Theme is a literary element used in literature and has inspired many poets, playwrights and authors. The themes of love and war are present in literature and inspire authors to write wartime novels that highlight these two themes. Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms addresses collective themes in the human experience such as love and the reality of war. A Farewell to Arms is told from the point of view of Fredric Henry, an Italian army ambulance driver, and concerns his experiences in war. The novel also highlights the passionate relationship between Henry and Catherine Barkley, a British nurse in Italy. Henry's insight into the war and his intense love for Catherine highlight that love and war are the predominant themes in the novel and these themes help bring out the implicit and explicit meaning of the novel. Being part of the Italian army, Henry is closely involved in the war and has developed an aversion to war. Henry's association with war also made him realize that war is not glorious and that the sacrifices made in war are meaningless. Specifically, Henry wants the war to end because he is disillusioned with the war and knows that the war is not as glorious as it is made out to be. The state of affairs and the sad reality of war push Henry towards a burning desire for a peaceful life, and as a result Henry repudiates his fellow soldiers on the war front. Henry's desertion from the war is also linked to his passionate love for Catherine. Henry's love for Catherine is progressive and ironic. This love gradually develops in “phases”: Henry's attempt to feign love for Catherine near the beginning of the novel, his gradually developing love for her, and, finally, Henry's impass... middle of paper ... thus he provided the reader with realistic descriptions of the war front. Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms realistically explores the inglorious and brutal truths of war and idealistically analyzes the power of true love. Works Cited "A Farewell to Arms Essay - A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway." Literary Criticism of the Twentieth Century 115 (1929): 121-126. JSTOR. Network. February 19, 2014."Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com and Web. November 15, 2013.Hemingway, Ernest. A farewell to arms. 1929. Reprint. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2013. Print.Mazzaro, Jerome. "George Peele and A Farewell to Arms: A Thematic Connection?" JSTOR Version 2. John Hopkins University Press, nd Web. 19 February 2014. SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNotes on A Farewell to Arms.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Network. April 30, 2014."Thesaurus.com." Thesaurus.com. Np, nd Web. November 15. 2013.