A Farewell to Arms · Chapter
XXXII explained
Frederic Henry, lying on a flatcar under canvas with guns, reflects on his escape from the battle police during the retreat.
What happens
Frederic Henry, lying on a flatcar under canvas with guns, reflects on his escape from the battle police during the retreat. He is cold, wet, and hungry, and his knee, operated on by Dr. Valentini, is stiff. He contemplates his separation from the war, his lost comrades, and his longing for Catherine. He decides to leave the war behind and plans to reunite with her.
Themes in this chapter
War and Disillusionment
Frederic feels 'through' with the war, having lost his men and obligation; he sees the war as a 'show' he no longer belongs to.
Escape and Retreat
Frederic physically escapes the battle police and mentally retreats from the war, planning to flee with Catherine.
Love and Loss
Frederic's thoughts of Catherine are a source of hope and longing, but he fears losing her and struggles to think of her without going crazy.
Characters to notice
- Frederic Henry
Narrator, lying on a flatcar, reflecting on his escape and his future with Catherine.
- Catherine Barkley
Frederic's beloved; he thinks of her and plans to reunite with her.
- Dr. Valentini
Performed surgery on Frederic's knee, which is now stiff but satisfactory.
- Piani
Frederic wonders if Piani will report that he was shot.
- The Priest
Frederic wonders what became of him during the retreat.
- Rinaldi
Frederic thinks of him, possibly at Pordenone, and reflects on his worry about syphilis.
Key passages
“You did not love the floor of a flatcar nor guns with canvas jackets and the smell of vaselined metal or a canvas that rain leaked through, although it is very fine under a canvas and pleasant with guns; but you loved someone else whom now you knew was not even to be pretended there; you seeing now very clearly and coldly—not so coldly as clearly and emptily.”
You don't love the harsh physical reality of war—the cold floor, the greasy guns, the leaking canvas—even if it's momentarily comfortable; you love someone else who isn't really there, and you see that truth with stark clarity and emptiness.
Frederic contrasts the grim comfort of his hiding place with his love for Catherine, realizing the emptiness of his situation.
“Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation. Although that ceased when the carabiniere put his hands on my collar.”
His anger and sense of duty vanished when he escaped into the river, but that obligation had already ended when the military police grabbed him.
Frederic's emotional detachment from the war is complete after his near-execution.
“I was not made to think. I was made to eat. My God, yes. Eat and drink and sleep with Catherine.”
I'm not meant for deep thought; I'm meant for basic physical pleasures—eating, drinking, and being with Catherine.
Frederic rejects intellectual reflection in favor of simple, life-affirming desires.