A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, portrays the change that occurs in people and why these changes happen. They can change emotionally, mentally, and physically; a change of heart or mind. Either way an individual will change. These changes may not be obvious at first, but sometimes they are. Everyone changes whether they want to or not; it's part of life. Many times an individual may act or feel one way, but over time and through experiences, they have a change of heart and mind.
A new outlook on life may be acquired through personal experiences, desired or not. For example in the opening of the book Lieutenant Frederic Henery does not believe in the abstract ideas of honor, faith and patriotism. He thinks that acts that are considered honorable and respectable should be expected. He sees that a soldier's job is to save lives everyday, both the lives of military comrades and common citizens. Henery works in the hospitals of the Italian Military as a doctor and surgeon. As a doctor, he sees it as his responsibility to run into the line of fire for fellow soldiers who are wounded. Despite his military involvement, he is not patriotic. Even though he is American, he has no loyalty or allegiance to America; he is serving in the Italian military. He is detached from any country and only serves as a duty. He believes that people are to serve the government, and that it is not the government's responsibility to serve the people. His ideas change over time due to his experiences. Mr. Henery also had no respect for the idea of honor. Once again his ideas change. In the closing of the story, Catherine, now his wife, goes into labor with their child. The pain increases, and finally it's time for the birth of the baby. During the delivery, both Catherine and the baby die. Frederic now honors Catherine for giving her life for this baby, even though it was stillborn. To Catherine it was not a hard decision to decide to give her life trying to save the baby.