Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls

In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway shows what the title promises. The title is derived from a sermon by John Donne: ?No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent..And therefore never send to know for who the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.? The essence of the poem is that when anyone dies, all humankind is involved and thus, everyone dies a little. Hemingway uses the novel to show how a small skirmish within a single country affects the entire world.

Robert Jordan, the Hemingway Hero, is an American teacher who has enlisted in the Loyalist army during the Spanish civil war. He has been sent to join a guerrilla band in the mountains to destroy a bridge that is a vital link for the Fascist. In an early scene from the
book, Jordan shares an important meal with the Spanish peasants. When he has just arrived in the cave where they are hiding, Jordan has been talking about blowing up the bridge to the gypsy and Pablo, the group?s leader. They question whether Jordan would prefer to be shot if he were wounded as his predecessor, Kashkin, had been. Jordan responds that if the situation arose, he would make a decision at that time. The gypsy
approves his answer.

The moment when the approval is given, Maria, Jordan?s future lover, comes in carrying a hot platter of food. The food is a rabbit stew which was ?cooked with onions and green peppers and...chick peas in the red wine sauce.? Maria puts a fork into the platter and they all eat out of it, as is the custom. Thus, Jordan is initiated into the customs of the group, drinking their wine, eating peasant food, sharing their struggle, and falling in love with the woman who has served the food.

The leader of the peasants, Pablo, is not dependable, although his wife, Pilar, is. Pablo is a coward and he admits that he is one. However, when Pilar calls him a coward, he is offended.

During Jordan?s first nigh in the guerrilla camp, Maria and Jordan have a night of ?blissful sex?. He promises Maria that he will marry her someday, although he fears what lies ahead. He deplores fear because he believes that it weakens anyone who is out to accomplish a mission.

Leaving the retreat, Jordan successfully destroys the bridge. However, in the attempt to flee, he is seriously wounded. Maria wants to stay with him, but Jordan will not hear of it. He says that as long as she is alive, a bit of him will remain alive. This suggest that she is
carrying his child. Finally, the guerrillas and Maria leave. Jordan lies on the hillside almost delirious, restraining himself from suicide so that he may shoot the leader of the Fascists.His faith in the common people remains undiminished as a Fascist officer, who essentially
holds Jordan?s death warrant, approaches.

It is important to note that Jordan fights in a conflict to which he has no obligation. This is because he is neither Spanish nor an impoverished peasant, which basically illustrates what the title means. In Hemingway?s view, no human can overlook the ?plight of other human beings.? Also, people discover that their highest nobility lies within defeating the ideals in which they believe.