A Farewell to Arms · Chapter
XXV explained
Frederic Henry returns to Gorizia in the fall, finding the landscape bare and the war-weary atmosphere pervasive.
What happens
Frederic Henry returns to Gorizia in the fall, finding the landscape bare and the war-weary atmosphere pervasive. He reports to the major, who describes the brutal summer and assigns him to the Bainsizza. Frederic reunites with Rinaldi, who is drunk and cynical, and the priest, enduring Rinaldi's baiting. Rinaldi reveals his exhaustion and possible syphilis, while Frederic tries not to think about Catherine.
Themes in this chapter
War and Disillusionment
The major and Rinaldi express deep fatigue and hopelessness about the war, calling it 'all over' and 'terrible.'
Masculinity and Identity
Rinaldi's bravado and drinking mask his emotional and physical exhaustion, while Frederic struggles with his own detachment.
Religion and Faith
Rinaldi's baiting of the priest and his cynical reinterpretation of Saint Paul highlight a crisis of faith amid war.
Characters to notice
- Frederic Henry
Returns to Gorizia after recovering from his wound; feels tired and detached, tries to suppress thoughts of Catherine.
- Rinaldi
Drunk and cynical, expresses deep war fatigue and possible syphilis; baits the priest but shows vulnerability.
- The Priest
Patiently endures Rinaldi's taunts; remains calm and kind, offering support.
- Piani
Mentioned as the driver who will accompany Frederic to the Bainsizza.
Key passages
“It did not feel like a homecoming.”
Returning to Gorizia felt alien and unwelcoming.
Frederic's emotional detachment from the place he once knew.
“This war is killing me, I am very depressed by it.”
Rinaldi says the war is destroying him and he feels deeply depressed.
Rinaldi's raw confession of war-induced despair.
“You act like a married man, what's the matter with you?”
Rinaldi teases Frederic for seeming subdued and serious, like a married man.
Rinaldi's perception of Frederic's changed demeanor.