A Farewell to Arms

The next day he tries to meet with Catherine again. There will be an attack that night, and he must prepare the four ambulance cars, which will transport the wounded down the mountain. When she learns about the attack, she gives him a Saint Anthony medal for him to wear, even though she says she’s not Catholic.

As he drives to the bridge, the driver advises him to wear the necklace and not keep it in his pocket. He does so, and then, breaking narration and flashing forward, says that he forgot about the medal after he was wounded; he never saw it again.

The four cars create a lot of dust, just as the army did in Chapter 1. Frederic notices that being in a convoy is not bad if you are in the front, as you can cause the dust but not get it on you. The cars climb higher and higher into the mountains. From his vantage point, he can still clearly see the river and how it divides the two armies, as well as the mountain ranges that lay beyond.

Frederic arrives at the dressing stations, and the major tells him where to go once the offensive starts. While waiting for the offensive, he drinks with the major and then meets with his drivers. They ask about getting food before the fighting starts. He notices that they tend to be silent around him: “They were all mechanics and hated the war” (41).

While waiting for the food and for the attack, the drivers begin to speak more freely in Frederic’s presence, telling stories about the granatieri, soldiers who were shot because they wouldn’t attack. Passini, one of the drivers, tells Frederic that he shouldn’t let them criticize the army. Frederic reminds them that they can’t abandon the war effort because defeat is worse. Passini goes on to explain how much he "hates this war" (44), saying that nothing is worse than war and that everyone except the ruling class realizes that.

One of the drivers goes with Frederic to see if the food is ready. The major informs Frederic that the bombardment is starting and warns him not to go out. Frederic gets some food to bring back to his men, and on his way back to his men, they must run for cover when a shell explodes nearby.

Rattled, Frederic shares the food with his men: cold macaroni, dust-covered cheese, and wine that has gone bad. They have no forks, and the men wait for Frederic to eat first, using his hands. As they share the meal, they discuss the types of bombs they can hear. Passini is worried that they are not in a deep dugout. Suddenly, a shell lands nearby and Frederic thinks he is dead until he realizes he is not. Then he hears Passini screaming; his legs are severed above the knee. Frederic tries to put a tourniquet on him until he realizes it’s too late. Passini is dead. Frederic then realizes he is injured and wants to escape, but he knows he must look for his three other men. Two of them help him even though they too are injured. The fourth is at the post being bandaged. A British officer offers to drive the two ambulances, since Passini is dead and another driver is too wounded.

As he is examined, the medical captain dictates notes, adding that the wounds were “incurred in the line of duty” (51), so it’s clear these are not self-inflicted wounds. This is reminiscent of the other American soldier who Frederic urged to inflict a wound on himself to get out of fighting. As Frederic gazes at the scene around him, he notes that the doctors look like "butchers" (49) with blood all over them. In the ambulance, Frederic feels the dripping blood coming from the man lying above him, who is hemorrhaging. By the time they reach the next post, the man is dead and replaced with another stretcher.