A Farewell to Arms

Artillery awakens Frederic, even though the spring offensive has not begun yet. He goes to the garage to check on the ambulances. He is somewhat dismayed to realize that everything seems to be taken care of and that “it evidently made no difference whether [he] was there to look after things or not” (14). Everyone is preparing for an offensive which will involve an attack at Plava, a town on the Isonzo river. Frederic must have his cars ready and hidden, close to the river.

When he gets to his room, Rinaldi insists that Frederic accompany him on his date with Miss Barkley. They have drinks before heading out. Frederic ends up talking with Miss Barkley while Rinaldi speaks with her friend, who is also a nurse. Miss Barkley asks him why he is in the Italian army and he responds, “There isn’t always an explanation for everything” (15).

As they continue to talk, Miss Barkley shares that her fiancé was killed the previous year in France after they had been together for eight years. She regrets not marrying him. She asks Frederic if he thinks the war will keep going on, and he says, “It will crack somewhere” (17). They resume conversation with Rinaldi and the nurse, Helen Ferguson.