# Chapter XXIX explained — A Farewell to Arms

> Chapter companion for A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

## What happens

Frederic and his drivers struggle to navigate the retreat, getting their ambulance stuck in mud. After ordering two sergeants to help and being refused, Frederic shoots one and Bonello finishes him off. They abandon the vehicles and continue on foot toward Udine, leaving two girls they had been transporting on a side road.

## Themes in this chapter

### War and Disillusionment

The arbitrary killing of a sergeant and the abandonment of vehicles highlight the breakdown of order and the brutal realities of war.

### Courage and Cowardice

Frederic's decision to shoot the sergeant and Bonello's cold-blooded finish contrast with the sergeants' desertion, exploring different facets of bravery and fear.

## Character check-ins

### Frederic Henry

Leads the retreat, shoots a sergeant who refuses to obey orders, and decides to abandon the stuck vehicles.

### Bonello

Kills the wounded sergeant at close range, expresses a long-held desire to kill a sergeant, and jokes about being an anarchist.

### Piani

Drives one of the ambulances, comments on the shooting, and identifies himself as a socialist from Imola.

### Aymo

Drives the stuck ambulance, helps dig it out, and asks Bonello about confession after the killing.

## Key lines

> You certainly shot that sergeant, Tenente ,” Piani said. We were walking fast. “I killed him,” Bonello said. “I never killed anybody in this war, and all my life I’ve wanted to kill a sergeant.”

Piani remarks on Frederic's shooting of the sergeant, and Bonello proudly claims the kill, admitting he had always wanted to kill a sergeant.

_Shows Bonello's personal vendetta and the casual attitude toward death in the retreat._

> What will you say in confession?” Aymo asked. “I’ll say, ‘Bless me, father, I killed a sergeant.’ ” They all laughed.

Aymo asks Bonello how he will confess the killing, and Bonello jokes that he will simply tell the priest he killed a sergeant, prompting laughter.

_Highlights the dark humor and moral ambiguity among the soldiers._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_farewell_to_arms_se/chapters/xxix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_farewell_to_arms_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_farewell_to_arms_se/chapters