A quote that struck me from this book is “But people do…we’re gone and then they have us.” because it shows how Henry is determined to make sure those things will never happen to Miss Barkley or the baby on the way. Why it’s important in the novel is because it signifies Henry’s determination to keep his family safe and together while the war rages on around them.
The book “A Farewell to Arms” and “The Book Thief” are similar in a way because both the main characters are thrusted into war and are fighting to survive it, befriending other people along the way. However, both books are set in different time periods and wars. Also, both characters are very different. Henry is a solider working with the allies against Austrians in Italy and falls in love with Miss Barkley, a nurse. Later in the book, Henry gets wounded by enemy shrapnel and was put in crutches for a while before he could walk again. He also finds out that Miss Barkley is pregnant and carrying his baby. The two struggle to keep their relationship together while WW1 rages on in Italy. Liesel, meanwhile, is a girl who flees to Munich with her mother and brother. After losing her brother on the way to Munich, she goes to live with her foster parents. Later in the book, she learns how to read and write by her foster father and meets a jewish boy named Max. Together, they struggle to survive through WW2 as Nazis storm into Jewish stores and homes before marching them to prison camps.
Great American Novels 2020 