Jake: Narrator/Frederic Henry

Emma: Literary Analyst

Abby: Backstory Analyst
Bailey: Romance Analyst
A Farewell to Arms Script:

(1st) Jake (Narration): (fancy reenactment stuff) War, Terrible War. Countries no longer united, but
divided in horrific battle. World War I, a war to end all wars, started by the assassination of Franz
Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary, and the invasion of Serbia. Lasting from July 28th 1914 to
November 11th 1918. The Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, and Japan fought against the
Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy, originally neutral in the
beginning of the war, joined the Allied Powers after the Treaty of London in 1915, and the United States
joined after 1917.

The story that Hemingway portrays in A Farewell to Arms focuses on an American ambulance corps
driver, Frederic Henry, and his tragic love story with an English nurse, Catherine Barkley. The novels
events focus mostly around their love story and the Caporetto retreat. During the Battle of Caporetto, the
Italians had to fight the Austrian Army and seven divisions of German troops, and were forced to retreat.
(end fancy reenactment stuff)

A Farewell to Arms takes place from 1916-18 in the Julian Alps, between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian
Empire (MAP), the city of Milan, in northern Italy (MAP), the resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggoire,
between Italy and Switzerland (MAP), and many towns in the Swiss Alps. (EXPLAIN MORE??)

(2nd) Emma (Possibly sitting in front of books or something?): (fancy pictures of FH) Hemingways
novel is a story of love, using World War I as a backdrop. The main character, Frederic Henry, is an
American working as an ambulance driver in the Italian army. He approaches his service in the war with
a portrayal of himself as a man of duty. However, he expects no praise or honor for his service. Many
people call him brave and selfless, but Henry refuses. He steers himself away from notions such as faith,
honor, and patriotism because these concepts mean nothing to him next to the concrete facts of war (and
Catherine). He is generally the only character that has any distinct changes in feelings throughout the
novel. (end fancy pictures of FH)

(3rd)Abby: Catherine Barkley is an english nurse who is trying to get over her first love. She meets
Frederic Henry, who wants to be with Catherine. She decided to get together with Henry to try to forget
and move on from her first love. She also feels like if she lets Henry go then she might not find love
again. The man she was proposed to died before she was able to tell him she loved him, now
she doesnt want to let that happen again. She decides to go out with Frederic. She knows Frederic
doesnt really care for her, but she still hopes that he does. Thats why she asks Henry to tell her I love
you and then she yells at him because she doesnt believe him. (Put Tell me you love me skit here)

She stays with Henry and leaves the war with him and then they live the rest of their lives together.
(4th) Bailey: (fancy acting and stuff) The novels rising action begins when Henry meets the English
nurse, Catherine Barkley. This is when the theme of love first appears. She tells of her late fianc that
she lost a year ago, and was engaged to for 8 years. Their love was uncanny from the beginning.

Barkley soon begins a flirtatious game with Henry with the intent of seducing him, and distancing
herself from her lost love. The infatuation they shared for each other merely began as a harmless
distraction from the trauma of the war. However, it soon blossomed into actual affection. The couples
feelings for each other quickly escalated from an amusement that kept them distracted, to the very fuel
that sustained them during these difficult times. Their relationship became so significant to Henry, that
he was able to convince himself to abandon the war in order to seek out the life they longed to live. His
love for Catherine outweighs any amount of consideration for the emptiness of abstract ideals such as
honor.

Later in the novel, they are hit with quite a shocking surprise. Catherine is pregnant. This is when they
decide to abandon the war, in order to live the life they wish to have together. They also wish to achieve
physical, emotional, and psychological healing, and they had found the place to do it, in the safe remove
of the Swiss Mountains.

(Put I Love Our Family Skit here)

The details of their love story continues to be common in relationships today, which gives people the
ability to relate to the novel even further. This adds importance to the novel and helps explain why it is
still popular nearly a century later. Some might compare their love story to the great tale by Shakespeare,
Romeo and Juliet. Both narratives tell a story of love in the midst of a war, and both relationships
advance quite rapidly. Some might even say there is a similarity of immaturity in the two affairs. A
Farewell to Arms is equally as significant in present day as Romeo and Juliet.

(5th) Abby: theres a presence of religion in A Farewell to Arms. Frederic is friends with a priest. The
priest talks to Frederic about religion. Frederic sees that the priest knows his position in life, now
Frederic wants to find his position in life. Whenever Frederic needs some wisdom he goes to the priest.
In one part of the book, the priest asks Frederic what he believes in and Frederic answers, Sleep.

