A Farewell to Arms

Frederic now describes his room as “our room,” and it is clear that Catherine spends the night sleeping with him. She sometimes must leave the room to check on the other patients and make sure everyone is asleep. But she returns, and in the morning, she is still “fresh and lovely” (88).

Catherine must prepare Frederic for his surgery with Dr. Valentini, about whom she says, “I didn’t like him as much as you did” (89). She warns Frederic not to think about her when he goes under the anesthetic because “people get very blabby under an anaesthetic” (90). She tells him to think of home or of other girls he’s been with.

She then gives him an enema before the surgery, which she warned would be unpleasant, but she doesn’t want any of the other nurses taking care of him. She worries that there are too many nurses and that she may be sent elsewhere if they don’t get more patients. She asks him how many women he has loved, and he replies none, which she claims to be lies. She then promises to be exactly what Frederic wishes her to be so that he will never want any other girls.