Hemingway wrote this novel with a very pessimistic mood. There is tragedy behind every action. The mood is also of despair and bitterness. Throughout the novel the war continues either in the foreground or in the background, creating the sense of continuous death that no one can prevent. Since the novel is written in first person narrative, all the tragedy is seen through Henry's eyes. This makes it much easier for the reader to understand …showed first 75 words of 1093 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1093 total…misery, has given the word 'rain' an almost physical quality. The phrase 'in the rain' refers to the first battle where Henry is wounded, the retreat, and the way Henry misses Catherine in his sleep, and built into it are all of the corresponding emotions. By using this symbol over and over again Hemingway can simply say that Henry walks in the rain, and every emotion in the book is contained in his final sentence.