March 12th, 2023
Started this today and read a couple chapters. It’s an interesting start. The main character Robert Jordan is a foreigner fighting with the Spanish Republicans. He’s staking out a bridge with an old Spanish man that he is tasked with blowing up when his general starts an attack. Robert and the old man start up the mountain with the bags of dynamite to meet a local band of guerrillas. Robert doesn’t know any of these people, so he is wary. I think he starts trusting the old man, but the band is a bit off. Their leader, Pablo, is does not approve of the attack and is despondent. He knows the explosion will cause the fascists to search the country, so they must leave. Robert is worried that Pablo will either rat them out to save himself, or just up and quit. The old man gives Pablo a hard time for this attitude. Another member of the guerillas is a gypsy who is a bit of a loafer, and a young girl they picked up when the group attacked a train. This train attack involved Robert’s predecessor, a Russian, who is now dead. Something’s gonna happen between Robert and the girl. Pablo’s wife seems to kind of run the group, and she is worried about her husband. She’s rough, but approves of Robert’s mission. They’ll meet more guerrillas that night, but first Robert and the old man have to check out the bridge. The writing style is a bit strange. It seems like Hemingway is writing in English as if it were Spanish speaking speaking English. In reality, I assume everyone would be speaking Spanish. It’s an odd choice, or maybe it’s just in my head.
March 15th, 2023
Read another 50 pages and it is an interesting story. There hasn’t been much action, but a good amount of character building and tension. Robert and Anselmo (the old man) scope out the bridge. On the way back, they talk. Anselmo says he’s never been in a battle, since he retreated in one at the start of the war. There was no real leadership or plan, and all he had was a shot gun. He also admits to having killed, but he considers it a sin. He grew up religious, but no longer believes in God (because he’s a socialist?). Regardless, killing is a sin and he hopes to get forgiveness one day. The tension occurs when they return to camp. A guard stops them and nearly shoots them, but Anselmo knows him. He warns Robert to guard the dynamite. In the cave, they wait for dinner. There are two more men, and the gypsy is no longer very friendly. They talk and Robert decides to rip the band-aid: he mentions the bridge. Pablo says there will be no blowing of the bridge. Pablo’s woman (Pilar) says there will be. The remaining members of the group side with Pilar, and thus she is now leader. She calls Pablo a drunkard and coward. He says he is not stupid and knows they will be killed for nothing. Pilar might know this too, she read Robert’s palm. She is a true Republican. The conversation turns argumentative and Robert places his hand on his pistol. Pablo concedes. Later the gypsy Rafael tells Robert he made a mistake and should have killed Pablo. Danger will come of his living. Pablo is later seen in the night talking to the horses. Robert returns to the cave and talks to Pilar. He mentions what the gypsy said, and Pilar disagrees. Robert did right by refraining from shooting. Then he and the young woman Maria bang or something. I guess they fall in love quickly.
March 16th, 2023
There was a long chapter and it was brutal. Disturbing and emotionally draining. The next day Robert sends Anselmo and the gypsy to watch the road and count the number of Fascists who travel. There were a large number of bombers flying overhead. Robert worried that they were going to bomb his men nearby and ruin the planned assault, but it seems they were flying much further away. Then Robert, Pilar, and Maria start to walk to see the other group of guerrillas. Pilar is kind of out of shape and decides to sit for a bit by a creek. Robert is in a hurry, but she keeps talking. Since he couldn’t convince her to move, they began talking about the beginning of the revolution. On the first day in their town, Pablo had surrounded a fascist outputs with 10 or so men inside. In the night, he laid dynamite at the entrance. When they refused to surrender, he blew up the wall. Shooting began, and then 4 men surrendered. Pablo went in to execute the wounded. He found an officer’s pistol and executed the 4 men who surrendered. Also in the night, he rounded up all the fascist men in town. He blocked off the square except the way towards a cliff’s edge. 20 men were in a building with a priest to give the last rites, while the townspeople formed two lines with flails and other weapons. Most of these men had never killed. Pablo forced the first man out, and he walked down the lines unharmed. Then one man, who was personally angry at him, started to attack him. Then he was thrown over the cliff. A second man, whom most in the town considered a joke and a coward, was sent out. He was unable to walk. Pablo put a shotgun to his back and forced him to go. He closed his eyes and walked as everyone mocked him. No one hit him. Once he was close to the edge, he begged for his life as they threw him over. The third man was haughty and insulted Pablo and the crowd. His words enraged him and they beat him to death. Maybe there was one more they beat to death this way. Next was a man who was a fascist, but other than that, well liked by the people. People hesitated to hit him. His wife ran out to him. However, many in the audience were drunk. These drunkards decided to insult this man, then came out and beat him to death. Pilar and a few others were sickened by this rude destruction of a decent man. Then, everything fell apart. The drunken mob tried to storm the building of prisoners, but it was locked. I think another guy, a very fat one, was sent out. The mob smashed his head against the stone pavement. A man decided it was his time to go out, but Pablo said no. The rage of the crowd built for minutes, then the guards unlocked the door. The remaining men and the priest were slaughtered brutally. The people celebrated that night, and Pablo was proud of his work. Pilar was disturbed by it. Maria did not want to hear more, or about what happened 3 days later when the fascists came to town. Pilar told Robert she would tell him one day, as it was only fair. I found this chapter very disturbing and sadly realistic. I can imagine it happening countless times in history. I picture myself being one of the executed. I don’t think I’ll forget this book.
