For Whom the Bell Tolls

How are gender roles and traits portrayed in the novel, and what does this portrayal reveal about Hemingway’s time period? Compare and contrast Pilar and Maria with two male characters in the text. What does this tell you of gender-based agency?

How does Pilar challenge beliefs about women and gender roles during Hemingway’s time period? Is she truly considered an equal or leader by the men, even when Pablo returns in the end? Explain your reasoning.

How does the novel represent cultural differences and bigotry, particularly through the character of Robert and the distant non-Spaniards in Madrid that he idealizes?

How does Robert’s status as a foreigner, a volunteer, and a detonation specialist affect his relationships with the others? What does his volunteering tell us of his character, and his character growth, throughout the novel?

How does the formal-sounding language, meant to represent the type of Spanish spoken by the guerrilla fighters, affect the reading experience?

How does Hemingway’s use of second-person narration, when portraying Robert’s stream of consciousness, affect the reading experience? How does it compare with moments of third-person narration?

How do the switches to other perspectives (including Anselmo and others) affect the narrative experience? What did you learn of these characters that you might not have otherwise known?

How does the novel represent different forms of love and relationships? Discuss platonic and romantic relationships and how they differ in times of war.