Question

ead the excerpt from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. “Tenente,” Passini said. “We understand you let us talk. Listen. There is nothing as bad as war. We in the auto-ambulance cannot even realize at all how bad it is. When people realize how bad it is they cannot do anything to stop it because they go crazy. There are some people who never realize. There are people who are afraid of their officers. It is with them the war is made.” “I know it is bad but we must finish it.” “It doesn’t finish. There is no finish to a war.” “Yes there is.” Passini shook his head. “War is not won by victory. What if we take San Gabriele? What if we take the Carso and Monfalcome and Trieste? Where are we then? Did you see all the far mountains to-day? Do you think we could take all them too? Only if the Austrians stop fighting. One side must stop fighting. Why don’t we stop fighting? If they come down into Italy they will get tired and go away. They have their own country. But no, instead there is a war.” Which best describes the effect of Passini’s long pieces of dialogue? They indicate that Passini is naive about the ways of war. They indicate that Passini is guided by his emotions. They indicate that Passini feels passionately about his beliefs. They indicate that Passini is the main protagonist.

Answer 1

Passini's long pieces of dialogue in A Farewell to Arms (1929) indicate that Passini feels passionately about his beliefs.

In this excerpt from Ernest Hemingway's novel, Passini is fully convinced that a war never finishes and that victory is only an illusion. He believes that victory does not mean the end of a war since enemies will keep fighting. He also argues that the real victory, which is the end of the war, could only be achieved if one side stops fighting. Passini defends his truth fiercely in his dialogue with the tenant by presenting a strong argument and using rhetorical questions.