Themes In Ernest Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls

844 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Determination and success essay

For Whom the Bell Tolls, a novel written by Ernest Hemingway, is an inspirational piece of literature for many. People seeking a career in public service have and will continue to be inspired by this great work. President Obama has even mentioned it, when asked what pieces of literature inspired him. The book is very inspiring because it contains themes such as determination, respect, and duty. All of the themes mentioned are characteristics and ideas that people looking for a career in public service should possess. One inspirational characteristic that is shown throughout the course of the novel is determination. From the beginning of the book to the conclusion, Robert Jordan is attempting to successfully execute his mission and blow the bridge. The events that unfold are inspirational because it shows someone looking for a career in public service that even if there are hardships along the way, they will eventually be able to accomplish their goals if they keep trying and work through the problems. Even though people working in public service will most likely not be blowing bridges, there are still many important tasks that they will have to complete on a daily basis. Before blowing the bridge, …show more content…

However, it is the most inspirational to people seeking a profession in public service, as the novel contains many themes and ideas relating to that area of work. These themes include determination, respect, and duty, which were all traits that Robert Jordan exhibited throughout the course of the work. Due to these characteristics that he possess, the novel is very inspirational for someone looking to work in public office, since Robert Jordan was able to maintain all of the characteristics needed while he was facing an untold amount of difficulties. For these reasons, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a very inspirational story for those who are seeking careers in public

Show More
Related

  • Courga in Colin McDougall´s The Firing Squad and George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    A characters courage is not measured by how an action will be accepted by others, but by how their actions stay true to themselves even in the face of a pressured surrounding. Colin McDougall’s The Firing Squad a story about a young soldiers attempt at redemption and George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant an essay about Orwell’s days in a British colony where he was called to handle the situation with an aggressive elephant are two pieces of literature that demonstrate the effects of courage. Courage takes many forms and in these two great pieces of literature it can be measured by looking at the characters and how they use courage and lack of courage as a driving factor in different ways throughout their story’s.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.

    Read More

  • Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Rhetorical Analysis

    324 Words  | 1 Pages

    What is the important message, or theme, in this book? Why do you think the author felt this message was important? Support your answer with three specific quotes or pieces of evidence from the text.

    Read More

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway, was published in 1940. It is a novel set in the Spanish Civil War, which ravaged the country in the late 1930’s. Tensions in Spain began to rise as early as 1931,when a group of left-wing Republicans overthrew the country’s monarchy in a bloodless coup. The new Republican government then proposed controversial religious reforms that angered right-wing Fascists, who had the support of the army and the Catholic Church. Hemingway traveled extensively in Spain, and grew very interested in Spanish culture. Specifically, he writes about bullfighting, not only in this novel, but also in his other works as well. While Hemingway’s novels carry a common theme, For Whom the Bell Tolls is no different. In the form of suicide, inevitability of death, and sacrifice, death is the major theme that wraps around this story.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway Literary Analysis

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a never ending list of what makes some people amazing story tellers. Some writers have vast imaginations, other writers use the lives of others in their stories and other writers use their lived experiences in order to write moving works of art. Most books, works of poetry and short stories that revolve around lived experiences share a common theme of love, hate or both. As these are emotions that all humans share, However, there are some stories that have far more unique. Stories like “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. Both O’Brien and Hemingway come from two completely separate walks of life but were both able to write stories using the same theme of emotional and physical

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the story the author used objective point of view, symbolism, and irony to illustrate the theme that life and death decisions will negatively affect relationships. Going through with the abortion would have caused much grief for Jig but I believe the man would have been able to get over it much easier. She saw the ugliness of the barren valley and was slowly realizing what a mistake she’d make if she wasn’t able to enjoy the lushness of her fertility. In my opinion I believe Jig was smart enough or at least convicted enough not to go through with the abortion.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Farewell To Arms By Ernest Hemingway

    2941 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother, Grace Hall, was a trained opera singer and later on, a music teacher. His father, Clarence Hemingway, was a doctor and an avid naturalist ("Ernest Hemingway: An Inventory”). Just after graduating high school, at the age of eighteen, Hemingway enlisted in the army to fight in World War I ("The Big Read"). After being severely wounded in the war, he moved to Paris in 1921, and devoted himself to writing fiction (Baker). It is said that, “No American writer is more associated with writing about war in the early 20th century than Ernest Hemingway” (Putnam). Hemingway’s book A Farewell to Arms was published in 1929, and was based off of the events that happened to him in the war and what happened in his love life. Fredrick Henry, the protagonist, is an American ambulance driver fighting for the allies during World War I. He is introduced to a nurse named Catherine, who he later on falls in love with. Henry was hit by a trench mortar shell and was very badly injured. He is then sent to Milan, where Catherine later on comes to help nurse him to health. The two fall in love and Henry no longer is involved with the war, so they try and have a child, but both Catherine and the child die during labor, and Henry is left alone. Psychoanalytical approach views the psychological motivations of characters, which refer to the dynamics of personality development and behavior based on the unconscious motivations of a person ("Psychoanalytic Theory”). Hemingway’s writing was greatly impacted by his real life tragedies, which consist of witnessing the gruesomeness of war and his discovery and loss of love, this helps exhibi...

