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It\'s a peaceful scene: a young man is lying on a pine-needled forest
floor. A gently flowing stream and a mill complete the placid, country
picture. An old man answers the young man\'s questions about the
countryside.
Think of a time when you were in a situation where the appearances
of the surroundings contrasted with what was really going on.
Perhaps something very serious was happening in your life on a bright,
apparently carefree day.
That seems to be the situation here. Hemingway first hints at the
seriousness of the scene by mentioning the young man\'s military map.
You can be sure this is no pleasure trip when Anselmo, an old
Spanish peasant who is Robert Jordan\'s guide behind enemy lines,
asks how many men will be needed and when Jordan seeks a place to hide
explosives.
Jordan considers it a bad sign that he has forgotten Anselmo\'s name.
It might mean simply that he\'s upset with himself for forgetting a
significant piece of information. But it could also mean that he\'s
uneasy about an invisible force at work in the situation. As you read,
look for other references to fate and signs.
While Jordan waits, Anselmo goes to inform \"the others\" of
Jordan\'s arrival. Hemingway describes Jordan here as a man who \"did
not give any importance to what happened to himself.\" This may mean
that he sees himself merely as a cog in the great wheel of some
cause or idea.
The importance of the individual is a major theme in For Whom the
Bell Tolls. Here you see Robert Jordan\'s original position in relation
to this idea. Watch for signs of change.
As he waits for Anselmo, Jordan\'s reflections explain why he\'s here.
He is to blow up a bridge in these mountains. He received the
mission from General Golz, whom he addresses, communist style, in a
flashback as \"Comrade General.\" Jordan is capable of doing the job;
his experience at demolition is considerable. But it\'s absolutely
crucial that the bridge be blown up at the precise moment the
general attack that Golz is commanding has begun. Jordan will know
from an aerial bombardment that the attack has started.
Two things are now clear: Jordan is a partizan, a non-Spanish
volunteer doing guerrilla work behind enemy lines. Golz (a
pseudonym) is a Soviet career officer.
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NOTE: FOREIGN INVOLVEMENT IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR The Spanish
Civil War was far from an exclusively Spanish affair. The Republican
cause attracted volunteers from some 50 nations, with the largest
number coming from France and Germany. Most of these volunteers were
recruited and organized into the International Brigades by European
Communist parties. More than 80 percent of the volunteers were (unlike
Robert Jordan) working class people. A major recruiting office was
in Paris where one of the staff members was Josip Broz- who after
World War II became President Tito of Yugoslavia. About one third of
the volunteers lost their lives in Spain.
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Listening to Golz\'s comments, you may wonder why he\'s here in
Spain at all. If you\'ve ever tried to help an individual or a group,
and your efforts were actually frustrated by the very people you
were trying to aid, you have an idea of how Golz seems to feel. \"You
know how those people are,\" he complains to Jordan.
This won\'t be the first time you\'ll see uncomplimentary references
to \"those people,\" the very ones Golz and Jordan have come to help. It
raises the question, Why do these two foreigners stay? Look for
clues that answer this question and show you how Jordan and Golz
really feel about the Spanish people.
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NOTE: Many of Hemingway\'s friends (and one notable enemy, Andre
Marty) appear in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Some bear their real
names, such as the Loyalist commander Gustavo Duran and Petra, a
chambermaid at the Hotel Florida where Hemingway stayed in Madrid.
Others formed the basis for characters with fictional names. General
Golz is closely based on the Polish general Karol Swierczewski. Karkov
is the fictional name of the Soviet journalist and correspondent for
the Soviet government newspaper Izvestia, Mikhail Koltsov. Hemingway
often talked with Koltsov while in Spain during the civil war.
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Pablo, the leader of the guerrilla band, joins the two men. Jordan\'s
introduction to Pablo does not go pleasantly. Rather than welcoming
Jordan, Pablo treats him rudely and with suspicion. \"Here no one
commands but me,\" he states sullenly.
So it\'s shocking when the 68-year-old Anselmo gives him a stiff
tongue-lashing full of earthy insults. Your first clue that Pablo is
not fully in charge has come early.
Pablo\'s objection to the bridge operation is that it will draw
attention to the presence of his people\'s camp, and they\'ll no
longer enjoy their relatively safe hideout. But Pablo finally gives
in, and the guerrillas agree to carry the dynamite. Jordan has
passed the first hurdle. Note that the hurdle was someone on his side:
one of the people he is in Spain to help.
Pablo is caught in an inner conflict. He has become less
interested in the cause the guerrillas are fighting for than in the
preservation of the horses he recently acquired. Now that he owns
property for the first time, Pablo is afraid that the mission to
blow up the bridge will endanger his possessions. For some people,
Hemingway seems to be saying, the desire to fight for a principle
lessens if the fight affects the person on a material level. Perhaps
you\'ve been in a position similar to Pablo\'s. It\'s easy to voice
concern over an issue, less easy to sacrifice something you love for
it.
To Jordan, Pablo\'s sadness indicates that he is \"going bad\"; that
is, showing signs of being a traitor. At this point, the reason is not
completely clear, but we sense Pablo can\'t be trusted. Jordan also
reminds himself to be cautious if Pablo suddenly becomes friendly.
That will mean he has made a decision. About what? Hemingway leaves
you in suspense here.
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