Teacher Guide

For Whom the Bell Tolls Lesson Plan

Introduction to For Whom the Bell Tolls

Published in 1940, For Whom the Bell Tolls is considered to be Ernest Hemingway’s greatest war novel. An epic romance about American expatriate Robert Jordan and his mission to destroy a bridge to stop Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls touches on many of Hemingway’s most important themes, including a critical look at masculinity, the meaninglessness of war, and a love of Europe.

Upon its publication, For Whom the Bell Tolls was met with controversy. Some took exception to Hemingway’s rough language, which included several stand-ins for profanity to capture the rough manners of the soldiers. Others criticized a more romantic style of prose from the famously terse...

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