Imagery and Symbolism in Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms".

When reading Ernest Hemmingway's A Farewell to Arms, I was struck by the vivid images he conveys with his descriptions of nature and the world. Hemmingway's stark prose lends an air of bleakness to the story that truly puts the horrors and emotional turmoil of war into perspective. Although I was shocked and somewhat disappointed at the ending, I can see where Catherine's death is necessary to complete the cycle and terminate the wartime romance …

…is not only a symbol of death but rebirth. Killinger notes that, "To Hemmingway death means rebirth for the existential hero in its presence, and therefore the rain, as an omen of death, at the same time predicts rebirth." In this way I can bring myself to accept the sad, tragic ending of A Farewell to Arms, because even in death there is the possibility of life and there is always the glimmer of hope.