A Farewell to Arms Warfare Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages […] (27.29)

This comes from one of the novel’s most famous passages. He comes to believe that when villages, and towns, and human lives are destroyed, all the words that are traditionally associated with war and battles become perversions of what they are supposed to mean.

Quote #8

"If there is a retreat, how are the wounded evacuated?"

"They are not. They take as many as they can and leave the rest." (27.45)

This is a chilling moment in the text. We are filled with a deep sadness to think of the wounded men left in the rain to fend for themselves if they can, and most likely to die in great pain, without any knowledge that they are loved, or cared for, or appreciated.

Quote #9

In civilian clothes I felt a masquerader. (34.1)

Frederic was a civilian before he wore the uniform. We wonder if when he first put on a uniform he felt like a masquerader too. Clothing has a fair amount to do with identity in this novel. Think of the German’s helmets, or Catherine’s blue cape.