This book is a war novel during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. The plot is about an American soldier called Robert Jordan who fights for the Republicans against the ruling fascist party. The protagonist is sent on a mission where he has to blow up a bridge with the help of local guerrilla. We experience the moment he meets them to the conclusion of the mission where he dies from a mortal wound.

It’s a deep and touching story where the reader can almost experience the struggles of war himself. I didn’t know the plot (my only reference being the namesake song from Metallica) but shortly after the beginning I ‘knew’ Robert Jordan was going to die adding a dramatic build-up effect throughout the book. It all ends beautifully in the last pages. It is as much a war story as it is about love, human nature or meaning of life.

Anselmo

Anselmo is the first character of the guerrilla that Robert meets. He’s an old man who lived all his life on the hills and is more shepherd than warrior as he hates killing considering it a great sin to be avoided. However, he also recognizes that sometimes it is necessary. A devout Christian with a strong moral sense, he becomes Robert’s most trusted and closest friend during the 3 days of the story. This is a simple but wise man and it is interesting to see how he deals with his internal dialogue and struggles. There are two related conflicts going inside his mind: he’s a very religious person who understands the power of praying yet he fights for a movement that intends on separating the state and the church. Secondly, he hates killing yet he kills because he must – the Republic needs him to kill fellow human beings.

Because of this, a set of paradoxes arise that are extremely difficult for him to cope with. As it’s tradition in Spain and especially among small towns most people grow up Christians and share the same values. Religion is one the major pillars in their lives along with family/community and work. It’s no surprise then that when joining a secular movement, Anselmo detected some inconsistencies. To solve this, he abandoned the act of praying as he felt “it would be unfair and hypocritical to say them and he did not wish to ask any favours or for any different treatment than all the men were receiving.” But whether he recognized it or not, praying was a way of life for him as it helped him deal with loneliness, sin, and existential doubt – it was a part of him. By forsaking it, the world was a much crueller place. It became evident when he was forced to kill in the name of the Republic. He did so with a strong sense of duty – the incoming generations will be better off – but with great pain and regret. And now, he could not pray and ask for forgiveness. But perhaps worst of all, he realized that by separating the church and the state there would have to be an alternative means to penance all the killing “for the cleansing of us all.” Who would be responsible for this? Fast forward to 2019 it’s fair to say that this was a valid concern. With the triumph of the secular state, religion began to decline, and the State was a poor substitute for moral conduct where legal behaviour is often mistaken for ethical behaviour.

Another interesting fact about Anselmo is that he had a tremendous memory from the fact that he couldn’t read or write. He died on the last day when he and Jordan exploded the bridge and debris hit him. It made Jordan very angry and he temporarily lost his temper, something not very typical of him demonstrating his appreciation for the old man.

Pablo

Pablo is along with Pilar (his woman) the most fascinating character of the book (certainly not Robert Jordan). He is the leader of the guerrilla with no remarkable physical features as he is fat and short. However, he is clever, cruel, ruthless and composed. Qualities that made him a successful guerrilla fighter but most importantly, made him and his group survive. At the end of the day, that’s what matters in war, especially for smaller groups where each individual member life is critical.

Shortly after meeting Anselmo, Pablo bears ill will towards Robert. That is because he’s quick to realize that he puts in jeopardy all the safety and wealth (mostly horses which he had a passion for) he amassed as the leader of the guerrilla. He knows that this Republican attack and destruction of the bridge means in best-case scenario they will be forced to move somewhere else without any guarantees, and worst-case scenario they will all be dead. That puts him in a tough spot: on the one hand he cares about his and the group survival, on the other hand, by opposing Robert he is directly opposing the Republic and all that the group is fighting for. As such, during the book he fluctuates between disputing Robert Jordan and the group by extension, and between being helpful and friendly. What’s interesting is that some of these mood swings are deliberate and calculated, and others are not which makes this character all the more undecipherable. He cares about himself above anything else while the very next day he’s willing to die for the group.

We get to know who Pablo really is through the story told by Pillar when the Republicans overtook one village from the fascists “pigs.” Pablo was leading the charge and planned everything revealing his composure and cunning. Everything was well-executed: they overtook the post, cut the communication lines, killed only the necessary men, and by the time the sun was shining that village was Republican. Yet, there still remained a few villagers who were fascists or had fascist ties. Pablo decided not to kill or imprison them, that would be most rudimentary. Instead, he organizes a public execution, where the insurgent and victorious republicans would do the job themselves. In this act we see the genius and cruelty of Pablo. By doing so, men would quench their thirst for blood and also take part in the killing making them as guilty as himself and also provide an afternoon of entertainment. It was most likely inspired by the traditional bullfights that the Spanish so much enjoy. Pablo and his group organized the parade and then sent these men one by one to the executioners. Firstly, they look timidly at the first terrified fascist sent to be killed and no one dared to touch him. Until the first person hits him. Then it became a massacre aided by euphoria and alcohol. Men and women got so possessed that they invaded the building where the remaining prisoners were waiting so strong was their thirst for blood. This reveals an extra brutal fact of a civil war: the executioners and the executed knew each other all their lives, they lived together for decades and still they kill each other, perhaps even with more ferocity. Pablo was the mastermind of the event and he knew all this because he knew war and he knew the worst in his people because he is all those things too.

