|
-
Suspense builds in this chapter as Jordan prepares to carry off
his mission with improvised explosive devices and Andres moves to warn
General Golz.
On his way to deliver Jordan\'s message to Golz, Andres looks at
haystacks in a field, there since the beginning of the fighting. The
hay is worthless now. Are the stacks symbolic of normal life in
Spain right now, left to rot by the fighting? Being a true Republican,
of course, Andres blames it on the Nationalists with the ingrained
slogan: \"What barbarians they are!\"
A partridge whirring at his feet prompts thoughts of what life could
be like if there were no war: he could get the eggs and hatch
partridges. His brother Eladio and he could gather crayfish. Life
could be good without the war.
His pastoral musings turn more philosophical. Why is he on this side
in the war? Because his father was. If his father\'s political views
had been different, he and Eladio would be fascists!
-
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: INHERITED LOYALTIES VS. INDEPENDENT THINKING Have you
inherited any loyalties? For example, do you favor one political party
or another basically because your parents did? Unthinking acceptance
of anything and everything simply because Mom or Dad said so is not
the hallmark of an independent adult. But should parents
deliberately not try to transmit values they consider important?
That hardly seems right either. The reflections of Andres can help
us think about this ever-present dilemma. How far should parents go in
trying to instill values in children?
|
