For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

TOPIC OF THE BLOG:-

This blog is a part of a thinking activity given by Yesha ma'am from The English Department, MKBU, Bhavnagar. Check out Yesha Bhatt's Blog (Click here) for more information and knowledge about For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and other works and writers. In this blog I am going to explain my point of view about the end part of the novel in short a critical analysis of the end part of the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:-

Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Cicero (now in Oak Park) Illinois, U.S. and died on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho. He was an American novelist and short-story writer, awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. (Young) 

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”

NOTABLE WORKS:-

• A Clean Well-Lighted Place
• A Farewell to Arms
• A Moveable Feast
• Across the River and Into the Trees
• Death in the Afternoon
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Green Hills of Africa
• Hills like White Elephants
• In Our Time
• Islands in the Stream
• The Fifth Column
• The Old Man and the Sea
• The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro
• The Sun Also Rises
• To Have and Have Not

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS:-

For Whom the Bell Tolls, novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1940. The novel is set near Segovia, Spain, in 1937. (Britannica)

The title of this Novel derived from John Donne's 'Meditation 17'. Ask not for whom the Bell tolls, it tolls for thee. Here is a video on this available on YouTube. 

Robert Jordan, who has joined the antifascist Loyalist army. Jordan has been sent to make contact with a guerrilla band and blow up a bridge to advance a Loyalist offensive. The action takes place during Jordan’s 72 hours at the guerrilla camp. During this period he falls in love with María, who has been raped by fascist soldiers, and befriends the shrewd but cowardly guerrilla leader Pablo and his courageous wife, Pilar. Jordan manages to destroy the bridge; Pablo, Pilar, María, and two other guerrillas escape, but Jordan is injured. Proclaiming his love to María once more, he awaits the fascist troops and certain death. (Britannica)

"Dying was nothing and he had no picture of it nor fear of it in his mind. But living was a field of grain blowing in the wind on the side of a hill. Living was a hawk in the sky. Living was an earthen jar of water in the dust of the threshing with the grain flailed out and the chaff blowing. Living was a horse between your legs and a carbine under one leg and a hill and a valley and a stream with trees along it and the far side of the valley and the hills beyond."

CHARACTERS:-

• Robert Jordan
• Anselmo
• Pablo
• Pillar
• Maria
• Rafael
• Agustin
• Ferdinando
• Primitivo
• Eladio
• Andres
• Golz

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE END PART OF THE NOVEL FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS:-

Normally, Novels, Dramas, Poems, Essays, any kind of work has an important and notable start. But what was the charm in that particular work? The answer is ending part of the work. How it justifies the scenario and Poetic justice. 

So, like that this novel has a notable end which one can find Important to understand the mindset of the characters from the beginning to end that which changes they go through. 

In the end there is a description of the atmosphere, mountains and nature and surroundings of Robert Jordan. One can think that yes it's a beautiful ending of the novel but no behind this description there is something that doesn't feel happy. In the last scene Jordan lay down injured and consoling himself that he has to fight for Maria's love and go back to him but with our interpretation one can know that Robert died in the end.

But how it all started is that Robert died in the end. So, Robert Jordan came to blast the bridge ordered by Golz. And here he mates these people named Maria who fall in love with him, Pablo, leader of the group, Pilar, considered the real leader of the group and wife of Pablo, Anselmo, a guide who helps Robert to blast this bridge and real guerrilla fighter.

Now, as the story goes forward the love between Maria and Robert grows. They decided to blast the bridge in the day but the officers know the plan and they have to blast it at sunrise. So, after successfully blasting the bridge when they are attacked by the officers and they want to secure themselves they risk their lives and cross the road with the help of horses and when time come to go to Robert, Maria for save him goes first and when Robert crosses the path the bullet hit his leg and he got fracture. And when Maria sees that she wants to die with him but Robert convinces her to go alone and dies, it is clear that he can't fight with so many people.

The end of the Novel is pathetic and emotional not cause Robert died but cause his and Maria's love story ended unhappily. 

CONCEPTIONS OF THE END PART OF THE NOVEL:-

These concepts are totally according to my idea that which changes affects the whole novel if we change the end part. 

First, imagine that instead of Maria Robert goes first, so he is alive in the end and a bullet catches Maria's leg but he can lift her and save her with others.

Second, What if Maria doesn't talk childishly that she wants to die with him and say that yes I understand that if I am alive you are alive too. So, one thinks that look how selfish she is that she doesn't even think about her love and wants to think only about herself. 

For better understanding of the end part you can watch the video by Trushali Dodiya on YouTube.

TECHNIQUE OF FLASHBACK IN NOVEL:-

As one can clearly find the technique of flashback used in the novel, but with flashback there is another interesting technique used at the same time named flash forward. Normally, we know what is a flashback in which a particular Character goes into the past in her/his mind. Here there are so many flashbacks in novel of Robert, Pablo, Maria and others. 

Robert has a back story of him that he was a teacher and used to teach Spanish but now he is here to blow the bridge. 

Maria has a dark and painful past. She was raped by the fascist and her parents also killed by them, she was also tortured by them. 

Past story of  Pablo said by Pillar, his wife, that he was a very good and brave fighter until he enjoyed killing innocent people. 

Pillar's past story is told by Rafael about how brave she was and now considered as a real leader of the group. 

Now about flash forward technique. So, this technique only reflects in the talk of Maria and Robert when they both assume that they will be in Robert's house and live happily. 

Here is a video available on YouTube about themes of 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'.

WORKS CITED:-

👉🏿Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Oct. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/For-Whom-the-Bell-Tolls-novel-by-Hemingway.

👉🏿Young, Philip. "Ernest Hemingway". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Jul. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest-Hemingway. 

NOTE:- If you find any problem or question or suggestions please let me know☺️.

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