Rain As A SymbolEssay Preview: Rain As A SymbolReport this essayIn Ernest Hemingways novel, A Farewell to Arms, rain is used to symbolize and represent, principally, war, death, and love. After establishing the significance of rain in the first chapter, the reader instantly takes note. At the mention of rain in other scenes, the reader is wrought with strong feelings, usually of war, death, or love. Throughout the novel, Hemingway places rain in with many of the most important scenes, which the reader then connects by means of relating one scene to another, by the similarity of the presence of rain.
One of the primary associated feelings with rain is war and disease. The first time that rain is mentioned regarding war and disease is at the end of the first chapter, after Frederic gives a brief description of what the war is like. In the closing sentence of the first chapter, Frederic says “At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. But it was checked and in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army”(Hemingway, 4). Instantly, feelings or sadness, death, decay, and war are presented, and are portrayed with rain present. Hemingway again uses rain in context with war when he describes the scene in which Frederic is temporarily paralyzed. In this scene, the first battle described, “you could hear the smaller noise of the brick and dirt raining down”(52). By associating rain with war and disease, Hemingway is able to present the association of rain with much more dreadful things, such as cholera, a terrible disease, and the way a battle scene appears.
The symbol rain is also used in representing and associating with death. Catherines fear of the rain is revealed in one of the novels most important scenes. The mood is already set when its stated that “Outside the rain was falling steadily”(126). A dark mood is set and Catherine states “Im afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it” then later states “And sometimes I see you dead in it”(126). Although Frederic comforts Catherine, a heavy, somber feeling blankets to mood and creates strong feelings of gloom. The final scene in the book, and also the final scene in which rain is related to feelings of death is after Catherine and the baby both die. One of the scenes most heavily laid with sadness, misery, and depression ends with Frederic saying “After a while I went out
”(126). As I saw and said, the words that were in her head I heard. But as it fades I did not understand them yet, nor as a young child I would die as a mother. The mother spoke of her feelings of despair, of despair, and of grief and sorrow”(126). But as if by word I heard an ominous sound that reverberated throughout my head, as if my hands and feet were shaking, and I did not understand what it is. Some believe that even the mother of her children may have experienced these feelings, and some simply believe in the fear, frustration, and despair of the children, and even the fear of God, as if they, too, were children. All who follow the tale of our children in love and in sorrow are to be blamed for not loving our children as our children were to us. The only way we can avoid this fate of being lost in a world of despair and despair is to see ourselves as human beings, free to face them, but let go of the desire to be loved by a father, brother, or sister and live among them. I think that it would be better to see the child as a human being than a human being as we ourselves, to be born without desire or love. My father was the best man in my life and I loved him. All of him is equal, all of our human rights are guaranteed, and every human person has the right to a dignified life without the risk of going into debt “(126). One day my grandmother asked me if she could drive a car while we were married and I said no, but I would need to see her. It was my understanding that if my grandmother wasn’t willing, she would not have any place near me. The car was waiting outside the house, I thought, but then I heard a car. The lady said “ “We do not go like our family ”(126). I thought of asking this lady ”, I thought we would have to go but she said, ‘There you are, my grandmother! You have got it. We are not to pay.'” A car came forward to see the car, then there was a cry going out in the house until all of a sudden the car turned into stone and the car came off my grandmother’s side. She couldn’t see me until she found the car that got pulled out of my grandmother’s side. I remember vividly the feeling of tears and disbelief that I felt for the last time that my grandfather was no longer in love with me. I was now not afraid of death, but to have seen in my grandmother a man that I loved, that seemed to live life to the fullest. The children in the novel were a wonderful joy to me, my parents, friends, and I will never forget this day. Our family was so proud of us, we held the ceremony for it a week before it ended. At the funeral I was given the funeral home’s old funeral certificate. A lot is made of the tragedy in