For Whom the Bell Tolls

The bridge becomes a symbol of doom in For Whom the Bell Tolls. The entire group suspects that it may be disastrous from the beginning, although they criticize Pablo for not wanting to do it. It creates tension between everyone, as they wonder what Pablo will do against the plan. Robert notices this and decides to face it head on, and he notes that “[w]hen he said the word ‘bridge’ everyone was quiet” (53). The bridge looms as an impossible task that Robert must try to make possible, and every mention of it reminds the whole group of their possible doom during the operation. Further, bridges symbolize connection, and only in destroying the bridge can Robert save those he has finally connected with.

Robert’s hand—or rather, Pilar’s interpretation when reading his palm—is a foreshadowing device that Hemingway uses to continually remind readers of the constant danger to ramp up the narrative tension. Pilar struggles with the knowledge she thinks she has discovered—knowledge that Robert can clearly tell portends his (or perhaps everyone’s) doom. Once, when she recalls what she had seen, “she was wildly, unreasonably angry,” and at some points she tries to convince Robert to forget what she had said (57).