|
-
This is an important chapter that offers, principally through
dialogue, insights into Pilar, Pablo, and Jordan.
Pilar confesses a \"sadness\" to Jordan. It\'s actually a despair she
feels: death is on the way for many. In previous times, she would have
shared this feeling with God. Now, as a communist, she cannot. Yet she
confesses that God probably still exists, \"although we have
abolished Him.\"
Her conversation also reveals how much Pablo is hurting. He is
deeply wounded that the group sided against him. And he\'s afraid to
die. He clings to his one great moment of glory, the assault on the
train. You may find this revelation little more than the tearful
carrying-on of a man who has lost his courage. Or you may see it as
a pitiful cry for help from a man broken by inner torment and the
demands of war.
Agustin, one of Pablo\'s band, doesn\'t see Pablo as completely
broken, though. He\'s convinced they\'ll need Pablo\'s skills when they
retreat after the bridge is blown. Pablo may currently be a coward,
but he is nonetheless \"smart,\" according to Agustin. Pilar- for all
her bravery, loyalty, decisiveness, intuition, and heart- is not
\"smart.\"
Exactly what he means by \"smart\" is something of a mystery at this
point. Is he referring to Pablo\'s skills in conducting guerrilla
maneuvers, and, if so, will those skills really be needed later on?
This chapter contains brief references to the themes of hypocrisy
and mysticism. When Pilar asks Jordan if he has faith in the Republic,
he answers yes- and hopes his answer is true. Is his devotion to the
cause weakening? In that case, is he a hypocrite for answering yes?
And Jordan, the practical demolition expert, is still worried
about what Pilar saw in his hand. Pilar calls the palmreading
\"nonsense.\" But she doesn\'t really mean that. She says it because
telling what she saw might harm the Republic. Is she being a hypocrite
too, lying and denying reality (as she saw it) for the sake of this
supposedly glorious cause?
|
