The funeral bell of the title and epigraph relay the idea of mortality, a reminder we are all destined to die. The loss of any one person affects everyone. The fear of death is significant as the characters are involved in an operation that is up against considerable odds. P ablo’s primary responsibility is to himself. He does not want to participate in bridge-blowing, regardless of how important the operation may be. Robert Jordan has left a comfortable life in America to fight in the war and is committed to carrying out his duty.
The differences between the two makes Robert Jordan’s calmness more noticed. Kashkin is cautionary for Robert Jordan, making him aware that, his attitude …show more content…
His word choices and structures also resonate with the Spanish language, to connect with the setting of the book.
This section also has lots of foreshadowing that heightens the drama and sets the tone.
The Pablo is misunderstood and lonely, and finds comfort in his horse which belongs to the natural world. Robert Jordan is a code hero in Hemingway’s novels. The code hero lives for the present, not past or future, and takes pleasure in food, sex, and nature. (like Old Man and the Sea)
The planes flying overhead represent a threat to the guerrilleros, to the Republicans, and to the natural world. They are big and aggressive in behavior, and carry bombs that threaten the lives of the guerrilla fighters.
The planes are made by German and Italians so the Fascist side has powerful European allies. The Republicans only have volunteer foreign units. The number of planes points to the the Republicans’ defeat.
Hemingway compares the planes to “sharks” and calls them “mechanized doom.” As symbols of not only military power they pose a threat to the natural