Re: Farewell to Arms- Mtns/Plains Symbolism: Ernest Hemingway Campfire
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line. Ernest Hemingway & Re: Farewell to Arms- Mtns/Plains Symbolism
: I am writing a paper and need more examples on how the Mountains and Plains are used symoblically in the book, A Farewell To Arms. : I know Mountains= Good, Home : Plains=War, Evil bUt I need to be able to write 500 words and I am stuck!!!
Carly, I think you're problem is that I can't think how mountans = good, home. Not for me. I think of mountains and I think of cold, falling off, avalanches, Yeti. While not evil, but certainly bad. And plains = war, evil. For me plains are waving plains of grain. Plains Indians (the peaceful ones). The Great plains. Do you have examples of where mountains are symbolic of anything specific? Or plains?
Now rivers...there's a symbol. What did Napoleon cross? A river - the Rubicon. What did Huck Finn sail down on a raft in Hemingway's favorite book? The Ole Mississip. What do you have to cross to get into Hades? The River Styx. Where does an army make a stand becasue it's easy to defend? A river bank.
Crossing a river is symbolic of making a decision. You cross (decide) and generally don't go back. Rivers are symbolic of a barrier - to be defended or bridged. (Bridges are good too). But additionally, rivers are filled with water, and the emersion into water and coming out of the water are symbolic of a cleansing (think of baptism or Holy water). And even of birth or more importantly a re-birth. How does Frederic Henry flee the men who will shoot him? And what is his feelings towards the war before and afterwards? Towards Catherine? And how do he and Catherine escape to Switzerland. Right! And what is his feelings before and afterwards?
We're almost to 500 words and we haven't even put in what the Austrians cross to route the italians. (Hint. The Piave, a r*v*r in Italy).