a whimsical view of the war as her fiance went in and had it literaly blown to bits when he came back. That kind of thing can change not only a persons views, but their personality as well. But we cant know that for sure. She could have been the way she is now before her fiance was killed. But if the way she acts, giving her all without a care for herself to Henry, and thats how he accepts her. Then I beleive that they will last, as long as they are happy with their own situation (much to a feminists dismay).
ReplyDeleteVery interesting - all of your comments. I'm starting to appreciate Catherine as one of Hemingway's code heroes. Don't you think she COMPLETELY understands what she's getting into. She knows it's a game, but she chooses to play anyway. Even Frederic knows that it's a game. When do you think the "game" becomes real for them? Is it at the same time?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Catherine view on life is distorted, not because she is going crazy but because she is one of the few women of that time to see what war really was. When Frederic comes into the story she sees him as a chance for a new life because her past fiance is gone and so was that chance for a completely new way of life. The war corrupted her yes, but it corrupted her in way where she was able to understand what the soldiers were going through and why they had the thoughts they had.
ReplyDeleteI think Catherine is just kind of naive. She didn't enter the war with an open-mind, she had this set of mind that war was going to be easy. And if her fiance did get hurt, it would be minor. It doesn't really hit her how bad war is til her fiance was blown up to pieces.
ReplyDeleteShe just wasn't smart about the whole war thing.
I think before Catherine's fiance was killed, she was pretty normal person. She had everything she wanted. But after he killed, her life fell apart, and made her into the person she is now; annoying and looking for someone to love her. I think her and Frederic will be together a long time.
ReplyDeleteI believe Catherine is lonely and insecure and while she probably wasn’t like this before the war, it has taken its toll on her. I think before her fiancé died she was happy and naïve. I think him being “blown to bits” really showed Catherine the true nature of the war. I believe this caused her to turn her focus mainly on the good and try and forget the bad and that’s where Frederic comes in. He is a distraction from the war and even if he doesn’t mean it when he tells her he loves her, Catherine is so desperate to escape the war she will make herself believe it. That is why they will stay together because to each other they are welcome distraction, and right now that’s all they are but one day I think they will fall in love for real because in the midst of all the chaos they will only have each other.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't really annoy me a lot, but the only thing about her that does annoy me is her uncertainty with Frederic. She is constatly asking him if he loves her, and he says yes regardless if he does or doesn't. I think her past does play into her behavior because she is very uncertain about many things.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Barkley maybe is toying with Fredric at the beginning she slaps him for passing a move and then she lets him kiss her. My prediction is that she is smarter than she lets on and her story about her husband was bologna. Her husband actually fights on the other side of the war and she is they spy letting them know their location. Catherine just wants a little fun so who she "plays" with Fredric. She will end up falling in love with Fredric and once her husband come back to claim what is his there will be real war! If this is not what happens then guess who will be writing his spinoff. Oh and i like her just because i think she could be up to no good. Their level of trust is low at this point but don’t worry she will get it up i wasn't really trying to intend a pun there....
ReplyDeleteCatherine to me seems like a character who is not blind and is very well aware of her actions. She is an adult and she is not ignorant, in other words. Although in these first few chapters it shows that Catherine is willing to do anything as far as being able to have something to block out the current setting of her life.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Barkley is extremely annoying. I mean if she asks 1 more time if Frederic loves her i think i might burn the book. But i think also that she is still shocked about her ex husband deaths that she does not want to be hurt again that is why she always ask if he loves her.
ReplyDeletecatherine while she is a code hero, she is very annoying always asking if frederic loves her. and while she is aware she often lets her guard down and changes for frederic.
ReplyDeleteCatherine doesn't really seem like she understands the true meaning of love just saying it doesn't really mean its there. She seems like she is just trying to fill in the loss of her fiance.
ReplyDeleteI think that Catherine is a disgrace to women. She is very naive and is just playing with Frederic. I also feel that she doesnt have her life together. Ever since her husbands death, her life has probably been total chaos.
ReplyDelete