Blog #4: Text Connections
In the novel A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway makes many text-world connections in order to connect more strongly with the readers. Two of these connections in particular, hold significant importance when relating to the reader. The first text-world connection occurs when the main character, Frederic Henry, makes a comment saying that what the Japanese really want in their increasing conquest in the Pacific is Hawaii. Although this book was written in 1929, and Pearl Harbor did not occur for over a decade later, the thought that even the soldiers knew about the Japanese desire for Pacific control is unsettling. The prediction that the Japanese should not be trusted accurately shows the cautiousness and uneasiness of the enlisted soldiers.
A second text-world connection is made when the hospitalized lieutenant is talking about American baseball. Baseball, the great American pastime, is shown as an escape from the ideas of war and an important aspect of an American soldier’s life. This connection is particularly interesting because it talks about Babe Ruth, one of the most renowned baseball players in the history of the sport. To the downtrodden soldiers, athletes like Babe Ruth are inspiration to fight hard and end the war as quickly as they can. Without updates like these in the newspapers, American soldiers feel as if they are lost and are unable to connect with the place they call home.
Both of your text connections are insightful. It is very odd that Hemingway essentially wrote an omen to the bombing of pearl harbor. I credit your ability to tie together those two events even though the book was written way before world war II. It is most likely that Hemingway was very knowledgeable about foreign relations and politics. I also appreciate the connection to sports and war. It is probably true that soldiers have the same passion and pride as an superstar athlete when fighting a war. Babe Ruth is the premier example of that.
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