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Situational Irony
Definition of Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's... read full definition
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Jordan:
Jordan's stream-of-consciousness thoughts serve as readers' primary narration. These thoughts are scattered, reflecting Jordan's subconscious internal monologue rather than an objective presentation of events. In this regard, he's an unreliable narrator. Note the following quote from Chapter 18:
They were Communists and they were disciplinarians. The discipline that they would enforce would make good troops. Lister was murderous in discipline. He was a true fanatic and he had the complete Spanish lack of respect for life.
Jordan states that Lister's discipline will make good troops, then explains that Lister possesses the "complete Spanish lack of respect for life" (a hyperbolic statement in and of itself). Clearly, a good leader and good disciplinarian would not encourage their troops to completely disregard the sanctity of human life. Readers should question this point of view, as Jordan often questions himself.
Authors often utilize an unreliable narrator as a means of calling readers' attention to their own thought processes. If the narrator's sole word cannot be implicitly trusted, readers must question their own interpretations of events, turning a critical and meta-narrative eye on how they respond to the narrator and the story itself. For Whom the Bell Tolls is not attempting mind games on its readers; rather, it is presenting clearly subjective narration in the hopes that readers will empathize with Jordan's uncertainty.
Related Themes:
Chapter 43
Explanation and Analysis—War and Trauma:
Hemingway utilizes stream-of-consciousness narration throughout For Whom the Bell Tolls, employing the device to better depict the effects of war and trauma on a person's mind. Panic, terror, fear, moral dilemma—these are all emotions and circumstances that can be depicted through traditional narration, but Hemingway utilizes stream of consciousness to increase the immediacy of those emotions both for the reader and the characters.
Note the following passage from Chapter 43, in which Hemingway dips into Maria's stream of consciousness point of view:
Maria caught him finally and brought him back, shivering, trembling, his chest dark with sweat, the saddle down, and coming back through the trees she heard shooting below and she thought I cannot stand this longer. I cannot live not knowing any longer. I cannot breathe and my mouth is so dry. And I am afraid and I am no good and I frighten the horses and only caught this horse by hazard [...]. Oh, God, I do not know. I cannot bear it.
In this passage, Hemingway uses stream-of-consciousness narration to convey a range of emotions Maria experiences during battle. These emotions come on in a deluge, overwhelming her—as such, Hemingway communicates Maria's thoughts in frantic, discombobulated language.
Related Themes:
