Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living... in Milan in a hospital room with a big armoire, bare walls and two chairs. His legs are in dirty bandages and stick straight out in the bed. He must be careful not to move them.
Profession... ambulance driver in the Italian campaign of World War I. He's recovering from a hit from a big trench mortar shell. He is lucky to be alive; two other drivers died.
Interests... reading the papers of the list of dead officers with their decorations, feeling glad it's not him. And when he gets tired of reading, he sends the porter to get him a bottle of alcohol -- preferably vermouth, Chianti or cognac.
Relationship Status... involved with Catherine, his nurse. He had not wanted to fall in love with her – or anyone for that matter. But he has fallen hard. As he says, "Catherine and I can feel alone when we are together, alone against the others."
Challenge... needing to go back to the front soon. It will be so hard to leave Catherine. She told him that they're going to have a baby in six months. He worries about her.
Personality... better, purer and sweeter when he is with Catherine.
Get to Know him in...
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A love story between a nurse (Catherine Barkley) and the Lieutenant Henry during First World War in Italy. The depth of the movie considers the purpose of war and fighting.
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A Farewell to Arms is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse. Set against the looming horrors of the battlefield—weary, demoralized men marching in the rain during the German attack on Caporetto; the profound struggle between loyalty and desertion—this gripping, semiautobiographical work captures the harsh realities of war and the pain of lovers caught in its inexorable sweep.
