I'm writing this blog as a part of thinking activity assigned by our ma'am. There are few things which I have discussed below in the novel and I hope it will help you.
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961)
was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which included his iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and public image brought him admiration from later generations.
Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. He published seven novels, six short-story collections, and two nonfiction works. Three of his novels, four short-story collections, and three nonfiction works were published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.
Overview of the novel
For Whom The Bell Tolls opens in May 1937, at the height of the Spanish Civil War. An American man named Robert Jordan, who has left the United States to enlist on the Republican side in the war, travels behind enemy lines to work with Spanish guerrilla fighters, hiding in the mountains. The Republican command has assigned Robert Jordan the dangerous and difficult task of blowing up a Fascist-controlled bridge as part of a larger Republican offensive.
Anselmo guides Robert Jordan to the guerrilla camp, which is hidden in a cave. Along the way, they encounter Pablo, the leader of the camp, who greets Robert Jordan with aggression and opposes the bridge operation because he believes it endangers the guerrilleros’ safety. Robert Jordan suspects that Pablo may destroy the mission.
At the camp, Robert Jordan meets Pilar, Pablo’s “woman.” A rapport quickly develops between Robert Jordan and Pilar. During the course of the evening, Robert Jordan meets the six other inhabitants of the camp: the unreliable Rafael, feisty and foul-mouthed Agustín, dignified Fernando, old Primitivo, and brothers Andrés and Eladio. The camp also shelters a young woman named Maria, whom a band of Fascists raped not long before. Robert Jordan and Maria are immediately drawn to each other.
Robert Jordan and Anselmo leave the camp to scout out the bridge. When they return, Pablo publicly announces that neither he nor his guerrilleros will help blow up the bridge. Pilar and the others disagree, however, so Pablo gloomily gives in. Privately, Rafael urges Robert Jordan to kill Pablo, but Pilar insists that Pablo is not dangerous. That night, Maria comes out to join Robert Jordan as he sleeps outside. They profess love for each other and make love.
The next morning, Pilar leads Robert Jordan through the forest to consult with El Sordo, the leader of another band of guerrilleros, about the bridge operation. They take Maria along. El Sordo agrees to help with the mission, but both he and Robert Jordan are troubled by the fact that the bridge must be blown in daylight, which will make their retreat more difficult. On the way back to Pablo’s camp, Robert Jordan and Maria make love in the forest. When they catch up with Pilar, Maria confesses to Pilar that the earth moved as they made love. Pilar, impressed, says that such a thing happens no more than three times in a person’s lifetime.
Back at the camp, a drunken Pablo insults Robert Jordan, who tries to provoke Pablo, hoping to find an excuse to kill him. Pablo refuses to be provoked, even when Agustin hits him in the face. When Pablo steps away for a few minutes, the others agree that he is dangerous and must be killed. Robert Jordan volunteers to do it. Suddenly, Pablo returns and announces that he has changed his mind and will help with the bridge. Later that night, Maria comes outside to sleep with Robert Jordan again. They talk about their feeling that they are one person, that they share the same body.
In the morning, Robert Jordan wakes up, sees a Fascist cavalryman, and shoots him, awakening the camp. After breakfast, the group hears sounds of a fight in the distance, and Robert Jordan believes that the Fascists are attacking El Sordo’s camp. Agustin and Primitivo want to aid El Sordo, but Robert Jordan and Pilar know that it likely would be useless.
The guerrilleros at Pablo's camp, having heard the planes bomb El Sordo's hill, feel glum as they eat lunch. Robert Jordan writes a dispatch to the Republican command recommending that both the bridge operation and the larger offensive be canceled, for the Fascists are aware of the plan and the operation will not succeed. He sends Andres to deliver the dispatch to the headquarters of General Golz, a Republican leader. Maria again joins Robert Jordan in his sleeping bag that night, and they fantasize about their future life in Madrid.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, Robert Jordan’s friend, a Russian journalist named Karkov, learns that the Fascists know about the offensive the Republicans have planned for the next day. Karkov worries about Robert Jordan.
