A Farewell to Arms Book 5, Chapter 40 Summary

Summary

Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley are living comfortably through the late winter in the mountains with the Guttingens. After repeated short thaws the weather breaks in March with a hard rain that melts the snow into slush. Concerned that the worsening weather will make mountain life unpleasant and because they must be near the hospital for Madame, they decide to go down into town. Mr. and Mrs. Guttingen help them with baggage at the station and say they will be glad to have them back in spring.

They travel via Montreux to Lausanne and take rooms in a medium-sized hotel. The hotel feels luxurious compared with the Guttingens’ modest home: a concierge, elevator, brass beds and shining fixtures. Catherine settles in, worrying about baby clothes and preparing for the child, while Frederic reads the newspapers—he notes the German offensive in France—and thinks about small comforts like whiskey. They eat often in their room, stroll in town, ride to Ouchy and walk beside the lake. Frederic begins boxing for exercise at a gymnasium and describes the precise professor and his own awkwardness with a beard in front of a mirror. They find brief false springs with warm days that allow rides and excursions; Catherine, who can no longer walk far, enjoys carriage outings. The couple feel the imminence of the baby strongly and savor their remaining time together, content and affectionate in simple daily routines.

Key events

1. Persistent rain and thaw in March force decision to leave the mountain.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Guttingen help Frederic and Catherine travel to town.
3. They move into a medium-sized hotel in Lausanne with more comforts.
4. Catherine buys baby clothes and prepares; Frederic reads war news.
5. Frederic boxes for exercise; they take walks, rides, and eat mostly in their room.
6. Warm days alternate with cold; they relish time together before the baby.

Analysis

This chapter functions as a calm interlude that deepens the novel’s domestic strand and contrasts private life with the ongoing public violence of the war. By moving Frederic and Catherine from the rustic Guttingen home to a comfortable Lausanne hotel Hemingway emphasizes a temporary stability and small luxuries—elevator, brass bed, white washbowls—against the larger instability hinted at by the newspapers' news of the German offensive. The domestic details (shopping for baby clothes, ordering drinks, messing about on the bed) develop Catherine and Frederic’s intimacy and show how ordinary routines become the couple’s refuge.

Structurally, the chapter slows the narrative pace and gathers the reader into sensory, everyday scenes: rain, slush, train windows, the smell of the streets and the light in the gym. The boxer’s mirror and Frederic’s awkwardness with his beard are small, slightly comic moments that humanize him and mark a desire to return to prewar normalcy. Symbolically, the breaking winter and the intermittent false springs reflect uncertainty—birth and renewal are close, yet weather reverses and war news serve as reminders that security is fragile. Hemingway’s restrained, direct narration continues to foreground action and precise detail rather than explicit commentary, letting mood and behavior convey emotional stakes.

Important quotes

“We had a fine life.”

NarratorOpens the chapter with a concise statement of contentment that frames the domestic period Frederic and Catherine are enjoying.

“"That is all right, Mr. Henry," Guttingen said.”

GuttingenGuttingen reassures Frederic about leaving the mountain early, showing the couple's friendly relation with their hosts and the ease of their departure.

“I know I’m no fun for you, darling. I’m like a big flour-barrel.”

Catherine BarkleyCatherine’s self-deprecating remark about her pregnancy reveals vulnerability and the couple’s affectionate intimacy.

Characters in Book 5, Chapter 40

• Frederic Henry
• Catherine Barkley
• Mr. Guttingen
• Mrs. Guttingen
• Waiter