(6th) Abby: (fancy pictures of ol Ernest Hemingway) A Farewell to Arms really reflects the life of Ernest
Hemingway with just a few differences. Ernest Hemingway was an ambulance driver himself in the
Italian army, like Frederic Henry. He was also a reporter during World War I. He used his reporting
experiences for the background of A Farewell to Arms. His past love life also showed through the story,
but very loosely. Also like Frederic, Ernest fell in love with a nurse and proposed to her, but Ernest was
turned down for an Italian officer. (end em now!)

(7th) Bailey: A Farewell to Arms continues to prove its timelessness by being referenced in recent
movies and television shows. In the movie Silver Linings Playbook (2012) (Movie Poster), the main
character, Pat, reads the novel. He is, however, quite disappointed with the ending, but later is shown a
different perspective by his wife, Nikki. It also showed up in the popular kids tv show, Danny
Phantom, when one of the characters, Tucker (who is known particularly for his level of intelligence),
was shown reading a book with the title A Farewell to Arms on the cover. (Picture of Tucker)
https://www.google.com/search?
q=danny+phantom+a+farewell+to+arms&safe=strict&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=
0ahUKEwiemsTCgrjSAhUJJCYKHUMZAvgQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=671#imgrc=A8sIPFbsYd
A9yM Both of these works still continue to be popular today, and show the significance that
Hemingways novel had, and continues to have, in not only peoples education, but in their everyday
lives.

(this one.)

(8th) Jake: The novel is important because its entire narrative is based in World War I and the Italian
campaign (which wasnt, and still isnt, heavily written about). It also realistically depicts war, rather
than glorifying it.

(9th) Emma: People should read, and continue to read, A Farewell to Arms because you get to learn
about World War I (which we dont learn about much in the US, plus its from an Americans point of
view), the conditions soldiers endured (which were quite harsh and dirty), and a not-so-known job in the
war, through Frederic Henry as an ambulance driver. Not to mention you get to learn some Italian!
(Italian Words Skit after this) Also, what not to do in a relationship from Catherine and Frederic!

(10th) Bailey: Hemingway has received criticism for his writing, not only because of its dark nature, but
because of his portrayal of women. He has gotten feminist criticism for many of his works, including
The Sun Also Rises, and A Farewell to Arms.

The character Catherine Barkley from A Farewell to Arms was criticized for her overly submissive
manner. Critics say that he was at his best dealing with men without women, but often reverted to
uncomplicated stereotypes when he began involving female characters. A particular line from A
Farewell to Arms that strikes up this conversation is Im having a child and that makes me contented
not to do anything. This suggested a bygone era in which a womans work centered around maintaining
a home and filling it with children.

This controversy shows the novels importance, and helps represent the stereotypes that lived in that time
period, and continues to remain alive today. Its important that people continue to read this novel,
because on top of the more obvious reasons, it helps remind us of the lifestyles of people in that time
period, and why we continue to grow out of what was once a normality. It also helps show that feministic
beliefs are not new, and that women have been fighting for equality for much longer than people realize.

(Very Last) Emma: All in all, its still a better love story than Twilight, and unfortunately, equally as
popular in present day. (giant shrug)

Credits:
Jake Madsen: Narrator, Frederic Henry, Editor
Emma Smith: Analyst, Italian Translator, Camera Woman
Abby Broxon: Analyst, Catherine Barkley (and her Ghost), Prop Provider
Bailey Snelling: Analyst, Camera Woman, Camera Equipment Provider

Skits?
Actual acting out some of their scenes
The Silver Linings Playbook AFTA scene? (but school appropriate, of course)
Learn what not to do in a relationship from Catherine!

Italian Words:
Soto-tenente (thumb)
Tenente (pointer finger)
Capitano (next finger)
Maggiore (next to the little finger)
Tenente-colonello (little finger)
ciaou (hello/goodbye)
mama mia (popular musical featuring Dancing Queen by ABBA)
Ravioli (chef boyardee) (feat. a picture of a can in Emmas hand [If Possible])
Spaghetti (thin pasta with tomato sauce/ Meatballs optional)
Pizza (humanitys greatest gift) (feat. picture of the leaning tower of pizza [If Possible])
Its-a me (its me)
Mario (popular video game featuring italian plumber) (no one cares about Luigi)
Zi boppeti boopi (unintelligible babbling)
tutto- thats all

A World War I song link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsynSgeo_Uo