Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in Midwestern America. Robert is the son of a weak man who could not stand up to his aggressive wife and who eventually committed suicide. His upbringing has made him feel more closely related to his grandfather, a veteran of the American Civil War.
Living… amongst Spanish anti-fascist rebels in the mountains of central Spain. The guerrillas and gypsies he lives with are in some ways strange, employing folk wisdom and mysticism more than genuine know-how. Robert is forced to adapt, cope, and come to appreciate the ways of these mountain-dwelling rebels. You can bet rabbit stew is on the menu.
Profession… dynamite expert. Robert is in the International Brigades, attached to a republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. Back in the U.S., Robert is a university Spanish instructor. His knowledge of Spanish helps him now, but in a very different capacity. He is now a dynamiter, assigned to blow up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia. He must carry out his orders in the company of a backwoods mountain rebels with whom he has joined company.
Interests… achieving his goals. Robert has a strong sense of duty and is interested in both helping the Spanish rebels and completing his mission. Though confused and angered by the chain of command, Robert is ultimately interested in carrying out his role in the war effort.
Relationship Status… single, but in love. Robert has fallen in love with Maria, a young woman living with the rebel forces he has joined. Maria is honest about her emotions and expresses her deepest feelings to Robert, but she also exhibits an inner strength, determination, and resilience. “Nothing can ever part us now, can it?” she asks. “Nothing, Maria,” Robert responds.
Challenge… loving Maria fully and completely, and still remaining loyal to his mission of blowing up the bridge. Robert expresses frequent doubts about his mission and has the ominous feeling that he and Maria will be separated.
Personality… intelligent and courageous. Robert is pragmatic and good at what he does. He is intuitive and thoughtful, yet never lets his emotions interfere with his work. When asked why he is fighting another country’s war, he answers, “A man fights for what he believes in, Fernando!”
Get to Know him in...
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Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era -- like Ernest Hemingway and his friends -- has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a bridge in a cave.
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For Whom the Bell Tolls tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise.
