An Anti-War Novel?

One of the perceived key themes, if not the key theme of "A Farewell to Arms" is its strong anti-war undertones. World War One was an extremely harsh conflict, the likes of which will likely never been seen again in our lifetime. But most of the focus on the conflict relates to the Western Front, home to waist-deep mud and trenches filled with fecal material and disease. This novel is set along the Isonzo Front, in the Alps of Northern Italy. By all accounts, this front didn't have the later problems, but it produced something else: a harsh climate, and harsh terrain. As most would know, the Alps have a very harsh winter season, have valleys several thousand feet deep, and mountains that reach through the cloud bank. While initially more "romantic" and "glamorous" than the contemporary WW1 Fronts of France and Russia, you must keep in mind that these climates are better suited to adventurers, not a solider born before the turn of the 20th century. Hemingway likely was attracted to the front for this "adventure" factor. But as does the main character in the novel, Hemingway likely realized rather quickly that this is no place for war. This seems straightforward, as the book is anti-war, and this implies that Hemingway himself followed a similar ideology.

However, here is the catch: Hemingway himself wasn't an anti-war person. Indeed, 20 years later in WW2, Hemingway served as a freelance correspondent and had exploits including hunting for German U-Boats in a rigged up fishing boat off Cuba, leading a village militia in France, and attaching himself to army units led by his personal friends (seen in the photo in the top right) and staying at the front lines -- he even received the American Bronze Star for bravery under fire, only three medals below the Medal of Honor. This doesn't seem to match his perceived anti-war image.

I believe the answer is this: Hemingway liked the "classic" image of war - the one of glory on the battlefield, the average man becoming a hero, immense victories. WW1, especially the Italian Front, offered none of this. From this thought, I have been led to believe that the theme of anti-war in the novel isn't anti-war at all, but more anti-WW1.

Regardless of whether my thesis is right or wrong, as I have hopefully demonstrated, this novel provokes stimulating thoughts that are not just limited to the plot line.