A Farewell to Arms: Chapter 40

The color-coded bars in this section make it easy to track the themes throughout the work. Each color corresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themes section of this LitChart. For instance, indicates that all five themes apply to that part of the summary.

Summary Analysis Themes

March and spring arrive, and Henry and Catherine move to the town of Lausanne to get closer to the hospital. Henry reads in the paper that the German offensive against France has begun. He drinks a lot and, in deference to Catherine’s wishes, continues to grow his beard. He begins to box at a local gym and she buys baby clothes, but they both have the feeling that with the baby coming so soon they cannot waste any time together.

Though Henry and Catherine have escaped the war, they cannot escape the other realities of life simply by hiding in Switzerland or disguising themselves with beards or doing domestic activities. Their desire to spend every moment together seems to imply that they sense some kind of approaching doom.