A Farewell to Arms as a Classical Literary Work A classical literary work has been defined as a work "that endures across generations because of its universality of theme, ageless symbolism , word choice and sorting of details." A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway should be considered a classic literary work due to the universal themes, ageless symbolism, word choice, and story details. Although there were several themes in this book, one main theme seemed to dominate the story. This theme is the importance of love and loss in a male-female relationship. These two lovers were so absorbed in each other that they didn't need anyone else in their lives. “Wouldn't you like to take a trip alone, honey, hang with men and ski?” "No. Why should I?" “I think sometimes you want to see other people besides me.” “Do you want to see other people?” "No." she loves him so much that she is willing to be alone just so he can be happy. At the same time, Mr. Henry would probably want to go skiing but would never dream of leaving Catherine alone. Death wins over love. TO CLARIFY WHO IS SPEAKING, PUT THE QUOTE IN YOUR PAPER AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE NOVEL. WHEN THE SPEAKER CHANGES, A NEW LINE BEGINS. . PUNCTUATION SHOULD APPEAR ONLY AFTER THE PARENTHESES, NOT AFTER THE CITATION AND AFTER THE PAGE NUMBER.'It's very dangerous.' The nurse entered the room and closed the door. I sat outside in the hallway. Everything had disappeared inside me. I didn't think. I couldn't think. I knew she was going to die and I prayed that… in the middle of the paper… the dialogue and plot make this story easy to read, understandable and ageless. Works cited and consulted Bloom, Harold. Introduction. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 1987.Hemingway, Ernest. A farewell to arms. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957. Lewis, Wyndham. Twentieth century interpretations of the farewell to arms. Ed. Jay Gellens. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1970. 56-64.Young, Philip. Ernest Hemingway. New York: Rinehart, 1952. Internet Sources Ernest Hemingway in his day. July 1999. University of Delaware Library, Special Collections Department. December 29, 2000Flashback. July 1999. The Atlantic Monthly. December 29, 2000 Hemingway's Bonfire. February 2000. Hemingway Bonfire on Nantucket. January 5, 2001 http://hatteraslight.com/navy/Hemingwayhall/cas/448.html.