A Study Of For Whom The Bell Tolls From The Perspective Of Existentialism

Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is created based on the historical background of Spanish Civil War.The novel begins with the protagonist Robert Jordan's accepting the mission of blowing off the strategically important bridge.Through the description of a series of striking incidents occurred during three days,it composed a paean of youth,love,life and responsibility.In this dissertation,the discussion parts mainly include three chapters.In chapter three,through the discussion of the main characters' initiative selections testify Sartre's principle of existence preceding the essence.That is the different temperaments can be formed through initiative personal selections.In chapter four,nothingness and absurdity will be discussed and the irrational factors existed in nature and personal relations are to be revealed,which are main concerns of the existentialists.The breaking out of war inexorably destroyed the human's body and soul and devastated the aspiration of people for a better life.A series of adverse feelings of anxiety,hollowness and helplessness like an invisible net hovering above the head of people dim their vision for the bright future.The absurd and atrocious killings of war cause a crippling damage to mankind and make them flounder in abyss of extreme agony and lost in endless despair.The war is an irrational and jarring factor which stifles the people's yearning for happiness.In chapter five,through the discussion of the heroic deeds of Jordan and the two women characters in the novel together with their strong sense of responsibility with the help of Existentialism,expresses their relentless,unswerving temperaments and the spirits of dedication for their personal choice and the cause of Republic.For Whom the Bell Tolls is a giant work with abundant historical backgrounds which expresses the author's anxiety about the existential problems baffled the so called “Lost generation” Many literary critics explore and discuss the theme and topic of this novel from different perspectives,such as feminism,psychoanalysis and the cultural related studies.In this thesis,on the basis of previous studies,tries to analyze the factors which baffles the human being's existence from the perspective of Existentialism.Through the analysis in the context of Existentialism with the aim to provide an enlightenment to the readers and also offers a different angle to comprehend the author's creative motivation,and the author's thirst for the benign relationship between people and people,man and nature and the spirit of optimistic initiated by the author in the face of difficulties.