The Eternality of the Present Theme Analysis

Although the antagonizing fascists are a central topic of discussion in the novel, it is not until its end that Pablo, Pilar, and Robert Jordan’s guerilla group encounter the fascists themselves. It is immediately clear that the Republican fighters are outmatched: the novel ends with Robert Jordan confronting death and planning an act of sacrifice. The idea of the future plays a major role throughout For Whom the Bell Tolls, since Pilar predicts Robert Jordan’s death at the beginning of the novel, and both Jordan and Pablo seem to foresee a tragic end for the Republic. Despite these predictions, however, the novel is concerned mainly with the narrative present—the last days of the Republic. As Robert Jordan says, “there is only now […] now is the thing to praise,” suggesting the fundamental importance of living in and for the present, regardless of negative omens for the future.

It is suggested that the anti-fascists’ mission is doomed from the beginning, since the guerillas are disorganized and prone to disagreement, while the fascists are highly militarized and command a great deal of societal power; many of the guerillas are civilians forced to become combatants to restore the Republic. Nonetheless, instead of concentrating solely on the threat of fascism, the novel concerns itself with the precise details of the anti-fascists’ work for the Republic, giving credence to their beliefs and struggle for power. Hemingway creates a feeling of urgency and immediacy: the novel begins in medias res, plunging readers into the action and allowing for a charged narrative present. The past—meaning Jordan and the other guerillas’ backgrounds—occasionally factors into the plot, but Hemingway’s focus remains on tensions building in the present.

As the fascists close in on the guerillas, Robert Jordan’s thoughts turn to timelessness and the eternality of the present, which helps to sustain him in the face of disaster. “This was what had been and now and whatever was to come. This, that they were not to have, they were having. They were having now and before and always and now and now and now. Oh, now, now, now, the only now, and above all now, and there is no other now but thou now and now is thy prophet”: Hemingway’s repetitive, ode-like incantation of “now” emphasizes the importance of living in the present, since every moment lived is a moment that the guerillas “were not to have,” given the likelihood of sudden death. Jordan wishes that he “were going to live a long time instead of going to die today” because he has “learned much about life in these four days”—more “in all the other time” of his life. Thus, the four days that the novel covers become the whole of Jordan’s life, especially since little information is given about Jordan’s life outside of his experiences with the guerillas.

Throughout the four days of the novel, Jordan develops substantially, as one might develop over a lifetime, learning to form bonds with his fellow fighters and coming to understand the meaning of love. “A good life is not measured by any biblical span,” Jordan reflects: “that is all your whole life is; now.” On one hand, Hemingway’s compression of time reflects the collapse of civilization: the normal boundaries between past, present, and future have been disrupted, resulting in an eternal (yet simultaneously fleeting) present, consistent with the sense of disaster and disruption civil war creates. At the same time, however, by focusing on Robert Jordan’s allegiance to the “now” and his marked development within a short period of time, Hemingway uses the idea of the present to affirm the notion that there is no fixed standard for a “good life.” Even lives that occur outside of the norm—such as Robert Jordan’s—have value.

Thus, For Whom the Bell Tolls can be read not only as a war novel, concerned with the pathos of tragedy and dedicated to exposing the ugliness of war, but also as a highly optimistic work focused on the value of living in the moment. If fascism, the future, entails rigidity and obedience, Robert Jordan’s brief life in the narrative present is filled with moments of joy, hope, and relief.