    Read More

  • The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Red Badge of Courage.” Literary Themes for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 439-447. Print.

    Read More

  • Alex Rider Stormbreaker Analysis

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through all of his courage, he found what he was looking for. He dug deep and went to the extremes that were not normal to himself. All of his work leads to his dynamic characteristics.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ernest Hemingway

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway was a great American author whom started his career humbly in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the ripe, young age of seventeen. Once the United States joined World War One, Hemingway deemed it fit to join a volunteer ambulance service. During this time Hemingway was wounded, and decorated by the Italian Government for his noble deeds. Once he completely recovered, he made his way back to the United States. Upon his arrival he became a reporter for the American and Canadian newspapers and was sent abroad to cover significant events. For example, he was sent to Europe to cover the Greek revolution. During his early adulthood, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris. This is known as the time in his life in which he describes in two of his novels; A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises the latter of the two being his first work. Hemingway was able to use his experiences of serving in the front during the war and his experience of being with other expatriates after the war to shape both of these novels. He was able to successful write these novels due to his past experience with working for newspapers. His experience with the newspaper seemed to be far more beneficial than just supplying him with an income, with the reporting experience under his belt he also was able to construct another novel that allowed him to sufficiently describe his experiences reporting during the Civil War; For Whom the Bell Tolls. Arguably his most tremendous short novel was a about an old fisherman’s journey and the long, lonely struggle with a fish and the sea with his victory being in defeat.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ernest Hemingway’s, Hills Like White Elephants, he is able to create a tension filled dialogue between an American man and a girl, Jig, as they sit, drink, and wait for a train from Barcelona at a bar. It mentions that all that the two have been doing was traveling, looking at things, and trying new drinks (Hemingway 2). During the thirty-five to forty-minute period, the couple vaguely discusses about whether or not the “simple operation” for an abortion should take place. Throughout the story, it seems that the man has his mind made up on having the girl go through the operation and tries to persuade her to agree, while the girl is still in limbo about it. In the beginning of the story, Jig seems to be used to depending on the man to

    Read More

  • The Symbolism in “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of which help to give us a better understanding of what is going on between the American and his girl.

    Read More

  • Historical Analysis of For Whom The Bell Tolls

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway takes place during the Spanish Civil War, which devastated the nation of Spain from 1936 to 1939. The conflict started after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish generals against the regime of the Second Spanish Republic, under the leadership of Manuel Azaña. The Nationalist coup was supported by the conservative Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right, Carlist monarchists, and the Fascist Falange. The events of the story center around Robert Jordan, an American volunteer for the Republican guerilla band. Jordan and the guerilla band attempt to defend Spain from the nationalist coup and preserve their way of life. However, the Republicans are unsuccessful because the Nationalists achieve victory, overthrow the government, and General Francisco Franco becomes dictator of Spain. The actions of people like Robert Jordan reveal that Spain was worth the overwhelming price to fight because the guerillas want to preserve and protect their ideals and way of life.

    Read More

  • Ernest Hemingway’s Writings and Wartime Experiences

    2409 Words  | 5 Pages

    Oak Park, Illinois greatly influenced the writing world on July 12,1899.  For on that day Grace Hemingway, the wife of Clarence Edmonds Hemingway, gave forth to the writing world a baby boy by the name of Ernest Miller Hemingway (Young 82). He would, later in his life, compose the most powerful literary impact upon the new generation of American writers with his plain, factual, but evocative style (Morris 863).  No one in America would ever influence the writing world like Hemingway.

    Read More

  • Major Themes In Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man And The Sea

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this world, there is quote after quote after quote on people’s stances on life. Readers are exposed to those millions of opinions with every story they pick up. Ernest Hemingway shared his judgments on life through a classic novel that seems to connect to many of those readers. What seems to be his belief on life was that though this world may seem to be destined for defeat, it’s imperative in life to attain triumph, bravery, respect, and love in the end. That message in The Old Man and the Sea is exposed through the minor themes, the major, overall theme, and the symbolism in the novel that contributes to the the major theme.

    Read More

More about Themes In Ernest Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls

Open Document