Diction
"Go to hell"(17)
"Nothing, baby. Nothing."(41)
"You are an ignorant foul-mouthed dago… a frozen-faced….wop"(65)
"You've got a lovely everything"(93)
"It was as though we met again after each of us had been away on a long journey"(99)
"I saw the son of the bitch throw it"(109)
"to hell with the whole damn business"(153)
"Oh, God, please don't let her die…please,please,please dear God, don't let her die"(286)
Unlike many literary masterpieces, A Farewell To Arms is told through the unfiltered eyes of a realistic man. The diction is casual, real, and therefore the entire range of emotions is conveyed to the reader. The tone is an honest account of every thought of Henry. He releases his vulgar desires, and says his crude thoughts. His juvenile analogies further strengthen the authenticity and honesty of the tone-“It was as though…each of us had been away on a long journey" is an expression that simply and powerfully captures the feelings of a man who is deeply in love. To embellish this statement would be forceful, and thus detract from the effective honest portrayal of the story. The personality of Henry is easily obtainable as Hemingway uses uncensored speech. Henry is sarcastic, witty, and more than often irritable. The use of vulgarity also adds to the honest tone of a man who speaks his mind.
Through Hemingway’s use of diction, a tone is established. His simple, often plain choice of words helps to portray, in this case, his honest tone. He wants readers to relate to what his characters are going through, and the easiest way to do this is to use language that they can easily understand. As you mentioned, his childish analogies strengthen the honesty of his tone. He makes things so that they are simple and easy to relate to. During a war setting, it is the simple things that people look forward to the most.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that his casual diction leads to an honest account of Henry. It shows his true thoughts and enables the reader to get to understand him and relate to him, especially when shown in different interactions when he is dealing with different people.
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