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Symbolism in A Farewell to Arms"They"Directions: P There's something unique about the way Hemingway uses the pronoun "they" in this story. It seems simply casual at first, because we can usually identify some group in the story or find some noun on the page to tell us who "they" refers to, but later the reference becomes more sinister, even cosmic. The list below shows significant examples of this use of "they" and guesses who is intended. Your task is to confirm each reference or change it. Note: Sometimes the word "they" will occur several times on a page; you are looking for vague or ambiguous (uncertain) references. The ultimate question is why Hemingway uses these pronouns so vaguely? What does he gain in setting a mood or making a statement about who controls our lives? page instance your notes 63 "They" want to get F.H. a medal: = officers of the ambulance unit? 70 the priest is like "them": those who know that war is an atrocity 71 they who make war vs. they who would not make war 117 "they" would allow C.B. out with F.H.: = hospital authorities 121 "they" are running the war for Ettore Moretti: Italian authorities? 123 "they" won't kill Ettore: = Austrians 129 "they" reverse the odds on Japalac: =the big money bettors at the race track ("Kempton and the boys") 135 "them" told F.H. was going out = hospital staff 139 "they" will get F.H. & C.B. if anything comes between the two lovers = those who impose a standard morality? everyone else in the world? 166 "they" should do more rehabilitation on Lt. H's leg: = hospital doctors & staff 175 "they" try to get rid of Rinaldi: = army authorities? 179 "they" vs. "us" in defeat: = Italians? "they" took soldiers away from their farms for the army: = Italian authorities 207 "they" take captured Italian money: = Austrians "they" will have to build a road to rescue the ambulances: = Italians 214 "they" will have to shoot all witnesses: = Italian rear guards 220 "they" = soldiers who throw away their rifles "they" = officers who would make the Italian soldiers fight 264 "they" = Italian police, who will arrest Lt. H. for desertion (not having proper authorization 320 "they" got C.B.: = fate 323 "they" broke Catherine: = fate 327 "they" killed you if you get caught off base: = the killer world SEE ALSO the killer world passage on page 249 ("it") and the passages on absurdity and irony. Assembling a thesis: Who are "they"? That is, do these references have something in common? (Notice, for instance that "they" is sometimes used to represent both sides of a conflict, as on pages 207 and 220.) Summarize your notes to give an image of who is in control of life, according to this novel. Is there any defense against those who control life? (What's Catherine's reaction to the race fixers, to those who would get them if the lovers misunderstand each other, and to death?) |
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