For Whom the Bell Tolls
£2.53
A Difficult Romanticism - Hemingway s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) is toughly realistic in its depiction of the butchery of warfare. The book has the no-nonsense, fact-intensive style of a reporter. Yet, in its themes of love, death, heroism, and human brotherhood, Hemingway s novel is, in spite of itself, romantic in outlook, but romantic with an edge.The novel is set in Spain in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The Spanish Civil War was a multi-sided conflict between the democratically-elected government, the Republicans or loyalists, and its right-wing anti-communist opponents, the nationalists (fascists). The Republicans during this conflict had the assistance of the USSR. Their enemies, the nationalists, were assisted by Nazi Germany and by Italy. Hemingway was a correspondent in Spain at the time. His novel tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American instructor in Spanish at the University of Montana who had earlier spent much time wandering through Spain. In 1936, with the outset of the conflict, Jordan volunteered his services to assist the Republicans and became an expert in explosives. Jordan idealizes his grandfather who had been a hero in the American Civil War. Jordan s father had committed suicide. When the novel opens, Jordan is assigned to destroy a bridge in furtherance of a Republican offensive. He works with a group of guerrillas in the mountains.The story unfolds over a time of three days. Hemingway s book offers portrayals of a group of Jordan s Spanish compatriots, in addition to Jordan himself. Chief among them is a 48-year old woman, Pilar, physically unattractive, earthy, and strong-willed. She is the de facto leader of her group and is as central to the story as is Jordan. Pilar is the woman of Pablo, who was once a formidable fighter but who has become disillusioned by the conflict. The novel includes several scenes of high tension and near violence between Jordan and Pablo. In his efforts to blow-up the bridge, Jordan is assisted by Anselmo, an aged man who despairs of violence and killing but is devoted to the Republican cause. And, in the three days of the novel, Jordan meets and has a passionate love affair with Maria, a lovely 19-year old who has been saved from the nationalists by Pablo.Hemingway is known for a terse, elliptical writing style, and it is on display in this book. But the writing is highly varied, with long stream of conscious digressions by Jordan as he reflects upon his past life and upon the conflict in which he has thrust himself. Much of the writing is both figurative and digressive. Hemingway tried to transcribe much of Spanish idiom directly into English, particularly the use of thou for the intimate Spanish you. He also makes considerable use of untranslated Spanish phrases. The book captures the speech patterns of soldiers under tension, with much use of colorful language. Hemingway does not reproduce this language directly but, in English, uses phrases such as obscenity or unprintable in place of the words themselves. In addition to telling the story of the bridge and its destruction, all the characters engage in long discussions of their thoughts and their prior lives. These discussions generally are directed to the brutality of the war. In an outstanding passage, Pilar tells of the destruction under the command of Pablo of a group of fascist leaders who are forced to run the gauntlet before being thrown down a cliff. Hemingway was in love with Spain, both for its beauty and its brutality. The novel has many discussions of bullfighting, largely told by Pilar as she recounts her experiences with earlier lovers. Pilar also has a power of clairvoyance in the story, especially as it relates to impending death. The book includes several vivid battle scenes. One of these scenes tells of the gunning-down by aircraft of a group of five of the guerillas assisting Jordan at the top of a small hill.(Aircraft has a large and fearsome presence in the book.) Another effective battle scene tells of the difficult destruction of the bridge and its aftermath.The love relationship between Robert Jordan and Maria comes to dominate the novel. The two become passionately attracted to each other and quickly consummate their relationship. The passages describing the couple s lovemaking are central to the story and effective. The inhumanity of war is juxtaposed against human commitment and the beauty of the everyday. Robert Jordan realizes that he is in love with Maria, Spain, and with life. This love, in the book, reaches its peak in heroism and self-sacrifice. Jordan comes to realize what in life he values. It is because of his realization, that he ultimately must give up the things he comes to cherish. Within its language of toughness and machismo, this novel has the theme of inevitability and of romantic tragedy.This is a book I read in high school many years ago when it was far beyond me. It is not an easy book, and not every part of it is successful. But it is an extraordinary novel. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to revisit the book when I was able to try to appreciate it.Robin Friedman
Not for me! - I bought this book (my first Hemingway) on the basis of the fantastic reviews given here. I am missing something because this book has gone completely over my head. It took me a long time to read and had to force myself to keep going. The book, at nearly 500 pages, is far too long for the weak story line and the characters who were not brought to life by the author (with the possible exeption of Pablo). I didn t care enough for the central character and his love interest and had guessed the ending before reaching it.Far from being impressed by Hemingway s heavily praised writing style, I found it detached and boring. The language translations from Spanish to English - obsenity this and obsenity that, made it difficult to read. Why not put the proper translations in if that is indeed how it was written? There were also lots of errors in the text which became annoying.It would be interesting to see if anyone, having read this book, has similar feelings? Not being a regular reviewer but feeling so unusually disapointed after finishing this book, I wanted to share my opinions.
More Hype than Life - Well, it took a long time coming for me to read this and although it was good, I have read much, much better. It seemed more like a Hollywood film script in places, hero dying at the end, the lurve interest, the landscape for atmosphere. By all means read it, but Orwell and Malraux wrote much more compelling stuff about Spain. If its war you want, then I suggest Grossman or Ledig for the horror. I was actually quite disappointed with this book, and perhaps its reputation preceding it, hindered its reception. I was glad when it was over, so I could get on to something stronger.
Simply.... - Simply one of the best books ever written, and simply written, by a master in his prime, understated and very sensitive. Beautiful love story.
Disturbing Vision - Reading For Whom the Bell Tolls gives rise to some very disturbing thoughts. It is a very honest and raw novel that seems to reveal so much about the ideas and emotions of the author. However one continually feels that it is the vision of someone who is unable to see another culture on its own terms or to get over his own feeling of cultural superiority. The only real character in the novel is Robert Jordan. All the Spanish characters are presented as other , primitive , different and from a different sort of intellectual and moral universe than Robert Jordan. Robert Jordan is rational skilled and able to bring a superiority of skill that will help these needy folks in there time of despair. His heroism and ability to be tenderhearted is contrasted with everyone else in the book. The only nationality of any real comprehensible feeling is Amierican.The stories of the other characters as archetypical rather than real in anyway. This makes them all rather sentimental and two dimensional. Robert Jordan seems to be a tragic version of superman trying desperately to have credibility in the world of ideas. Yet the book examines history and politics in the most superficial of ways. It is not really a book about the Civil War as much as it is a book about blindness. The blindness that exists between men and leaves them unaware of their own limited thinking. Robert Jordan thinks he understands Spain yet what is revealed is his incredible inability to ever enter into the world of people who do not come from his own background. He studies the people and language but never has anything other than the most superficial of responses.The book however is a very powerful evocation of this type of seductive thinking. One is carried along on a wave of small guy leftish compassion and seduced by the goodness of the heroism. The madness of the book is brilliant. The love of machines and strategy is exiting. The language is crazy and exciting and used like great rough building blocks to create a world of terror and passion. You can never deny that it is an individual and memorable creation. It is honest and wonderful.The war in Spain is simply a backdrop rather than something that is really examined. You can t help thinking that Hemingway needed it much more than it needed him.