At two in the morning, Pilar wakes Robert Jordan and reports that Pablo has run away from the camp with some of the explosives that were meant to blow the bridge. Though furious at first, Robert Jordan controls his anger and plans to carry out the operation anyway, with fewer explosives. He wakes up Maria, and as they make love, they feel the earth move again. Pablo suddenly returns just before dawn, claiming that he left in a moment of weakness. He says that he threw the explosives into the river but felt great loneliness after doing so. He has brought back five men with their horses from neighboring guerrilla bands to help. The fighters take their positions.
As dawn breaks, Robert Jordan and Anselmo descend on the bridge, shoot the Fascist guard, and plant the explosives. Pilar arrives and says that Eladio has been killed, while Fernando, fatally wounded, must be left behind. When Robert Jordan detonates the explosives, the bridge falls, but shrapnel from the blast strikes Anselmo and kills him. Pablo emerges from below, saying that all five of his men are dead. Agustin accuses Pablo of shooting the men for their horses, and Pablo does not deny it.
Knowing that he must be left behind, Robert Jordan says goodbye to Maria, saying that he will be with her even if she goes. Pilar and Pablo lead Maria away.
Alone, Robert Jordan contemplates suicide but resolves to stay alive to hold off the Fascists. He is grateful for having lived, in his final few days, a full lifetime. For the first time, he feels “integrated,” in harmony with the world. As the Fascist lieutenant approaches, Robert Jordan takes aim, feeling his heart beating against the floor of the forest.
Flashback technique used in the novel
Flashback is the interruption of the story's continuity to portray an episode or incident that occurred earlier, it is based on the idea of a vivid memory, it enables the writer to provide the reader with background information that appear not to be part of the story that being told but is considered essential by the writer for the understanding of the meaning of the story.
The novel is essentially told in chronological order, taking place in only a few days, much Background Information is given through flashbacks. Jordan ruminates on the orders that had been given him by General Golz through a flashback. The reader also learns from Pilar about Pablo's past and the changes that have taken place in him. In addition, it is through flashback that the reader learns about Jordan's father and Maria's traumas. In spite of the many flashbacks, the story is easy to follow, for it is told in a simple, straightforward style and is tightly unified by time, character, and place.
Except for Andres' journey through enemy lines to locate General Golz, the entire story takes place near the bridge, the area in which both the camps of Pablo and El Sordo are located. Jordan is also the focal point of the entire novel, and Hemingway constantly spotlights his change in attitude about the war. The novel is also unified by the theme of disillusionment about the war. Pablo is already disillusioned at the start of the novel, and Jordan is critical of him for his attitude. As the book progresses, however, Jordan also becomes disillusioned, almost following in Pablo's pattern. Even the strong devoted Pilar has some questions about the cause towards the close of the book.
Certainly, In "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Hemingway employs flashbacks strategically to explore Robert Jordan's relationships and experiences. Through these flashbacks, readers witness Jordan's interactions with various characters, such as his lover Maria, and gain insights into his internal struggles and beliefs. The flashbacks contribute to character development and create a significant portrayal of Jordan's psyche, connecting the past to the present events of the novel. This technique enhances the narrative by weaving a complex tapestry of emotions and memories, enriching the reader's engagement with the story.
According to Richard Taylor flashback is defined as "an episode from a distant and seemingly unrelated past in introduced as thought it were happening in a present time. It is to give some relevant information as to character formation or motive on the one hand on to focus attention towards a resulting pattern of ideas on the other hand.
According to Merriam Webster, said that "flashback is an interruption of chronological sequence by interjection of events of earlier occurrence." By using flashback, writers allow the readers to gain insight into characters motivation and provide a background to a current conflict. Dream sequence and memories are methods. used to present flashback. There are three common forms of flashback they are:
1. The use of an event to bring back vivid memories of past event.
2. The use of old pictures which remind a character of the good old days.
3. The use of old letters that a character comes across which refer to a specific event or events in the past, it is used to convey to the reader information regarding the character's background and give them an idea of the characters motives for doing certain things later in the story therefore it deepens inner conflict in the story.
