For Whom The Bell Tolls

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Recommended: Wars effect on literature

There are many themes that can be associated with the novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story has love, hate, rivalry, duty, war, and several more topics of concern. However, war plays the most important role among all of the possible themes. There is war all around the characters, but it is not limited to battles or physical wars. Wars appear between ideologies, guerrilla band members, beliefs, inner emotions, and decisions. In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway shows, through war, an example of a ¡°good¡± man.
After joining Pablo, Robert Jordan constantly is at odds with Pablo. The two are very different from each other in tactics and attitudes. The differences show how Robert Jordan has the leadership qualities that make him capable of fulfilling his mission. Pablo disapproves of Robert Jordan¡¯s plans to blow up an essential bridge and Robert Jordan sees that Pablo might be a source of trouble during the mission. ¡°¡¯Why didst thou not kill Pablo?¡¯¡± the gypsy said softly. ¡®Why kill him?¡¯¡± (p.60). The gypsy woman asked Robert Jordan this question because she and Pablo¡¯s entire band wished Pablo dead. Robert Jordan did not see a reason to kill Pablo. He wanted to kill Pablo at first, but decided against it because it would be just an assassination. He did not have a just cause in killing Pablo. Robert Jordan throughout the course of the mission decides to kill Pablo and then changes his mind. Robert Jordan¡¯s intuition and competency told him that Pablo would event...

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