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For Whom the Bell Tolls | Introduction

When For Whom the Bell Tolls was published in 1940, it immediately became a resounding critical and popular success and helped cement Ernest Hemingway’s reputation as one of America’s foremost writers. Readers praised its realistic portrait of not only the political tensions in Europe that would soon erupt into World War II but also the complexities of the entire experience of war for the individual who found him or herself fighting for a cause. Hemingway had previously explored this theme, most notably in his short story collection In Our Time (1924) and in his novels The Sun Also Rises (1926) and A Farewell to Arms (1929). Yet his attitude toward his subject in For Whom the Bell Tolls reveals a subtle shift. While his previous works focused more on the meaninglessness of war, this novel ends with a reaffirmation of community.

For Whom the Bell Tolls chronicles the experiences of American college professor Robert Jordan, who has volunteered to fight for the Loyalist cause in the Spanish Civil War. His initial idealism is quickly tempered by the realities of war. Yet his courage enables him to remain devoted to the cause, even as he faces death. Hemingway’s compassionate and authentic portrait of his characters as they struggle to retain their idealistic beliefs has helped earn the novel its reputation as one of Hemingway’s finest.

For Whom the Bell Tolls Summary

For Whom the Bell Tolls is Hemingway’s third great novel. First published in 1940, the novel’s action takes place between Saturday afternoon and Tuesday noon during the last week of May, 1937. The main narrative follows three days in the life of its main character, Robert Jordan, an American fighting with Spanish Loyalists against Franco’s fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War. There are, however, flashback sequences in the text, two of which do not include Jordan. Given the epic character of the work and the relative complexity of its plot, the synopsis that follows is confined to the outlines of the central story.

For Whom the Bell Tolls begins with Jordan lying on the ground deep behind the enemy lines. He is scouting a bridge that he has agreed to blow up as part of the Loyalist plan to launch an offensive against the Fascists. Timing is absolutely critical to the mission’s success; the bridge must be destroyed right at the beginning of the Loyalist push. Although Jordan has ample experience with munitions, having destroyed bridges and enemy trains many times before, this assignment presents a particularly difficult challenge. He is to receive the support that he will need to carry it out from a band of partisan guerillas headed by Pablo and his wife, Pilar.

When Jordan reaches the cave in which the partisan camp is hidden, he finds that although Pablo was once renowned for his bravery, the band’s leader has lost his nerve as a result of witnessing atrocities committed by the fascists against civilians. Pablo actively opposes Jordan’s mission, fearing that it will expose the band to the enemy’s attention and reprisals. His wife Pilar, however, remains dedicated to the cause, and she leads the others in supporting the plan to blow up the bridge. Jordan tells them that he will also enlist the aid of another underground group led by El Sordo. Pablo’s own band considers killing him, but they relent when their leader changes his mind and says that he now favors Jordan’s mission.

At the camp, Jordan hears the... » Complete For Whom the Bell Tolls Summary