Catherine in A Farewell to Arms: Not a Perfect Woman in a Feminist World

Abstract:In Ernest Hemingway’s famous novel A Farewell to Arms,the main heroine Catherine is depicted and often interpreted as a perfect woman.Most male readers may regard Catherine as a dreamy wife since she is not only pretty,but also passionate towards love.However,this is not the case in a feminist point of view.Feminists hold a nearly opposite opinion towards Catherine.Therefore,what type of woman Catherine is in a feminist world is the question that needs solving.By applying a feminist view of what a female individual should do and contrasting Catherine’s behavior with the deeds of eligible women in feminists’eyes,it can be proved that Catherine can be considered as a delicate and dependent woman in Hemingway’s novel.Therefore,when shaping this character,Hemingway actually made an imperfect woman in a feminist view.

In Ernest Hemingway's famous novel A Farewell to Arms, the main heroine Catherine is depicted and often interpreted as a perfect woman. Most male readers may regard Catherine as a dreamy wife since she is not only pretty, but also passionate towards love. However, this is not the case in a feminist point of view. Feminists hold a nearly opposite opinion towards Catherine. Therefore, what type of woman Catherine is in a feminist world is the question that needs solving. By applying a feminist view of what a female individual should do and contrasting Catherine's behavior with the deeds of eligible women in feminists' eyes, it can be proved that Catherine can be considered as a delicate and dependent woman in Hemingway's novel. Therefore,when shaping this character, Hemingway actually made an imperfect woman in a feminist view.