For Whom the Bell Tolls was successful for a variety of
reason. The book has many different qualities, including of a
romantic love story, of a story of war and adventure, of a story
of ideology, and of a story of tragedy. These different facets
of the book serve to make it an accessible story to a wide
spectrum of readers. The book has survived as one of the best
American novels because in addition to a well-crafted story line
and unforgettable characters and imagery, the is more to this book
than the typical best-seller of today, such as The Firm. In The
Firm, the story is extremely well done, the pace is unusually quick
and exciting, but the characters, in general, lack development and
there is not a tangible philosophy propounded by the author; the
simple goal of the novel is to be entertaining. In For Whom the
Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway composed a novel of great pace and
increasing suspense and tension as the moment for blasting the
bridge approaches, but in addition to providing an enthralling
plot, Hemingway presents the reader with more than merely a good
story.
The publication of For Whom the Bell Tolls was highly
anticipated as Hemingway was a highly controversial author, with
nearly as many ardent critics as supporters. The whirlwind of
reviews and blockbuster sales was quite unexpected by the literary
culture of the time. People knew and expected a novel about the
Spanish Civil War from Ernest Hemingway because of his well known
affection for the country and its inhabitants displayed in his
earlier works. Hemingway's knowledge and understanding of the
Spanish people and the country equipped him with the tools to
write a novel concerning the war with more authority than any
other author, and people were quite curious to see what Hemingway
would produce, since he had not had any great successes in recent
years.
Hemingway did not want to rush his production of For Whom
the Bell Tolls. He was angered by other authors who went and
observed the Spanish Civil War for a short time and then
immediately churned out a book based upon it before the war was
even over. Hemingway stayed in Spain for most of the three years
of the Civil War, carefully observing and gathering material for
his upcoming book. He wrote to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, about
the other authors writing about the Spanish Civil War, singling out
Andre Malraux's novel, Man's Hope, for his harshest criticism:
Really will have quite a lot to write when this all over.
Am very careful to remember and not waste it in dispatches.
When finished am going to settle down and write and the
pricks and fakers like Malraux who pulled out in February
1937 to write gigantic masterpisses before it all really
started will have a good lesson when write ordinary sized
book with the old stuff unfaked in it.
When the book finally came out, the reviews were
overwhelmingly favorable. The book met and surpassed the high
expectations andstandards that the reviewers had set for Hemingway.
Many reviewers called it his best book to date and praised its many
qualities from the vivid imagery of his accounts of atrocities,
to the extraordinary development of the characters, to the
heroism and realism in the novel, but most importantly, the
reviewers realized that Hemingway completely understood the
subject matter: the politics of the war, the romantic relationship,
the characteristics of the Spaniards, the imminent danger.
Reviewers such as Dorothy Parker also noticed a new maturity and
fluidity in his writing style that was quite different than his
previous works, writing in the New York PM, on October 20th, 1940:
This is not a book of three days, but of all time...
beyond all comparison, Ernest Hemingway's finest book.
It is not necessary politely to introduce that statement
by the words 'I think.' It is so, and that is all there
is to it. It is not written in his staccato manner. The
pack of little Hemingway's who ran along after his old
style cannot hope to copy the well and flow of his new
one... But nobody can write as Ernest Hemingway can of a
man and a woman together, their completion and their
fulfillment. And nobody can get such excitement upon a
printed page. I think that what you do about this book of
Ernest Hemingway's is point to it and say, 'Here is a
book.' As you would stand below Everest and say, 'Here is
a mountain.'
In addition to the enormous amount of reviews that For Whom the
Bell Tolls was generating, news about a film version sparked more
interest in the book. Paramount bought the film rights of the
book for what was then a record amount of $136,000. The film also
generated a bit more controversy for what was already a rather
controversial novel. Certain violent scenes were edited by some
state censorship boards, and many scenes were either toned down
or omitted entirely. Paramount wanted to eliminate nearly every
reference to specific politics, replacing Fascism and Communism
with innocuous allusions to different "causes". Hemingway decided
that he wanted the film to be more political than he had intended
the book to be, asking that anti-Fascist propaganda be presented
in the film in an attempt at a last ditch effort to resuscitate
the Republican side. In the end, the movie made very few and very
subtle political references. The State Department made a few
suggestions, as well, concerning the movie script accurately
portraying America's neutral position in regards to the war. The
controversy did not affect the movie's popularity, and with stars
such as Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman in the lead roles it was
an enormous success.
The American people were divided over the Spanish Civil
War. On one side were the Fascists, and on the other side were
the Republicans, who were strongly supported by the Communists.
Many Americans were indecisive as to which side they should
support, not wanting to ally themselves to the Fascists or the
Communists. Hemingway went to Spain during the war, and allied
himself to the side of the Republicans, prompting many people to
accuse him of being a Communist sympathizer, an accusation that
Hemingway vehemently denied. While in Spain, however, Hemingway
did cooperate with the Communists in their guerrilla efforts. But
when the book was published, people realized that Hemingway did
not write the book as a novel of propaganda, but because he
genuinely cared for the country and wanted to relate the
destruction and death that was ripping the land apart. He outraged
many Republicans who felt that he had betrayed them by accurately
exposing the disorder and chaos of the Russian Communists and their
bungling generals, and by reporting atrocities committed on both
sides. Hemingway was against Fascism but he did not intend to bias
his book against it, because he wanted to portray the facts, then
allow the reader to make his own judgment. The controversy over
which side was in the right did not hurt the book's popularity,
but likely influenced it in a positive manner because where there
is controversy, there is curiosity, and curiosity can only help a
book's sale figures.