March 17th, 2023
Read another chapter but not much occurred. They make it to El Sordo’s camp and encounter the guard Joaquin. He knows the ladies and is introduced to Robert. He seems like a decent guy and soldier. He brings up his dead family and it becomes an emotional moment. Robert has heard this story many times before and nothing he’s heard compares to Pilar’s story. Clearly he was affected by it. As a foreigner, he was not there and could not understand the feeling of killing people you’ve known your whole life. They go to talk to El Sordo and make some plans. It seems like everyone thinks this will end in failure.
March 19th, 2023
A lot of this reading was the thoughts of Robert Jordan. Everyone left the meeting feeling bad and Pilar doesn’t seem to be doing well. They needed a break walking downhill and she admitted that she was jealous of Maria. It seems she doesn’t want to lose her, even though she can be hard on her. They split up and the lovers do their thing. After that is a long stream of consciousness from Robert. Pretty much he regrets that he has fallen in love when he knows he and these others are likely to die in a few days. He has a feeling that the mission is impossible, but knows he has to do it anyway. He regrets that he has to lead these people, some or all, to their deaths, and he has come to like them very much. But he’s led people before and has to again. He keeps thinking about Maria and their future together, one that may never come. Back at camp Pilar acts weird with them, but it moves on. They look up and see snow coming. Pablo is drunk and thrilled by the snow. The attack will be delayed by several days. Rafael the gypsy comes back from the snow with his report. He tells Robert where to find Anselmo and the serious guy offers to go with him. Anselmo is waiting in the cold and watching the mill. He can’t decide whether to stay or go, as it’s getting colder and colder. He stays and thinks about the men in the mill, how they’re not bad guys, not real fascists. He doesn’t want to kill anyone. We get some conversation from the soldiers, they’re not even from the area. Robert finds Anselmo is happy to see him. He is very friendly to him and knows he can count on him. He’ll probably get killed.
March 20th, 2023
Returning to the cave, the guys warm up and have some dinner. Pablo is drunk and verbally belligerent. Not outright belligerent, but offensive and irritating to everyone. Things get tense and Robert starts pushing him, hoping for an opportunity to shoot him. Pablo knows the game and doesn’t allow himself to be provoked. One of the other guys (Augustin?), the foul-mouthed one I think, starts to provoke Pablo and fails. He hits him a couple times, but Pablo just smiles. In his drunkenness, he admits to regretting all the killing he has done. Pablo leaves to go see the horses. When he is gone, they discuss killing him. Robert and Anselmo do not get a say because they are new. Everyone is for killing Pablo, though Fernando, the proper one, is initially against it. Robert says he is willing to assassinate Pablo. Pablo returns at this time and is calm and friendly, claiming he is now sober. He says he has planned the retreat and is now going to be part of the bridge operation. Augustin tries to provoke Pablo, but again it does not work. Robert remembers that there is dynamite in the cave, and takes Augustin to the side to drop the shooting plan. Things are calm now and Robert plans the attack. He regrets “riding the carousel” of Pablo’s imbalance. The future is uncertain. Robert then thinks about going to Madrid after the attack and reminisces about the previous time he was there. He spent much of his time with the Russians at their hotel headquarters, where discipline is lax. The rest of the chapter is a lot of Robert thinking about battles and remembering his experience and innocence/naivete at the start of war. Maybe this was revealed earlier, but he thinks about his Spanish teaching in Montana (or Ohio or something) and wonders if they will let him teach if he returns. They may find out he’s a “red”. The snow is letting up, so the attack is likely to be the day after next.
