Often associated with life and growth, in this novel, the rain suggests impending doom. In the very first chapter the narrator states “At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. It was checked and in the end seven thousand died of it in the army” (Hemmingway 4). There is also a storm the night that Henry learns he must immediately leave Italy to avoid being arrested. At the end of the novel, it is raining at the time he learns of his family’s death and is then forced to walk back to his hotel in the pouring rain. In fact, the final word in A Farewell to Arms is "rain," evidence of the symbol's importance in expressing the grim nature of war in the story overall (Markley 1).
The mental and emotional toll of the reality of war further begins to show as Henry’s character clearly goes through serious development. He begins as a self-centered, self-sufficient male who toys with Catherine. When she asks if he will be good to her, he replies saying he loves her but soon after he adds "I lied" (Hemmingway 27). However, after a forced separation, they spend an idyllic summer together, and he realizes he really did want to marry Catherine. The many months spent in loneliness aided in Henry’s newfound need for a true companion (Stratford