For Whom the Bell Tolls: Analysis of Setting
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a novel by Ernest Hemingway that explores the human experience amid the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. The analysis of its setting highlights various significant locations that contribute to the narrative's themes and character development. Key sites include the bridge that becomes a strategic target for the Republican offensive, symbolizing both hope and the harsh realities of war. The Comandancia serves as a representation of bureaucratic inefficiency, while the La Granja village illustrates the intimate connection between the guerrillas and their fight for survival.
The Hilltop becomes a poignant site of tragedy, emphasizing the desperation faced by the guerrillas against technologically superior fascist forces. Meanwhile, the Hotel Gaylord in Madrid acts as a hub for Soviet control, highlighting the complex political dynamics at play. Maria's village starkly contrasts with these settings, showcasing the brutal impact of war on innocent lives. Additionally, references to Montana serve as a personal backdrop for protagonist Robert Jordan, intertwining his past with the present conflict. Overall, the diverse settings in the novel not only provide a physical backdrop but also deepen the emotional and ideological stakes of the characters involved in the war. This rich tapestry of locations invites readers to reflect on the multifaceted nature of conflict and its profound effects on humanity.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1940
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Impressionistic realism
Time of work: 1937
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
Bridge
Bridge. Strategic target of the Republican offensive and the objective of Jordan’s mission. Pablo opposes the attack on the bridge because he knows that it will provoke retaliation by the fascists, but the other guerrillas eventually agree to support Jordan. Once the Republican bombardment begins, Jordan, with help from the guerrillas, destroys the bridge with explosives.
Comandancia
Comandancia. Headquarters of Commissar André Marty, a paranoid and demented old fanatic who delays the delivery to General Golz of Robert Jordan’s warning that the Republican attack is expected by the fascists.
Escorial
Escorial. Site of the headquarters of Republican general Golz, who orders Jordan to blow up a bridge behind enemy lines.
La Granja
La Granja. Village near Pablo’s camp where the guerrillas obtain supplies and news.
Hilltop
Hilltop. Location where El Sordo and his men are trapped and finally killed by the fascists. The desperate courage of the guerrillas is futile in the face of the advanced weaponry brought against them in the form of the fascist airplanes.
Hotel Gaylord
Hotel Gaylord. Madrid building used as a headquarters by the Soviet agents who effectively control many aspects of the Republican struggle against the fascists. Jordan finds the Gaylord to be not only a place that provides comforts difficult to find elsewhere but also a place where he can discover the truth about what is happening behind the scenes in the ongoing struggle.
Maria’s village
Maria’s village. Place where the Falangists savagely execute the local Republicans and their sympathizers, including Maria’s parents. The brutality displayed here balances that described earlier in which Republicans led by Pablo engage in mindless cruelty.
*Montana
*Montana. Jordan’s home state in the United States. References to Jordan’s boyhood and family past become increasingly conspicuous as the narrative develops, and his preoccupation with his grandfather’s heroic career as a soldier and his father’s suicide finally are revealed to be shaping influences on him. Allusions to the massacre of George Armstrong Custer and his men at the Little Big Horn in Montana, also foreshadow Jordan’s own final confrontation of overwhelming forces, while echoing the earlier annihilation of El Sordo and his men.
*Segovia
*Segovia. Town in central Spain to the north-northwest of Madrid that is the military objective of the attack by the Republicans upon the fascist forces.
*Valencia
*Valencia. City on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Pilar reminisces about a delightful visit there in the days before the war, when she was the mistress of the bullfighter Finito.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold, ed. Ernest Hemingway. New York: Chelsea House, 1985. Although no essay in this collection deals exclusively with For Whom the Bell Tolls, the novel is mentioned in many of them. Of particular interest may be Robert Penn Warren’s discussion of irony in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Includes a good index.
Josephs, Allen. “For Whom the Bell Tolls”: Ernest Hemingway’s Undiscovered Country. New York: Twayne, 1994. Considers the literary and historical context for the novel and gives a detailed reading. An interesting and accessible discussion. Includes an excellent annotated bibliography.
Reynolds, Michael. “Ringing the Changes: Hemingway’s Bell Tolls Fifty.” Virginia Quarterly Review 67 (Winter, 1991): 1-18. In this good general reference, Reynolds presents the novel in historical context and suggests ways in which it can be seen to transcend its own time.
Rovit, Earl, and Gerry Brenner. Ernest Hemingway. Rev. ed. Boston: Twayne, 1986. Focuses on the totality of Hemingway’s fiction rather than on individual works. A useful and accessible source, with fairly detailed explication of For Whom the Bell Tolls. Also includes an index.
Sanderson, Rena, ed. Blowing the Bridge: Essays on Hemingway and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. A collection of twelve essays that take a fresh look at Hemingway and his most neglected major novel. The introduction gives an overview of the novel’s composition and critical reception and offers a reassessment fifty years after publication.