March 21st, 2023
Robert snaps back to reality and there is more talk amongst the group. They talk about Russian from the train job, Kashkin, and Pilar reveals that Robert killed him when he was wounded. This turns to a conversation on how Pilar could smell death on him when he was there. Robert is skeptical and then there is a whole tirade on it. Robert then sleeps outside with Maria. With the snow done, Fernando is given first watch of the night. In the morning, Robert wakes up and hears someone coming. A man on a horse appears and the two men see each other. Robert quickly shoots him dead. The gypsy was on watch but disappeared. Robert gives orders quickly. Pablo is given the horse to make a trail as if the cavalryman had left under normal conditions. Augustin and one of the others go to the top of the rocks with the machine gun. Pilar strips the body for information and papers. Robert finds the machine gun in a bad position and sets them straight. The group had no training with the thing; they’re only self-taught. Robert tells Augustin where to aim, but don’t shoot unless necessary. One of the brothers climbs a high rock and signals that 4 cavalrymen are coming. They get very close and look directly at the gun, but do not see it. It is tense and Augustin is sweating, but holds his fire. The men then follow Pablo’s trail. There is a short reprieve when another signal says many men are coming. A troop of cavalrymen gallop by and follow the other four. Robert is relieved, but knew how close a call this was. He sends Anselmo back to the road to count traffic, but Anselmo instead requests to go to town for information. The gypsy was scolded and Robert says he’ll shoot him if he does it again. He had left his post to hunt two fat rabbits he had seen, but he is remorseful for the trouble he caused. No action will be taken until the snow melts and no tracks will be created. Tomorrow the attack should start.
March 22nd, 2023
As they’re on top of the hill, bad news comes. Robert hears a noise in the distance, the sound of gun fire. El Sordo and men went to steal horses last night and the snow showed their tracks. The cavalrymen found them. Primitivo wants to go and help them, but Robert says no. They are done for. It cuts to El Sordo and his men on top of a hill. The cavalrymen led a foolish charge and several were killed, including an officer. Sordo’s band lugged the machine gun to the top of the hill under fire and prepare their last stand. Sordo is personally surprised they haven’t been bombed yet, or killed by mortar fire. At this point, the men begin to accept their death, though the young Joaquin still thinks they can make it. The fascist captain yells at the “bandits” to surrender. Sordo gets an idea and fires some pistol shots into the ground. He wants it to look like they’ve killed themselves, hoping some men will come out into the open to be shot. The crazed captain keeps shouting and believes their dead, but the second in command and the sniper doubt it. The sniper refuses to follow orders and go up the hill. The lieutenant, whose best friend was killed in the captain’s foolish earlier charge, tells the captain they are still alive. The captain walks up the hill to prove his point. Sordo is a little disappointed that only one man comes out, but kills him anyway. He wants the other officer, knowing he’ll have to run elsewhere to command. Before this happens, the planes come. Sordo’s band reorganize to shoot up at the planes, mounting the gun on Joaquin’s back. The bombs fall and kill them, except Joaquin is knocked out. The facsists throw some grenades and fire at the spot to make sure they are dead. The lieutenant finds the still breathing Joaquin and shoots him in the head. They cut off the heads as proof and go to town. Later Anselmo goes to town for news and watches the road. He sees the troop with the bag of heads and their own dead. He finds the headless bodies on Sordo’s hill. Back at the cave, Pablo already brought that news. Robert sends Andres to find the general with a letter to call off the attack, based on all the movement on the road. He comes to terms that the attack will happen regardless and he must blow up the bridge. Pablo confesses to Robert that he (Robert) is smarter than him, and that he (Pablo) has confidence in him. The snow has melted, so let’s see what day brings.
March 23rd, 2023
Things are starting to move quickly and we jump around between characters. In the night, Andres travels through fascist country until he makes it to the Republican line. On the way he thinks about the attack on the bridge. He wants to be a part of it, be a part of his band, but he can’t help feeling relieved at the thought that he might miss it. Regardless, he intends to return quickly. The guards don’t trust him and it takes a lot of talking to get them to allow him to approach, even shooting at him once. Andres realizes they are fundamentalists, anarchists, so he knows what words to say to them. They allow him to approach through the wire and check his papers. They still don’t fully trust him, so the commanding officer takes his gun and goes with him to the general. We also see Karkov, a character Robert mentioned from the Russian hotel, talking to some people, maybe in Madrid. They hear a rumor that the fascists are attacking themselves in the region. I don’t know if that will be relevant. Pilar wakes Robert around 2 in the morning. She was sleeping on the dynamite, but Pablo has taken some and the ignition and left. This is a disaster. Robert is then trapped in thought on what to do and reflecting on his life. His grandfather was in the army during the Civil War and after. His father killed himself with his grandfather’s pistol. His father was a coward, and he wishes he could talk to his grandfather right now. He thinks he will have to do some sort of suicide mission to blow the bridge. It makes no difference; it was a suicide mission regardless. He still hopes for a future with Maria, as they discussed earlier in the night, a make believe future that will never be. He declares themselves married. She had told him all about her family’s murder and the taking of her town. In the morning, Robert has planned to try to blow up the dynamite with grenades, doubting it will work. Unexpectedly, Pablo returns. He says he does not want to be alone, and also thought of grenades. He destroyed the ignitor, but has brought 5 men from other bands. They wait for the attack.
