In light of the present polarized state of politics in America, I felt drawn to study a text from another ideological schism in history: the Spanish Civil War. American author Ernest Hemingway’s political position on the war has been characterized as somewhat ambiguous, and the question of his stance in For Whom the Bell Tolls soon became the subject of my research. Hemingway’s use of third person omniscient narration incorporates the inner thoughts of both religious and political extremists, which displays clear parallels in thought between both sides of this historic conflict. This technique endorses neither fascists or republicans in his novel, but rather illustrates a useful concept of unity between feuding ideologies.
JULIA FURMANEK is a rising sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in English and history. She is from Farmington, Connecticut. She is especially interested in contemporary American fiction and poetry. She would like to thank Instructor Stephen Hodin for his encouragement on this topic and support during the research and writing process.