However, the Pablo that we see in the book is a different one. He does not seem as interested in fighting for the Republic as much as he seems interested in his horses or drinking. By the time Jordan’s the mission starts, he’s seen with suspicion and scepticism by most of his group. Shortly after being introduced to the whole party, most members welcome Jordan and see him as a capable ally who will help their cause of fighting the fascists. Because of Pablo opposition to Jordan, along with his political decline he’s forced to step down as leader by his wife Pilar who publicly humiliates him. He’s even seen crying because of this. But there was one thing that members remembered well – Pablo was as smart and cunning as ever and he would not go down quietly. And they were right.

On the eve of battle, he fled and took with him the devices necessary to blow up the bridge making Jordan’s task much harder and indirectly killing Anselmo. Yet, hours before the final attack he returns to the group with help and more horses which turned out to be vital for their success. This return is viewed with suspicion by all the members. Pablo told them he regretted leaving earlier and that he felt lonely deciding to come back. And that was it. The most notable part? He, unlike Jordan, survived the attack, probably led them to safety and retook leadership from the group. War is not a beautiful place at all where the best or the most ethical wins. On the contrary, people like Pablo thrive and survive in these conditions precisely because they’re the embodiment of war: ruthless, cruel, detached and adaptable.

Pilar

Pilar is Pablo’s woman (it’s not specified if they’re married or just a couple) and her most remarkable trait is her tongue: it’s quick, sharp and witty. She’s not a beautiful woman, something she’s quick to admit but she’s strong-willed and charming luring many men into her bed, including Pablo. Her most exceptional characteristic is her wisdom. It’s very different from Anselmo which reflects a moral wisdom, or from Pablo who demonstrates a natural wisdom in the art of surviving and killing. Pilar is neither of those things. Her wisdom comes from her intuition and understanding of human relationships. She immediately knew Robert was going to die by looking at his hand’s lines; she realized he and Maria would make a perfect couple in those circumstances; and she understood every member of the group like no one else so that she was able to exert her influence and control them, culminating in her ascendance to the top, overthrowing Pablo. Yes, her wisdom rivals the cunning of Pablo in her own way. From this perspective, she reminds me of a shaman’s role in a tribe communicating with higher powers to lead and advise her people.

Her mystical affinity is made very clear by the author. Like Anselmo, she laments the lack of religion in her life claiming that God still exists despite them forsaking it and humans still need to talk with someone. No matter how great one’s valour, one can become very alone. Robert Jordan, however, does not believe in such “non-sense” and he’s very sceptical towards Pilar predictions and warnings. To which she replied: “It is not that thou art stupid. Thou art simply deaf. One who is deaf cannot hear music. Neither can he hear the radio. So he might say, never having heard them, that such things do not exist. Que vá, Inglés. I saw the death of that one with the rare name in his face as though it were burned there with a branding iron.” She’s talking about a previous soldier whom she claimed reeked of death. Pilar may not be able to read, write or be educated like Robert, yet there’s much he could have learned with her that is not taught by science or a college degree, something we aren’t ready to admit in a heavily science and tech dominated 21^st century. The older I get, the more I believe the next revolution in human knowledge will consist of a healthy marriage between the intellectual and the spiritual.

Despite not believing her until the end, Pilar was right. I do believe she represents something that Hemingway found it was lacking in the current secular trends. After some research, I discovered that once in an interview he claimed that becoming a Catholic was one of the best things he’d done in life. Pilar believes in the mystical and in higher powers while Jordan doesn’t take religion seriously and thinks reason is the only path to truth. Inadvertently or not, Hemingway was warning us of the dangers of separating religion and state. It goes back to the problem exposed in Anselmo’s chapter. When legality is to become the new moral code there’s two negative consequences: firstly, no matter how sophisticated a legal system is, there are always ways to exploit it in which the legal thing to do might be highly immoral creating a precedent for an unjust society; secondly, the laws imposed by a government are dependent on a punishment-reward basis, that is, if you do the right thing you might see the benefits of a good social system by paying a lifetime of taxes or you won’t go to jail/pay fines for committing a crime. The problem here is that these incentives are external, unlike religion that promotes good behaviour on the basis of self-love, selfless acts and the “right thing to do.” The major promises it makes are in the afterlife where they’re no longer accountable. I would argue that previous civilizations had a more developed moral sense than the current generations partially for this reason, before for the rise of the scientific method. I’m not arguing for a church-state government again by any means, but it’s important to understand what was lost and what was gained by such separation.

