Catherine Barkley: Heroine or Damsel in Distress?
...e is wiser than many might have first expected. Probably the most obvious sign of strength from Catherine comes in her final moments in the novel. Throughout the second half of the novel, Catherine has been dealing with pregnancy. She has been very strong throughout and according to Frederic “was hardly ever sick” (Hemingway 320). When the time comes for delivery, the reader can sense that something bad is going to happen to Catherine. Finally, after having a cesarean birth to a stillborn baby boy, a nurse tells Frederic, and the reader, that Catherine has a hemorrhage that is very dangerous to her health. At this moment, we learn that Catherine is going to die. Catherine’s resilient strength is seen when she tells Frederic, upon his leaving her hospital room, “Don’t worry, darling … I’m not a bit afraid” (Hemingway 331). Catherine has grasped the fact that she is dying, and is now mentally prepared for it. Though she was in much physical pain, she kept a calm face. Her strength, though tested, remained until her last breath. Later on in the relationship and the novel, when Frederic’s love has changed from a lie to a passionate reality, Catherine’s devotion as a lover can be seen. Frederic is bedridden in a hospital in Milan from his injury at the front, and Catherine has transferred to the same hospital to be closer to him. By this time, the two have consummated their relationship, and Catherine has assumed the role of wife, though no formal ceremonies have been performed. Catherine assures Frederic that “There isn’t any me anymore. Just what you want” (Hemingway 106). The obvious reading of this dialogue would place a compliance and self-erasure on Catherine. But according to authors Comley and Scholes, the passage should be read in a different way. Instead of seeing a pathetic, selfless woman, the reader should see Catherine as playing yet another game, only this time her role is “in a game of sex and love that allows her to transfer her affections to a man other than her dead fiancé” (Comley 37). Though her devotion should be obvious enough through her transfer to the Milan hospital, this little game shows the reader that Catherine is devoted to Frederic. The reader can also see that she is comfortable enough with Frederic and who she is to play these sexual games which she had not partaken in before. Catherine’s devotion to Frederic is endless. Though this may be misconstrued as weakness, it is fueled by a mutual love. Catherine states that she would do anything for Frederic many times. The proof of her devotion lies in their flee from Stresa to Switzerland. Late one evening, Frederic awakes to a knock on their room door. It is the barman from downstairs and he has some bad news for Frederic. He has overheard some officers talking in a café, and knows that they will come to arrest him in the morning. The barman suggests that they leave and head across the lake for Switzerland in his small rowboat. Frederic agrees and is forced to wake the very pregnant Catherine. Once she has heard the news, she is wide awake and tells Frederic to “please hurry, darling, and get dressed so we can start” (Hemingway 266). She does not even think twice about leaving in the middle of the night, nor about the storm that has been beating the hotel all night. In the second part of their escape across the lake, Catherine proves her devotion even more by offering to row the boat, even in her pregnant state. Her only worry is keeping Frederic out of harms way and so that they can be together forever. Catherine also shows signs of heroism in the passion she has for her work. Not quite a nurse but a V.A.D., she works for the English army, caring for the injured soldiers. She takes her job very seriously. After she transfers to the hospital in Milan to be closer to Frederic, she busies herself with work. We learn that the other nurses liked her greatly because “she would do night duty indefinitely” (Hemingway 108). When she is not with Frederic, she is doing rounds and caring for people. At one point, a nurse and friend of Catherine’s, Miss Ferguson, approaches Frederic to ask him a favor. She is worried for Catherine and tells Frederic that he “ought to ask her not to do night duty for a while” because it is obvious that Catherine is “getting very tired” (Hemingway 109). Between work and Frederic, Catherine hardly has time for herself. She is putting her needs aside to care for those who cannot care for themselves, a very chivalrous act. Though there are many instances where Catherine is portrayed as strong and independent, there are times when she practically falls apart and is left reliant on Frederic. Early in their relationship, before true love has been established, Catherine breaks down and starts crying during a conversation with Frederic. Through her tears she asks Frederic “You will be good to me, won’t you?” (Hemingway 27). Frederic, baffled at such an outburst, comforts Catherine while thinking “What the hell?” to himself (Hemingway 27). At this point, Frederic’s sexual intentions ar...