Question

Which of the following lines from “in another country” by Ernest Hemingway contribute to the prevailing mood of apathy in the story

Answer 1

If your options are: A) One day I had said that Italian seemed such an easy language to me that I could not take a great interest in it; everything was so easy to say. "Ah, yes," the major said. B) The girls at the Cova were very patriotic, and I found that the most patriotic people in Italy were the café girls—and I believe they are still patriotic. C) We were all a little detached, and there was nothing that held us together except that we met every afternoon at the hospital. D) It was warm, standing in front of her charcoal fire, and the chestnuts were warm afterward in your pocket. E) The major, who had been a great fencer, did not believe in bravery, and spent much time while we sat in the machines correcting my grammar.

The correct answer is A, in my opinion. It doesn't talk about apathy (the loss of interest and psychological indifference to everything). It shows apathy in a dialogue between two people, thus proving that apathy has infused every single aspect of the soldiers' lives in Milan. The major's short answer "Ah, yes" also shows it. The two people talk about their lack of interest for Italian, and they are not even interested in this talk that they have.