Maria

Maria is the girl that Jordan meets when initially introduced to the guerrilla group and ultimately the love of his life. She suffered greatly with the terrors of war, perhaps more than anyone in the book, by witnessing her parent’s public execution, having all her family killed, and by being brutally raped following that. It’s a tragic story, yet full hope. And tragedy again.

When she’s first introduced, Maria has her head shaved, courtesy of the rapists. Still, Jordan immediately sees beauty in her, so young and scared. She’s a wonderful character. Despite all the pain up to the moment she met Jordan, she managed to keep her virtue and in a way her ‘virginity’. She was not corrupted in the sense that she cannot love or enjoy intimacy again. She never surrendered to her rapists, fighting as much as her will would allow. She refused to give in to despair, and as a result she managed save her soul.

Although their time together was short, Maria really loved Jordan and she wanted to dedicate her life to him. She was truly intimate with him in a way a young naïve girl would be. Jordan was quick to recognize this purity and he loved her as much as she loved him. He starts to make new plans for his future that include Maria. He thinks about their marriage, where they would live, where she could learn English and more. But the biggest impact she had on Jordan was that, after knowing how special their relationship was, he would ask nothing more of life because what can a man that already has everything ask for? In his heart, he felt the three days together with Maria were like a lifetime and were he to die in that moment, he would feel nothing but gratitude for such an opportunity.

I would argue that Robert’s death was even more tragic for Maria than for Robert himself. He was now ready to face death. All his life led him to that moment, and he was happy with what was given to him. Maria, on the other hand, survived Hell to be happy again (if for a fleeting moment) to come back to it again. We don’t know how her life went on, but there’s so much pain a human being can take. One can only hope that despite all the tragedies in her life, she managed to keep her childlike joy and purity and be able to love and be loved again. It’s an irony of war – in victory or defeat, many of its survivors end up suffering more than the ones who were killed. Maria is no exception.

Fight on the Hill

This title refers to the fight between El Sordo’s clan and the fascists. In my opinion, the most powerful moment of the book. El Sordo is the leader of the neighbour guerrilla group and an old man suffering from severe deafness, hence its nickname. Like Pablo, he immediately knows what the coming of Robert means for all of them, but still offers himself to help the mission. But unlike Pablo, El Sordo’s loyal to the Republic first, not to himself, making him more respected among his followers. That’s also the reason he dies, and Pablo does not.

It was a night in which started to snow and that would provide the perfect protection for El Sordo’s group to steal horses from the more numerous fascists. Unfortunately for them, the snow stopped during their incursion making it possible for their enemies to follow their trail. It all culminates at the top of a hill where they are surrounded by the fascists with no hope to escape.

There’s many elements that make this moment so memorable. Firstly, there’s the contrasting reactions between the clan elements: all of them knew deep down that they were going to die. Chances of surviving were practically zero. And it’s interesting to see that El Sordo, the oldest member, accepts his fate and does everything he can to enjoy his last moments on Earth. He kills the opposing captain, gloats over this in the name of the Republic, and quietly stays ready for what’s to come. The other members (except the youngest) demonstrate anger, bitterness but conformity towards their death. They complain about whatever they can, cursing the weather or the ‘stupid’ mission. But worst of all to me, was their admonishment towards Joaquin, the youngest, who kept praying and searching for a way to get out of the situation trying to instil as much optimism as possible. There was an interesting dynamic going on: the old and wise seems to accept death as a normal part of life; those who are older but unwise seem to resent this fact while, ironically, cursing those who try to avoid this same fate; and then there’s Joaquin which symbolizes youth, hope, and a destiny still to be fulfilled. Hemingway introduces a lovely detail by making Joaquin survive the bombing of the planes that killed the four remaining members. For a brief moment, he was conscious and knew he survived. Was that the reward for praying and hoping until the very end? He’s quickly dispatched, painlessly, by the surrounding fascist members seconds later.

