How is the fractured identity of Frederic Henry illustrated?
Answer Frederic Henry lacks a distinctive national identity. For the first eighty-one pages of A Farewell to Arms, Frederic is referred to as “Signor Tenente” or the “American Tenente.” On one occasion, Catherine greets him with the more formal, “Mr. Henry.” Only upon his arrival at the American hospital in Milan do we learn his full name. He introduces himself as Frederic Henry to Miss Gage, an American nurse. Even after Frederic acknowledges his American nationality, he is still misperceived. Having requested a barber to give him a shave, he begins questioning the man about the war. The barber continues his work, refusing to provide Frederic with any current news. Angered by the man’s deliberate defiance, Frederic sends him away. He subsequently calls a porter who explains that the barber thought Frederic to be an Austrian officer. During the Italian retreat from Caporetto, Henry’s lack of a national identity is indisputable. While Italian officers are being rounded up on the Tagliam
