For Whom The Bell Tolls

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Author Biographical Information
Ernest was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. His father was a Physician and his mother was a Musician. His parents were very wealthy. He went to Oak Park and River Forest high school where he played many sports. He was great in English classes. Ernest also served in WW1 as a ambulance driver in Italy, but was then moved to the front lines. After the war, he moved to Toronto, Chicago, Paris, and the Caribbean. He later reported on the Spanish Civil War, he also served in WW2. Towards the end of his life, Ernest started to go crazy. He thought the FBI was following him and was very paranoid. He died on July 2, 1961, he committed Suicide.

Setting: Historical Information
The Guadarrama mountain range is at the center of the Iberian Peninsula. The range runs from southwest to northeast. The range extends to Madrid in the south, and reaching Avila and Segovia in the north.

Genre
Tragedy is a form of drama that is based on human suffering. Many philosophers has speculated and criticized tragedy. In modern times tragedy has been defined as drama, melodrama, the tragicomic, and epic theatre.

Plot Summary
The story starts in May, 1937 at the height of the Spanish Civil War. It’s the Republicans versus the Fascists. An American named Robert Jordan, travels through enemy lines to help the Republicans. When he gets there, the Republican Command gives him the assignment of blowing up a bridge to start the Republican offensive. A peasant named Anselmo guides Robert to the guerilla camp that will help him with his task. The leader of the camp, Pablo, greets Robert with hostility because he doesn’t want to blow up the bridge. Robert meets Pablo’s wife, Pilar, who really runs the camp. Robert also meets six other guerillas. They are Rafael, Augustin, Fernando, and Primitivo, brothers Andres and Eladio, and Maria. The next morning Robert and Anselmo leave to scout the bridge, and when they get back Pablo says they will not go through with the plan. The rest of the camp disagrees, and he gives in. Rafael tells Robert he should kill him Pablo, but Pilar disagrees. That night, Maria joins Robert outside, and they fornicate. The next morning, Pilar takes Robert and Maria to El Sordo, the leader of the other camp of guerillas. El Sordo agrees to help, but he and Robert are troubled because the bridge must be blown up during the day. On the way back, Robert and Maria fornicate yet again. When they get back, Pablo is drunk and insults Robert. Robert tries to anger Pablo so he can kill him, but he didn’t fall for it, even when Augustin hits him. Then Pablo steps away for a few minutes. The camp agrees Pablo must be killed, but when he returns he says he changed and will help blow up the bridge. Robert wakes up and sees a fascist cavalryman, so he kills him. The camp wakes up and they all hear fighting in the distance, El Sordo’s camp is under attack. They want to help, but know it’s useless. The book switches to El Sordo’s camp, which is fighting the fascists. The men manage to kill the captain, but the hill is bombed a few minutes later and everyone is killed. Robert writes a note to the Republican Command about how they should abort the bridge operation. In Madrid, Robert’s friend, Karkov, is aware of the bridge plan and is worried about Robert. Pilar wakes Robert and tells him that Pablo ran away with many of the explosives that were to be used to blow the bridge. Angry at first, Robert decides to go through with the plan. Robert then wakes Maria, and they fornicate yet again. Pablo returns when they are done, and says he was weak when he left, and admits to throwing the explosives in a river. In good faith, he brings back five fighters and their trusty steeds to help with the attack. The book then switches to Andres, who is delivering the message to the Republican Command. When Andres and his escort get close to General Colz, they arrested because they are suspected of being Fascist spies. Karkov hears of the arrests, and uses his connections to free them. They finally make it to the General, but it is too late, the attack has started and can’t be stopped. The camp kills the sentries guarding the bridge, and they plant the explosives. Pilar says that Fernando, Eladio, and Anselmo are dead. Pablo meets up with them and says his men died too, but Augustin says Pablo killed them himself and he doesn’t deny it. While the rest of the men are retreating, Robert is shot and is left behind. He tells Maria he will always be with her. While alone, Robert thinks about suicide, but decides to stay alive to hold off the fascists. For the first time in his life, he feels in harmony with the world. The fascist lieutenant approaches, and Robert takes aim, feeling his heart beat against the ground.

