For Whom the Bell Tolls Lesson Plan

In the early chapters of the novel, we’re told that Robert and Anselmo are willing to die, but Pablo is not. Why is a willingness to die so important to these characters? What does that attitude suggest about the nature of war?

The characters’ comments about life and death establish the novel’s opinion of war. The characters see something honorable in fighting for a noble cause and giving one’s life in the pursuit of a higher good. However, students should also note that Pablo doesn’t want to die because he’s started to love life, symbolized by the horses. These dynamics show the novel’s position that war destroys life.

What is the effect of Hemingway’s prose style in...