March 25th, 2023
I finished the book today. I couldn’t stop reading it as the crescendo approached. Andres and an officer named Gomez travel through the night and, long story short, get where they need to go. Gomez asks for the location of Golz from the guard of a building, but he does not no and calls for the colonel. Then a French guy, someone famous, but one of those purging communists, arrives. Gomez asks him, and he has Gomez and Andres arrested. The colonel arrives and tells Gomez that this man is very crazy and he will try to help them. Karkov arrives, and he is an important Soviet journalist with ties to Stalin. He forces the Frenchman to return the dispatch and tells him he will test his untouchability. Gomez and Andres are led to another general, who reads the dispatch. He tries to contact Golz, but cannot reach him. He tries to cancel the attack, but not knowing the bigger picture, cancels the cancel. He reaches Golz, who allows the attack to continue. The momentum is too great. The both feel that it is doomed. Andres, with his mission complete, knows he will never make it to the bridge, nor does he know if he will ever find Pablo’s band again.
Now, the moment all has been waiting for. Pablo and his recruits go to the outpost. Robert, Anselmo, and Agustin prepare at the bridge. Pilar, Rafael, Fernando, Primitivo, and Eladio (brother of Andres) go to the sawmill. Once they hear the bombing and the begin of battle, Robert kills his man at the bridge and Anselmo kills the other. Anselmo assists Robert place dynamite below the bridge. They hear the shooting from the other two sites. It is a long battle. Robert rigs the grenades with wire so that the pulling the wire will blow the bridge. Eventually, Pilar’s group returns to the bridge. Eladio was killed in battle and Fernando is wounded, mortally. Pablo’s group is still fighting sporadically. Fernando is placed near the bridge and given a gun, though he is too weak to be of any help. A truck starts to approach the bridge shortly after Robert has prepared everything and he runs. He orders Anselmo to pull the wire and blow the bridge. He does, and the bridge explodes. It worked, the gorge is impassible. Robert is alive, but Anselmo has taken steel from the explosion and is dead. Robert wants to leave Pablo, because he blames Pablo for Anselmo’s death. If he had the proper ignition, Anselmo would live. Pilar convinces him otherwise. Robert and Agustin wait with the machine gun for Pablo’s arrival. Pablo eventually comes running, and he shoots behind him. It is revealed Pablo murdered his recruits. Pablo should have been killed a long time ago. He is a terrible person. A small tank or armored car is following him, but the machine gun scares it. The fascists are being cautious. The men make a run for it to the horses and the survivors ride off. They start riding, but have to cross the road. The tank fires explosives as they do. Robert is the last to cross and a shell explodes near him. His horse falls and breaks his femur. They are able to pull Robert out and into the woods, but all know it is over for him. He says what he must to Pablo and Pilar, and then he speaks with Maria. It’s a very sad scene. Pablo and Pilar then take Maria away. Agustin offers to shoot Robert, but he says no. Agustin gives a tearful farewell, as well as a tough and foul-mouthed warrior can do. Robert is now alone and thinks about his final moments. He thinks about shooting himself, but would rather wait and try to kill some more fascists on the road. He positions himself and waits, fighting the oncoming pain and fading consciousness. Eventually, the cavalrymen who killed Sordo’s band arrive. The officer dismounts where the dead horse is. It is the same officer, and they all know the horse. It is the horse of the man Robert killed yesterday. Robert aims. The book ends.
I can’t stop thinking of the poem at the opening of the book. No man is an island; everyone is a piece of the continent...Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Every death should bring some feeling. I’m not going to say every death should bring sadness; I don’t believe that. Some deaths bring joy, some bring relief. But to bring nothing is a tragedy in itself. Maybe the book has made me very emotional. I found out that yesterday in my hometown there was an explosion in a factory. 5 dead so far, with 6 missing who are probably dead. I don’t know if it’s the location, the thought that maybe I had known or interacted at some point in my life with these poor people, or just the disgust at the negligent bosses who are either too cheap or too lazy to do the necessary inspections and maintenance, but I feel a great sadness from this news. How many similar stories have I ignored? Countless. And nothing will come of this, I’m sure of that. It tolls for thee.