Assignment 3 : Existence on the Edge: Time, Tension,
and the Present Moment in Hemingway’s For Whom
the Bell Tolls
Table of Contents :
Personal Information
Assignment Details
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Hemingway’s Process and the Maturation of the Novel
Mythic Language and the Fusion of Word and Reality
The Repression of Thought and Emotional Survival
Synthesis: The Edge as Theme and Structure
Conclusion
Personal Information:-
Name:- Bhumi Mahida
Batch:- M.A. Sem 2 (2024-2026)
Enrollment Number:- 5108230032
E-mail Address:- bhumimahida385@gmail.com
Roll Number:- 2
Assignment Details:-
Topic:- Existence on the Edge: Time, Tension, and the Present Moment in Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Paper & subject code:- 108 - The American Literature
Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
Date of Submission:- 17 April, 2025
Abstract :
This paper explores Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls through the critical lenses of Linda Wagner, Robert O. Stephens, and Robert Evans to examine how the novel portrays existence on the edge—where time is compressed, tension is constant, and the present moment carries the full weight of meaning. The study discusses how Hemingway’s long gestation process (as analyzed by Wagner) allowed for the maturation of themes surrounding war, mortality, and human responsibility. Through Stephens’s theory of language as mythic and reality-shaping, the paper demonstrates how Hemingway constructs a world where speech, silence, and symbolic acts shape existence. Evans’s perspective adds depth by revealing how Hemingway’s characters suppress intellectual reflection to survive emotionally, enacting a unique form of existential resilience. Together, these readings highlight the novel’s treatment of compressed time, moral tension, and the urgent immediacy of life lived in the now, ultimately framing Jordan’s final act as an affirmation of present-tense heroism.
Key Words : Spanish Civil War, Existentialism, Time and tension, Heroism.
Introduction :
Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel that confronts the human condition under the most intense pressures of war, mortality, and moral ambiguity. Centered around Robert Jordan, an American volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, the narrative unfolds over a mere three days—yet in this brief window of time, Hemingway compresses an entire universe of tension, decision, and emotional urgency. Jordan’s mission—to destroy a bridge in support of the Republican cause—is not only a literal act of war but a metaphor for the fragility of existence and the moral burdens that accompany action. The novel repeatedly returns to the theme of existence at its breaking point, where past and future dissolve into a vivid and demanding present.
This exploration is deepened through three critical perspectives: Linda Wagner’s concept of "marination" in Hemingway’s creative process and thematic development; Robert O. Stephens’s analysis of mythic and symbolic language as it structures time and reality in the novel; and Robert Evans’s critique of Hemingway’s characters as driven by repression and anti-intellectual survivalism. Collectively, these scholars illuminate the ways in which For Whom the Bell Tolls stages the existential dilemmas of its characters through compressed time, taut emotional tension, and an almost religious reverence for the immediacy of the moment.
What emerges from these perspectives is a portrait of existence at the edge—not only the physical edge of death but the psychological and moral edge of consciousness. Hemingway’s characters do not merely live; they endure. They do not debate their choices; they act. Time is both enemy and element, and the only meaningful reality is the one that can be inhabited with full presence and commitment. This paper, drawing exclusively on the works of Wagner, Stephens, and Evans, will examine how Hemingway constructs this world of immediacy and danger, and what his characters’ confrontation with the “now” reveals about human nature, belief, and the weight of decision in times of crisis.
Hemingway’s Process and the Maturation of the Novel :
The Idea of "Marination" :
Wagner argues that Hemingway’s greatest works underwent long periods of subconscious development.
For Whom the Bell Tolls represents the culmination of many prior experiments: journalism, short stories, a play (The Fifth Column), and film scripts all fed into this novel.
Evolution of Hemingway’s Attitudes Toward War :
Early Hemingway (in his dispatches and drama) romanticized the Spanish Civil War; by the time of For Whom the Bell Tolls, he had grown deeply skeptical.
