Throughout the novel, many characters reject war as necessary and remain ambivalent about it, stating that the only way to have happiness is to first make war. war. Perhaps the most striking example would be the union of Catherine and Henry; they would never have met if the war had not existed and, as Catherine says, “I would not have met you [Henry] if he [her fiancé] had not died” (112). Another example of irony is the relationship between love and pain. The loss of Catherine's fiancé inspired her to find love in Henry, and his life at war led him to seek refuge in Catherine's love. Henry sacrifices for her any chance of honor in the war; he would have received medals for his exceptional service, but he decides to abandon his past to be with Catherine. While the couple lives together in the Swiss mountains, Catherine experiences complications during her pregnancy and gives birth to a stillborn child. A few hours later, she too died. This unfortunate but inevitable sequence of events that connects initial happiness with later pain shows that even love, sometimes considered the most irresistible force on Earth, is still just one thing.