According to Merriam Webster, said that "flashback is an interruption of chronological sequence by interjection of events of earlier occurrence." By using flashback, writers allow the readers to gain insight into characters motivation and provide a background to a current conflict. Dream sequence and memories are methods. used to present flashback. There are three common forms of flashback they are:
1. The use of an event to bring back vivid memories of past event.
2. The use of old pictures which remind a character of the good old days.
3. The use of old letters that a character comes across which refer to a specific event or events in the past, it is used to convey to the reader information regarding the character's background and give them an idea of the characters motives for doing certain things later in the story therefore it deepens inner conflict in the story.
Robert Jordan as a Typical Hemingway Hero
This novel has been written in order to test the quality of Jordan’s idealism and the chain of obstacles in his path forms the basic structure of the novel. As the action of the novel proceeds, Jordan’s task gets more and more complicated. Pablo is absolutely against Jordan’s plan. He takes it impossible to put into practice because it means the destruction of the land. Hemingway’s heroes are always brave in their acts. Jordan is brave enough that he even does not feel fear in his great risky task of blowing up the bridge.
The reason being, Hemingway’s heroes always like to face risks like Santiago in The Old man and the Sea, Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises, Frederic Henry in A Farewell to Arms and Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Robert Jordan is a left-wing radical, or was modeled after several of them. He palled around with terrorists, or at least people whom many Americans, of his era and beyond, so thought. His specialty is blowing things up for a cause. He is at minimum a socialist, someone so eager to spread wealth around that he'd lose his life to do it.
Robert Jordan is also honorable, steadfast, selfless, determined, stoic, generous, tolerant, courageous, conscientious, forgiving, selfless, tender, wise, loyal, independent, untalkative , disciplined, dutiful, patient, exacting, empathetic, idealistic, introspective, charismatic and handsome. No wonder the beautiful Maria falls for him the first time she sees him, and the earth moves beneath the two the first time they make love. Robert Jordan is the hero of Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," an American fighting Franco's Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. And despite his radical roots, he's a literary sensation during this election season.
Jordan is such a character who does not give any importance to what happens to himself. He accepts the risky task of blowing up the bridge with an open heart and never shows any sign of cowardice. Though General Golz warns him about the difficulty of the assignment yet he gives a promise to complete it within the limit of time. In spit of creating obstacles by Pablo, he balances Pablo’s hostility by Pilar’s support. It was being assumed by some critics that Jordan’s falling in love with Maria might become a threat or obstacle in fulfilling his mission. In spite of this, he does not care and we see with the passage of time that it is his love for Maria which enhances his zest. He keeps the two roles that of lover and that of a dynamiter apart, though towards the end of the play, they merge into one another.
Some critics raise objections by saying that sometimes, Jordan appears like a dummy but Hemingway makes him a convincing and courteous personality by his superb art of characterization. So, their objection does not remain for a long time when we see that it is Jordan who fights against many abstractions: liberty, equality, rights of the people, democracy and atrocities of the fascists.
In fact, he is a religiously zealous who fights for a secular ideal. A prominent critic has very rightly said, “He dies for the American dream”. He sacrifices for all the poor people in the world. There is no doubt in saying the fact that his ideals are worth imitating for the people of the rest of the world. He fights for those ideals which are practicable for most of the sensible persons.
Some critics might term it as a flaw in his character that his love for Maria is a weakness in his character. But it is very convincing by his weakness as a human being. His love for Maria is pure and genuine because he loves her by the cores of his heart unlike a drunkard or a womaniser. He wants to remain in her heart forever. He tells his philosophy of love to Pilar that he loves the good things of life and he will die only if it is a necessity. It is his love for Maria which makes him more zealous and enthusiastic in his mission. He is well aware of the sufferings of the Spanish people in a civil war. It is Maria's rape by fascists which compels him to 'teach a lesson to fascists by blowing up the important bridge. He takes Elsardo's death as a serious one which reminds him of all other such deaths. By thinking so, he deeply becomes sad and gloomy
Conclusion
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is marked by a sense of inevitability and the harsh realities of the wartime setting. Hemingway masterfully captures the complexities of human nature in the face of mortality and the toll that war takes on the individual psyche.The relationship between Robert and Maria, a woman he falls deeply in love with, is a central element that highlights the emotional toll of war and the fragile beauty of human connections amidst chaos. The novel's ending is somber, leaving readers with a lasting impression of the cost of both personal and collective struggles.
I hope this would have been useful.
Happy learning🌻
References
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