Characters
Robert Jordan - Protagonist, Fights for the republican side

Anselmo - Guide for Robert, Brings Robert to guerrillas

Golz - Soviet Officer, Gives orders to blow the bridge

Pablo - Leader of guerrillas, Doesn’t want to demo the bridge

Rafael - Gypsy, part of guerrillas, Lazy, but has good intentions

Maria - Roberts lover, Gives Robert hope

Pilar - Pablo’s wife, The actual leader of the guerrillas

Agustin - Guerrilla fighter,

El Sordo - Leader of another band of guerrillas, Gets killed by a fascist attack Fernando - Another guerrilla fighter, Member of guerrilla band

Andres - Eladio’s brother, Member of guerrilla band

Eladio - Andres brother, Member of guerrilla band

Primitivo - Guerrilla in Pablo’s Band, Member of guerrilla band

Joaquin - Member of El Sordo’s band, Teenaged communist, parents were killed when young

Author's Style
I think Hemmingway’s style is clipped, cunning, and concise. For most of the book, Hemmingway leaves a lot of things up to the mind of the reader. Hemmingway sets scenes to the bare minimum just so you can form a mental picture, he doesn’t really describe what anyone is doing, except Pilar.

Setting
For Whom the Bell Tolls is set in the Guadarrama Mountain Range in Spain. The flashbacks are set in many places in Montana and Spain.

Time For Whom the Bell Tolls is set during the last three days of May in 1937, from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday, Along with flashbacks including many of the characters.

Themes
One possible theme is, The Loss of Innocence in War. Each character either loses psychological or physical innocence in the book. Joaquin loses his psychological innocence when both his parents are killed when he was young. Maria loses her physical innocence when she fornicates with Robert.

Another possible theme is, The Value of Human Life. Many people die during the course of the book, and everyone is asking themselves what justifies taking someone else’s life. Anselmo and Pablo show two extremes between the two. Anselmo hates killing people in any circumstance, while Pablo accepts killing apart of life. Robert is somewhere in between, although he thinks its wrong, he has killed many people.

Another theme could be Romantic Love as Salvation. Although many people in the book have a evil view on life, some find love. Robert and Maria fall in love at first sight. Robert’s new found love gives his life meaning and gives him a reason to fight.

Symbols
Some symbols in For Whom the Bell Tolls are, Planes, Mortars, and Tanks. The rumble of fascist war machines interrupts the peacefulness of the mountain range. The planes show that the fascists have superior technology, and are doing away with the down to earth way of life of the peasants. Another symbol is Absinthe. Absinthe is a green liqueur flavored with anise, sort of like licorice. This shows Robert’s appreciation for food, drink, smells, touch, sex, etc. In the war time setting, absinthe represents the attitude that one should enjoy the little things while they can.

Significance of the Opening/Closing Scenes
Opening The book begins with an epigraph, “No man is an island, entire of itself”. This means that everyone belongs to a community. When someone dies, any human weakens, because he was a human, part of mankind.

Closing Kind of a cliché, Robert sacrifices himself to give the remaining guerrillas and his lover some time to escape. He tries to kill as many enemies as possible before being taken prisoner, and then executed.

Memorable Quotes
For him it was a dark passage which led to nowhere, then to nowhere, then again to nowhere, once again to nowhere, always and forever to nowhere. . . (Chapter 13)

We do it coldly but they do not, nor ever have. It is their extra sacrament. . . . They are the people of the Auto de Fé; the act of faith. Killing is something one must do, but ours are different from theirs. (Chapter 23)

Pasionaria says ‘Better to die on thy— Joaquín was saying to himself as the drone came nearer them. Then he shifted suddenly into “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. . . (Chapter 27)