heroarms The Code Hero in A Farewell to Arms Essay -- Farewell Arms

The Hemingway Code Hero in A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway is a renowned American author of the Twentieth century who centers his novels around personal experiences and affections. He is one of the authors named "The Lost Generation." He could not cope with post-war America, and therefore he introduced a new type of character in writing called the "code hero". Hemingway is known to focus his novels around code heroes who struggle with the mixture of their tragic faults and the surrounding environment. Traits of a typical Hemingway Code Hero are a love of good times, stimulating surroundings, and strict moral rules, including honesty. The Code Hero always exhibits some form of a physical wound that serves as his tragic flaw and the weakness of his character. In this novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway brings about the evolution of Frederick Henry into a code hero in realistic ways. Frederick Henry achieved code hero characteristics by the end of the novel with the help of Catherine. All the characteristics seem to follow the path of a manly person who is continuously striving to live his/her life to the fullest. Throughout this novel, Frederick Henry’s behavior matures into the code hero who Hemingway desires to be through Henry’s discovery of love, bravery and death. In the start of the novel, Frederick Henry was into over-sensual pleasures and could not control himself until he had spent much time with Catherine and learned how to discipline himself. Henry "had drunk much wine" and roamed from whorehouse to whorehouse near the beginning of the novel. He had no control over himself nor could hold his liquor or contain himself from e... ...ny on the way back to his home but he declines. He goes off to his house by himself and sorts things out with what death actually is. He asked God to save his greatest love after taking his child and does not receive an answer. He concludes that death is the end and when it gets you, there is no where to go. Henry never becomes a code hero until the end when he accepts death as the end of existence. Hemingway’s code hero, Frederick Henry, evolves into a man whom the reader could identify with and understand. Henry unknowingly becomes a code hero and a better person with the help of Catherine. Henry becomes a code hero in the end due to the help of many incidents. On the last few pages, the reader realizes he has become a code hero because he responded to the serious situation on his hands calmly and orderly as Catherine did.