“A Little Crazy”: Psychiatric Diagnoses of Three Hemingway Women Characters

Abstract

Although the psyches of Hemingway’s heroes—Nick Adams, Jake Barnes, Frederic Henry, and all the rest—have been thoroughly analyzed, the psychological state of Hemingway’s women characters has not received similar treatment. In fact, three of the most important Hemingway women suffer from diagnosable psychiatric disorders. Catherine Barkley ( A Farewell to Arms ), Brett Ashley ( The Sun Also Rises ), and Maria ( For Whom the Bell Tolls ) display all-too-real symptoms of emotional illness. An understanding of this aspect of their lives enriches our sense of the struggles they face.