Throughout the novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Catherine throws herself at Frederic Henry—almost to the point where she loses her own identity. One of the quotes that really struck me was when she said to Henry “There isn’t any me. I’m you. Don’t make up a separate me” (99). I think this quote shows the depth of Catherine’s love for Henry and her desire to eliminate herself and think of them as one. In Catherine’s previous relationship, her fiancé died in the war. Afterwords, she was an “emotional wreck” because she felt guilty that she did not put enough into that relationship. I agree with Hemingway when he says that Catherine channeled those thoughts and emotions to her relationship with Henry to try and make up for her past mistakes. As the novel progresses, Catherine becomes more and more like Frederic Henry. She even suggests that she cut her hair short to be like his. It seems to be that her primary goal is to please Henry. Whenever they are apart, she is dreaming of him, and despite the fact that Frederic Henry is not as interested in her, Catherine continues to focus on their relationship and give 100% of herself.
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Great American Novels 2020 
I’ve read this book dozens of times, and it always bothers me how much Catherine gives up her identity, despite being more experienced, more aware, and more mature than Henry.
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I completely agree with your blog post. Catherine wants to be so much like Henry so much that it almost seems as if she’s obsessed with him, and even the thought of their own child doesn’t excite her like it might excite a normal woman, but instead it comes across as a separation between the two of them. I also thought it was interesting how Catherine was apologizing for the labor complications even though it wasn’t even close to her fault, and she was the one in pain.
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I agree with your post that Catherine gives all of herself to Fredrick Henry but I do not necessarily agree that Fredrick Henry is not as interested in her. In the beginning of the novel, the priest defines love by saying “True lovers wish to serve and to sacrifice”. While Fredrick Henry does not serve as much as Catherine, he sacrifices a lot for her. A quote that demonstrates this strongly is after Fredrick Henry returns from staying with Catherine and Rinaldi says “ ‘Tell me about everything’ ‘There’s nothing to tell,’ [Henry] said, ‘I’ve led a quiet life’ ” (146). This shows that Henry is sacrificing much of his life style to be with Catherine.
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