Wagner notes a progression: initial admiration turns to disillusionment. This maturity is reflected in Jordan’s sobering understanding of war’s cost.
Time as Experience Rather Than Plot :
Unlike traditional novels, Hemingway’s is not about external action but internal accumulation—Jordan lives an entire life in three days.
Wagner links this compressed timeline to Hemingway’s belief that narrative should steep, not sprint—hence, “marination.”
Foreshadowing and Present Moment Tension :
Wagner sees these foreshadowing elements as Hemingway’s way of making readers feel that time is both linear and cyclical—ending was always present.
Pilar’s palm reading, early in the novel, immediately casts a shadow over Jordan’s fate. The novel opens with death predicted and ends with its acceptance.
Mythic Language and the Fusion of Word and Reality :
Language as a Force
Stephens describes Hemingway’s use of “mythic” language, which fuses word and action. In this world, to speak something is to shape reality
Robert Jordan is careful with language—he fears that mentioning death or failure might bring it into being.
Gypsy Lore and Superstition
Pilar’s palm reading and talk of omens show a belief system where time is spiritually loaded.
Hemingway uses this to blur rational, military logic with mysticism—thus deepening the novel’s existential weight.
The Power and Danger of Naming
Jordan learns that placing words to ideas—especially future plans—can be dangerous. Saying “we will be together after this” is too risky.
Stephens links this to Whorfian and Cassirerian theories: language doesn’t just reflect reality—it constructs it.
Living in the Present as Mythic Survival
Stephens argues that Jordan chooses to remain in the present not because he is naïve, but because it’s the only reality that can be controlled.
Mythic language emphasizes the here-and-now; anything beyond is fate’s domain.
The Repression of Thought and Emotional Survival :
Hemingway’s "Anti-Intellectualism"
Evans doesn’t argue that Hemingway is anti-thought entirely, but that his characters survive by not thinking too much
Jordan reminds himself repeatedly not to think, only to act. Thinking leads to fear, guilt, or doubt.
Hemingway characters repress emotion and throw themselves into action as a way to survive overwhelming internal conflicts.
Jordan must kill, order deaths, fall in love, and say goodbye—all while suppressing introspection.
Evans notes that Hemingway’s heroes never achieve catharsis through reason. Instead, they carry wounds—physical and emotional—that never fully heal.
Jordan’s final act—sacrificing himself for the mission—is an action that bypasses reason. It is heroic precisely because it doesn’t attempt to rationalize the loss.
The novel offers no resolution. Jordan doesn’t die “fulfilled” or “redeemed.” He simply exists fully in the moment of his death.
This, for Evans, is Hemingway’s ultimate message: life is tension without release; the only victory is composure.
All Three Critics Agree on the Centrality of Time and Tension
Wagner shows how Hemingway came to write about war’s moral weight.
Stephens shows how language intensifies the present.
Evans shows how action suppresses unbearable introspection.
Jordan as a Model of Existential Heroism
He is not perfect, nor is he victorious. He is fully alive in the moment.
His love for Maria, his killing of the sentry, his choice to stay behind—all are acts of present-tense defiance against time.
Time Becomes Circular and Final
The beginning foretells the end.
The novel is built around inevitability, and in that inevitability, Hemingway finds grace.
These perspectives unite around a central truth: Hemingway’s characters inhabit the edge. They do not cling to the past or dream of the future. They live, act, and often die, in the immediacy of the present. Jordan’s final moments are not tragic because they are sad; they are tragic because they are full. Full of intention, of choice, of presence. Hemingway shows that existence on the edge is not a failure of control but the very essence of human life.
Through the lens of time, tension, and the present moment, For Whom the Bell Tolls emerges as more than a war novel. It is a manual for how to live when life is stripped of illusion. The present is all we are given. To meet it with clarity, dignity, and action—without guarantee or reward—is Hemingway’s most enduring vision of heroism.
Word Count : 1560
Images : 1
References :
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