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Daniel Villines's Reviews > For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls
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This is actually the third time I’ve read For Whom the Bell Tolls but it’s the first time I’ve written about it, which is surprising given how long I’ve lived with this book. I remember that after completing it the first time, I found it to be amazing in terms of style and riveting with regards to the story. Hemingway’s writing was phenomenally different and a fresh change from anything that I had read before. For Whom the Bell Tolls was my first Hemingway and it was the first time that writing style asserted itself as a sort of fourth dimension in reading.
The story was one that focused on duty and responsibility, traits that still impress me. The main character, Robert Jordan, was a hero that faced a virtual one-way mission with dignity, clarity of mind, and respect for his cause. He was the personification of grace under pressure and he predated the likes of Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt. But Jordan was better. He was just a simple Spanish teacher before his calling. He was both somebody and anybody all at the same time.
Now here we are, after reading dozens of Hemingway novels and stories, and For Whom the Bell Tolls only gets better. During this third reading, the story opened up into a beautiful novel of interesting characters and the war faded into a secondary but influencing happenstance. The novel also takes on a naturalist theme where the scenery and nature of Spain are beautifully captured in almost every scene.
During this third reading of the novel, I became aware that Hemingway was creating something more than just a story. He loved Spain, its people and its culture, just as anyone loves a place that is wholly different but welcoming to the kind-hearted. But the civil war destroyed Hemingway’s Spain and I think Hemingway knew that no matter which side won the war, the Spain that he loved would forever be lost. To this end, I believe that For Whom the Bell Tolls is also a sort of memorial. This book is his attempt to capture in words what every memorial tries to capture in stone for all of the future: this is the breadth of my love and the weight of its loss.
The story was one that focused on duty and responsibility, traits that still impress me. The main character, Robert Jordan, was a hero that faced a virtual one-way mission with dignity, clarity of mind, and respect for his cause. He was the personification of grace under pressure and he predated the likes of Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt. But Jordan was better. He was just a simple Spanish teacher before his calling. He was both somebody and anybody all at the same time.
Now here we are, after reading dozens of Hemingway novels and stories, and For Whom the Bell Tolls only gets better. During this third reading, the story opened up into a beautiful novel of interesting characters and the war faded into a secondary but influencing happenstance. The novel also takes on a naturalist theme where the scenery and nature of Spain are beautifully captured in almost every scene.
During this third reading of the novel, I became aware that Hemingway was creating something more than just a story. He loved Spain, its people and its culture, just as anyone loves a place that is wholly different but welcoming to the kind-hearted. But the civil war destroyed Hemingway’s Spain and I think Hemingway knew that no matter which side won the war, the Spain that he loved would forever be lost. To this end, I believe that For Whom the Bell Tolls is also a sort of memorial. This book is his attempt to capture in words what every memorial tries to capture in stone for all of the future: this is the breadth of my love and the weight of its loss.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
April 28, 2009
– Shelved
January 2, 2019
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Started Reading
January 17, 2019
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Finished Reading
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rated it 5 stars
Jul 16, 2010 09:50PM
I just finished watching the movie version of For Whom the Bell Tolls. While I’ll refrain from comparing this apple to that orange, this movie may be the best book adaptation ever…so far…but I may be a bit bias, of course.
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You can’t go wrong with Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. It is really a good movie.
Wonderful review!
Lisa wrote: "Wonderful review!"Thank you, Lisa. In some ways, I feel as if I've ventured into areas that are out of bounds. A book should stand or fall all on its own. But my praise for this book, and other Hemingway stories, always slips into the small things I know about Hemingway's life.
My favorite Hemingway novel.
Excellent review Daniel. I've read it many years ago but need to revisit it.
Dmitri wrote: "Excellent review Daniel. I've read it many years ago but need to revisit it."Thank you, Dmitri.
I am obsessed with the Spanish Civil War and have been to Spain a couple of times buy strangely the people there don't seem to want to talk about it. Decades later, with most of the original participants long dead, it still seems to be a sore subject with many.
Jeffrey wrote: "I am obsessed with the Spanish Civil War and have been to Spain a couple of times buy strangely the people there don't seem to want to talk about it. Decades later, with most of the original partic..."The civil war is a fascinating subject. It marks a time when power-grabs through violence were acceptable, if not respected. From today’s vantage point, and from the perspective of a progressive-oriented Spain and EU, I can see why they are reluctant to discuss the war. At its start, it seems like there were no real underlying moral imperatives associated with the conflict. As such, it was a war that was started and prodded along by desires for power and effective propaganda: an embarrassment in an enlightened world. BTW, one of my favorite Hemingway short story is "Under the Ridge," which I see as sort of echoing these thoughts.