The intent of Hemingway was to write a book that could be
read universally, regardless of political persuasion. James Gray,
in "Tenderly Tolls the Bell", writes that:
All the Hemingway Themes are restated here: the courage of
which human nature is capable when it has managed to
identify itself with a moral issue; the humor that is
ever present in the story of the appetites; the tenderness
that declares itself in honest passion.
Judging from the extensive translations of For Whom the Bell Tolls
into foreign languages around the world, and the criticisms and
essays on the book just now emerging from countries half-way around
the world, Hemingway appears to have accomplished his goal. One of
the reasons that For Whom the Bell Tolls was so popular, and remains
so today, is the feeling of impossibility that the book evokes in
the reader. The futility of Robert Jordan's assignment (blowing
the bridge), the limited resources he has to work with, the many
obstacles he has to overcome (Pablo), and the blossoming love
between him and the beautiful Maria, lead the reader to ask oneself
why does Robert Jordan stay and see his mission through until the
end. Jordan is well aware that the Fascists are winning the war,
as he is well aware that his blowing the bridge will not accomplish
anything in the war, but will most likely result in his death.
This premonition of failure and untimely death are strengthened to
the point of foreknowledge when Pilar reads his palm, but refuses
to say what she sees there, allowing the reader, and Robert Jordan,
to infer the worst.
Robert Jordan stays because of his ideology. He believes
in the Republic. He wants it to survive, and he is willing to
sacrifice his life for his beliefs. He is a man of principles, and
with the help, and at times, despite the hindrance, of a cast of
characters that are as well constructed as if they were taken from
a Shakespearean play, he resolves to see his mission through until
the end.
Hemingway's characters are three dimensional; they feel
every human emotion from the sublime to the base. Pilar is a tough,
crude woman who controls the group now that her husband, Pablo, has
lost his courage. Pablo has become disenchanted with the war and
has taken to drinking. He resents Robert Jordan's presence, and
struggles to maintain his authority over the group of guerrillas
that he used to command. He presents a diabolical and perverse
character. Robert Jordan cannot trust him and never knows what to
expect from him. His character creates a mood of tension and
suspense, as he lurks in the background with ambiguous intentions.
Anselmo is the model of a perfect soldier. Even though he is an
old man, he is tireless, and unflaggingly loyal and responsible.
He is dedicated to the cause, and Hemingway shapes his character
to be one of the most likeable characters in the novel.
This group of guerrillas, fighting against the Fascists,
gives the reader the impression of David fighting against Goliath.
They are stuck behind enemy lines and could be discovered at any
time by the enemy. They are equipped with a few horses while the
enemy drives armored cars. They have no additional support or
reinforcements, except for a similar group several miles away under
the leadership of El Sordo. The bridge that is to be blown up is
heavily guarded and they no longer have any detonators for the
bridge. The reader cannot help sympathizing with this band of
guerrillas who, realizing that they have but a small chance of
surviving, persevere with their plans to blow the bridge.
Elements of heroism, romance, and tragedy, come together
in For Whom the Bell Tolls, creating a novel with universal
qualities. The romance between Robert Jordan and Maria was such
a powerful part of the book that the producers of the film
concentrated the focus of the movie on the romantic aspects
between the two and made the blowing of the bridge an interesting
subplot. The romance was passionate and intense, with the
relationship progressing at an incredible rate because Robert
Jordan are only together for three days before the bridge is
scheduled to be destroyed. Jordan wishes their love could last
and that they could lead a normal life, but he refuses to deceive
himself, knowing that in all likelihood he would die trying to
blow the bridge. Hemingway makes the love between Robert Jordan
and Maria come alive.
The realism of For Whom the Bell Tolls is another important
aspect of the story. Hemingway tries to make every character and
every scene as real and true to life as possible. The hero of the
novel, Robert Jordan, is not impervious to the standard human
reaction to potential death: fear. He is not portrayed as an
emotionless man of steel, but one that makes typical human blunders
and feels typical human emotions. Nor is the character of Pablo an
entirely evil and menacing presence. He used to be a great and
brave leader, and although he grew embittered with the war effort,
there are times when he is helpful, particularly at the end, after
he repented his betrayal of Robert Jordan, he proves himself to
still be a valuable asset to the guerrilla group. Hemingway does
not just provide one side of a character or a situation, but allows
the reader to see both sides, as Clifton Fadiman said in his review
of the book:
I do not much care whether or not this is a 'great' book.
I feel that it is what Hemingway wanted it to be: a true book. It
is written with only one prejudice-- a prejudice in favor of the
common human being. But that is a prejudice not easy to arrive at
and which only major writers can movingly express.
For Whom the Bell Tolls has accumulated thousands of pages
of bibliographic matter over the past 58 years. The incredible
interest in this novel and the continual discussion that it
provokes proves that it has literary qualities that surpass the
standard best-seller. The book has the typical characteristics
of best-sellers such as Peyton Place and The Firm, but whereas
those books disappear after a few years, For Whom the Bell Tolls
has remained a prominent and respected work of American fiction
because of the many different levels of the story: romance, heroism,
tragedy, and realism.