Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Ernest Hemingway. Previous Next. Lieutenant Rinaldi Rinaldi, the surgeon at the Red Cross Hospital, is important to the novel not only because he gets some really great lines, but also because he is of ambiguous sexual orientation.
Tired of ads? He is one of the three doctors whose incompetence Henry remarks upon Hemingway This is in direct juxtaposition to Dr. I will have ten drinks. Where are they?
The implication is clear that the incompetent, delicate, and nondrinking house doctor is unmanly, and the competent, boisterous, and presumably virile surgeon, Dr. Valentini, is very manly, so that it logically follows that he is an enthusiastic drinker. Secondly, Henry repeatedly exhibits stoicism. He sustains a very serious injury to his leg, yet never panics or complains. He even insists that other men be treated by the doctors before he is Hemingway Third, Henry is a take charge kind of guy, as when the road is blocked during the retreat and he looks for a side road Hemingway He is a good leader, and his men look up to him and rely on him to tell them what to do.
Henry also exhibits the traditional male role of being brave: he leaves the trench to go find food for his men, and he goes first across the railway bridge in case it is mined Hemingway 51, Lastly, he is sexually experienced with women, something that is seen as reinforcing masculinity.
In the beginning of the story, it is evident that he has visited the town prostitutes, and later on, he confesses to Catherine that he has been with a lot of women Hemingway All of these things reinforce the typical and expected male role, but not necessarily the continuance of those roles. The heavy drinking certainly does not serve most of the men well, as Henry ends up getting jaundice and Rinaldi drinks so much his hands begin to shake—not a good thing for someone whose occupation is that of a surgeon.
Leadership is also shown to be not as desirable as one would think: the Italian battle police shoot their own officers without any logical reason or provocation Hemingway Lastly, womanizing has its downfalls, as evidenced by Rinaldi who might have syphilis. For example, Henry carries a gun around. He practices and becomes quite skilled with it. What could be more masculine? Yet he is uncomfortable. Perhaps Henry is aware of these effects of modern warfare and that is why the gun does not reinforce his own sense of secure masculinity.
Henry is also an ambulance driver, a service similar to that of the Red Cross. This was not seen as a masculine endeavor. His role within the war effort and his uneasiness with the gun are not traditionally thought of as masculine traits, yet, in many ways, the character of Frederic Henry is one of the most masculine characters within the book. Although Henry starts out as a man who only wants sex as opposed to love, it is not long before he desires a deeper connection.
Additionally, while there is a definite message in many parts of the book that manly men drink alcohol, the character of Ettore is in direct opposition to both the heavy drinking and womanizing male images of masculinity. Then again, the image of the brave warrior is not always upheld within the book because there are many instances where men are not brave and it is in no way held against them.
When Henry is sent into the field, he sees a crew that is scared, and later he talks about seeing the wounded come in and mentions how scared they are, as well Hemingway 51, He even goes to the extent of helping a man purposely injure himself so as to get out of fighting in the war Hemingway These men are not portrayed as unmanly, just merely caught in an undesirable situation and doing the best they can to cope.
While initially he flees to save his own life, he could have reported back in at a different location once he got away. However, he does not do that; he portrays a complex personality that encompasses the act of desertion while still maintaining a male mode of behavior in which his masculinity is in no way reduced.
The text within any book is, of course, open to the subjective interpretation of the reader, and some might refute, for example, that the interpretation of the exchanges between Rinaldi and Henry are homosexual in nature.
At first glance, it might seem that way. Rinaldi is the first to meet Catherine Barkley and essentially procures her for Frederic Henry, who then successfully courts and beds her. Additionally, one could argue that the relationship seems to be homosexual from the point of view of an American due to the fact that many European cultures, including Italian, are traditionally more demonstrative than the culture of the United States. Indeed, if one were to look at these things one at a time, the case for homosociality would seem to be rather strong.
Given this evidence, it is clear that homosexuality is a definite and intentional subtext within the book. In conclusion, the exploration of the boundaries of conventions regarding sex and gender are distinct themes within A Farewell to Arms.
The overall topics of the book are love and war, and just below the surface are an assortment of questions and observations about the nature of these two things, especially as they relate to masculinity. The novel not only tells a narrative about war, but shows the reader how modern warfare can dispossess a man of his masculinity rather than reinforce it.
The book tells the story of a man and woman who profess their love for one another, but also provides glimpses into the affectionate and possibly sexually charged relationships between men. The reader is taken through a storyline where the model of masculinity is concurrently dominant and passive, ruthless and deeply caring, insanely brave and completely terrified, and so on.
Hemingway paints a picture, not of black and white, but of the many shades of gray that reflect real life. Through his work, the reader is able to put together a true example of the male gender, with all its variety and complexity, within this period of time. Abbott, Frank Frost. A Short History of Rome. New York: Scott, Foresman and Company, Bond, Brian. Despite claiming to be in love with her himself, Rinaldi accepts without complaint that Miss Barkley prefers Frederic over himself.
Nevertheless, he reserves the right to tease Frederic about her. Frederic does not naturally share personal matters, but because Rinaldi treats no subject as off-limits, he gets Frederic to somewhat open up and knows Frederic better than anyone else does. While visiting Frederic in the hospital, Rinaldi expresses how he misses Frederic. Rinaldi admits that he feels very moved to see Frederic injured.
Although Frederic feels better and was declared fit to return to the front, Rinaldi disapproves. In part, he feels concern for his friend, but his objection also reflects a matter of professional pride. While the reader never gets a description of Rinaldi at work, this scene reminds readers that when not drinking and pursuing girls, he is a surgeon. While Frederic received medical treatment, the men at the front underwent a brutal fighting season. As a result, Rinaldi explains that he too experienced a long and difficult summer, but he feels proud of his work.
Now that the fighting is seemingly over for the season, Rinaldi has nothing to do and feels restless, perhaps empty without a purpose. As he explains, he feels jealous, but not because he wants Catherine. He worries that he will lose Frederic as he has lost his other married friends.
Rinaldi admits that his own cynicism about relationships makes him a bad friend for any man who wishes to stay married.
Rinaldi admits that, aside from work, the only two other things he enjoys are alcohol and sex. Rinaldi wishes he could add more dimensions to himself but believes that such improvement is impossible.
Such an admission implies that true men, by nature, sometimes feel unhappy. Rinaldi arrives to dinner drunk. His mentions of a pimple, a rash, and mercury indicate that he believes he has syphilis.
SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Themes Motifs Symbols. Quotes Rinaldi Quotes. Here now we have beautiful girls. New girls never been to the front before.
We will go now this afternoon and see. And in the town we have beautiful English girls. I am now in love with Miss Barkley. I will take you to call.
I will probably marry Miss Barkley.
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