Another noteworthy aspect of this chapter is the dialogue and interaction between the two fascist captains that were cornering the wounded guerrilla. The first captain in charge is impatient, brash, and full of hate towards the rebels. The second in command, however, reminds me of Anselmo as he understands the need to kill but dislikes war. His best friend had just been killed by one of El Sordo’s fighters. Yet, he refuses to give in to hate like the other captain. For that, the first one dies falling into the trap laid by El Sordo while the second captain waits for reinforcements and lives to fight another day. My interpretation here is that, no matter the war or ideological cause, there are honourable men and there are cruel, dishonest men in both sides of war. The commonality in every war is that there is always suffering, and innocent people die. Soldiers know that the man they just killed could be a virtuous human being who just happens to have different political opinions. Who knows, the man you’d just killed could be your best friend in another life? But because of reasons outside of their control they end up killing each other. It’s another cruel aspect of war – besides the obvious things that both sides lose during a war, there’s also the opportunity costs such as the relationships that were not made, or the human beings with exceptional talents taken away from this earth. This insight into both fascist captains’ dialogues make us see that in another life, these sworn enemies of the Republic might have been brothers of Anselmo or Jordan, they just happened to pick (or being picked) into different sides of the same story.

Lastly, my favourite part of the writing is shown in full display during this chapter. The details that Hemingway gives us about war are so descriptive that the reader has no choice but to think that the author was either a soldier and/or personally lived in war times. Details like certain smells, sounds, or the handling of war equipment gives us a vivid and realistic image of what it would be like to be in those situations. These wouldn’t ever come across the mind of a person who’s never been in a war and give a genuine feeling to the whole book whose context is about war.  For example, one of El Sordo’s member while being chased by the fascists has his horse killed. The way Hemingway proceeds to describe how he used the horse’s body as a temporary shield while the stench of the animal’s burned mane filled the air is an image that stuck with me.

Robert Jordan

Lastly, we have Robert Jordan, the protagonist of the book. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this character narrative wise: between his memories of Madrid and personal life, which I found rather dull and boring, and the way this soldier acts under pressure and handles himself, it was hard for me to have a definitive opinion. But perhaps that’s simply good character construction from Hemingway as, after all, Jordan is a devoted soldier who almost blindly follows orders. So, in that regards he needs to be a somewhat boring person to perform well by controlling his emotions and rarely letting stress getting under his skin. Curiously, the times where he seems most vulnerable are the times when Pilar and Pablo test his mental fortitude and wits. Still, we see him questioning the orders given to him or his place in the world at times. He wonders if it’s all worth it but it’s hard to shake the feeling that his rebellion lacks conviction or bite. Never does the reader believe that he might rebel against his superiors or the cause that he’s fighting for. He’s indeed a true soldier – strong, stable, resilient and obedient.

It’s also important to note that Robert Jordan spoke fluent Spanish and that made his integration easier since it was greatly appreciated that a foreigner spoke their language. He got even further ahead than any other foreigner by knowing their tastes, habits and culture. It was then possible, through Jordan’s eyes, to see the contrast between an educated, American professor, and the rural Spanish rebellion. Most notable are the differences in spiritual awareness, life’s priorities and temperament.

Much of Robert Jordan has been indirectly said through the description of other characters. It’s the impact of these people on Robert that make his development interesting. It would not be too farfetched to say that in the story’s three days period, he has learned as much as he did in years. He loved and felt loved for the first time; gained friends who were totally different from him yet understood him and fought together; changed his perspective on life and made him make plans for the future with Maria and go back to teaching. It was as if, after the mission was complete, he was ready to leave war behind. For the first time, he was organizing his life based on his personal dreams. But war had other plans for him.

Robert Jordan’s death is the end of the book. He’s hit by a grenade and his left leg is shattered. He quickly realizes his fate and does not to stall it by attempting to survive and possibly compromise the remaining group. He orders them to leave without him and says goodbye to Maria who cries and refuses to go. Eventually, they all leave while being led by Pablo. It’s at this moment that we get inside Jordan’s head and feel how he handles his own death. It’s nothing short of honourable and heroic. He was a soldier until the very end. His first thought is being thankful for everything: in that dire situation he was happy that we was able to live those three days and love Maria; he felt lucky that his death was mostly painless and it was going to be quick; and also he felt that his duty was done by blowing up the bridge. He was ready to face death despite not being a religious man. He didn’t pray and did not beg God for his salvation as he remained loyal to his atheistic principles. Yet, he felt sadness. Not because he was going to die but because he was leaving this world, he thought that he was going to miss it. He realized how much beauty and goodness there is. It was a detached and genuine sadness. Lastly, there was a little bit of conflict too: he thought of committing suicide in case the fascist troops would capture him. But he remembered his father’s suicide and quickly brush aside that option. He was not a coward like his him, but courageous like his grandfather! Yes, he would stay alive and perhaps still be useful to Maria and the others by stalling and killing a few men buying them some time. And that’s what he did. He waited, saw his enemies and stayed ready to pull the trigger. He finally found peace in war.