Choosing Love or Love Choosing?

In Ernest Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms he discusses numerous timeless and universal conflicts. Hemingway’s semi- autobiographical novel set it’s self during World War I, the most timeless and universal of all conflicts. The conflict there though does not catch my attention as much as the conflict between what Lieutenant Henry wants, and what he feels. Human beings ability to love seems to me the strongest emotion and also the headrest to deny. Lieutenant Henry exhibits that perfectly when he states “God knows I had not wanted to fall in love with her”(93). The use of the diction God implies an un able to stop motion something unseen and unstoppable. This word choice coupled with the past tens in the sentences shows Lieutenant Henry inability to control all emotions to the point that “God knows..[he]..had”(93). In both sentences Hemingway uses God, a proper noun and in this case due to the capitalization not used as a swear word but rather the Christian God, to draw parallel along with a juxtaposition. He draws the parallel between the unstoppable nature of God and emotions. Then Hemingway shows the juxtaposition of something so natural in humans what humans want and what there emotions do. Henry never wanted to fall in love with Catherine, but was unable to stop it. The amazing aspect of it though he “felt wonderful”(93). Hemingway shows that emotions can change what humans want.
Through the portrayal of this Hemingway shows so much of what I’ve seen humans have no control over there emotions. I can’t choose to truly and deeply love someone and I can’t choose to not love someone. I’ve heard so many couples say we never thought we would be together or it was an instant connection. Humans don’t choose what there emotions do. If we had control over our emotions would they truly be emotions? Hemingway shows something that we can see ever single day when it all comes down to it non of us have a choice in where we fall or who we fall for it’s all a game of chance and if the dice role on the right side then our emotions show us the right way. Whether we believe its pre destination from a God or just by chance Hemingway’s choice to include this human conflict shows how he created a novel that all can relate to on some level. We have all felt the conflict, or seen it, and I see Hemingway as ingénues to include it.