1. Catherine And Henry’s Relationship Is Built Onl

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1. Catherine and Henry’s relationship is built only on a desire to escape the realities of war. Do you agree? When Catherine Barkley and Frederick Henry start their relationship they most definitely use it as a way to escape war. Near the start of the novel Henry ignores Rinaldis claim on Catherine and starts to see her. While rather annoyed at this, Rinaldi sees that Catherine prefers Henry over him and accepts their relationship “insert quote”. This light hearted way of letting go is only possible as both men at this point of time were typical male chauvinist’s From early on we learn Catherine knows about the war and has experienced tragedy in it. Catherine, who once thought of war as a romantic idea, is suddenly hit by the reality of what war does to people when she loses her fiancée to an explosion. “I thought saber cut… blew him to bits instead” Henry begins his relationship with Catherine and sees it as a game”I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge.”. While doing everything to appease her deep down Catherine knows and accepts that Henry is doing and saying whatever he is just because he knows it is what Catherine wants him to hear. In fact Catherine tells him herself “you can stop pretending now”. Despite this, Henry continues with the charade that he is in love with her. Later on, this is the very thing Catherine wants “keep lying to me” as this time she is actually in love with Henry. At the start of the affair between the two lovers, their love for each other was a lie. However when Henry gets injured and sent to the hospital in Milan and reunites with Catherine, he described her as “I’ve never seen a more beautiful thing in my life” indicating to us that he has well and truly fallen in love with her. There is no reason for this change of heart in Henry other then maybe the leg injury he
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