Chapters One- 

Chapter One (pp. 1-17)

What is Hemingway's narrative point of view? 
How does the author filter the world through his central character's sensibility? 
How does Robert Jordan look at the world? What is his mission?

pp.4-9 If Robert is not worried about: 
a) operating behind enemy lines
b) trusting and working with strangers
c) the technical challenge of blowing the bridge,
then what is it about this mission that makes him so anxious?
Who is Golz? Why does he describe the mission as Jordan's ‘right’? 
How does the success of the planned offensive depend for success upon the execution of many small, vital missions like Jordan's?

What does Jordan do to ease his anxiety?

pp. 9-16 Describe Jordan's first impressions of Pablo, the peasant guerrilla fighter.
What has happened to Pablo's zeal for the Republic's cause after a year of civil war? 
What explains the sadness which strongly taints Pablo's judgment of the foreigner and his mission? 
Why does Pablo value Jordan's judgment of horses far more than his official papers?

As the trio makes their way up the mountain to the partisans' camp, notice what Jordan notices. 
How has war sharpened his powers of observation? 
In this spectacularly beautiful mountain setting, what does Jordan see? 
How has he trained himself to see the world this way?

To whom does Pablo's loyalty now belong? 
How does Anselmo upbraid Pablo? 
What characteristics does Jordan respect in Anselmo?
What aspects of the Spanish peasant's character exemplify both the best 
and the worst in human nature?

pp. 16-17 Look carefully at Jordan's ‘soliloquy’ at the end of the chapter:
Why are the best fighters ‘gay’ in the face of danger?

Quiz questions:

1. Where in Spain are the mountains in which the story is set?
2. Who guides Jordan to the bridge?
3. What is it about this mission that makes it so dangerous?
4. Who is Golz?
5. Who is Kashkin?
6. How does Jordan pass Pablo’s initial test?
7. What worries Roberto about Pablo?
8. How will Jordan know when Pablo has made a decision to betray him?
9. Why are the best fighters ‘gay’ in the face of danger?
10. Why is it important for Jordan to shut down his thought process?


Chapter Two (pp. 18-34)

pp.18-21 What makes Pablo’s camp ‘a good camp’?
How did Kashkin, the previous Russian demolition's expert, die? 
Why does Jordan disapprove of Kashkin’s behavior before the raid on the train?

pp.22-25 What is Jordan's first impression of Maria? 
When do they both realize they are in love?
What happened to her at Valladolid? How did she escape the Fascists?

Describe the way Jordan eats. How does he prolong the pleasure of eating?
What does Pablo notice immediately when Jordan speaks to Maria?

pp. 25-33 How did Pilar save Maria at the train wreck? Why did she do so?
How is Pilar able to command obedience from these men?
How is her attitude towards the conflict different from Pablo's?
Why does Pilar immediately trust Jordan?
What does she see when she reads Jordan's palm? Why does she lie?

pp. 33-34 Who is El Sordo? 
Why will there be much opposition to Jordan's plan among the partisans?

1. What makes Pablo’s camp ‘a good camp’?
2. How did Kashkin, the previous Russian demolition's expert, die?
3. Characterize Rafael. (the gypsy)
4. How did Kashkin, the previous Russian demolition's expert, die? When did he die?
5. What is it about Kashkin’s behavior before the raid on the train that Jordan disapproves of? 
6. What is the strange thing about Maria that Roberto notices right away? What else happened to Maria while imprisoned? How can you tell?
7. Why did Pilar go to the enormous effort of forcing the men to rescue this particular woman?
8. What immediate physical reaction does Roberto have whenever he looks at her? When does Pablo notice?
9. What meal do they eat?
10. What two rules about getting along well with the Spanish people does Jordan immediately violate?
11. What kind of machine gun do the peasants have? Who knows how to use it?
12. First impressions of Pilar? What talents does she have? How is it possible for she and Roberto to become close friends upon first meeting? What does she see when she looks in his hand?
13. Who is El Sordo?
14. Rafael’s description of the explosion. (29)

Chapter Three (pp.35-47)

pp. 35-38 Describe how Jordan takes pleasure in work. 
How does solving analytical problems calm him? 
What particular dangers reveal themselves in Jordan's dispassionate assessment 
of the bridge's defenses? (six carefully placed charges going off simultaneously or two big ones at either end)
Moscas: converted Boeing p32s

pp. 39-42 How does Jordan feel about the prospect of killing the sentries?
How is Anselmo's attitude different? How does he distinguish between hunting animals and killing men?

Why has Anselmo lost his faith?
How then can he still believe killing to be sinful?
What does he fear more than death? 
In an ideal world, how would Anselmo rectify the unjust relationship between 
the landowners and the peasants?
Can you infer how Jordan might respond to Anselmo's dream?

p. 43 Look carefully at Jordan's 'soliloquy':
Why makes Golz's orders so dangerous? What chances will Jordan have of surviving this mission? How does he reconcile himself to the lethal danger he must confront?

pp. 45-47 Describe Augustin: how has he made swearing into an art form?
How are Anselmo's fears about Pablo confirmed?
What options does Jordan have in this situation?

1. How many charges does Jordan plan to use for the bridge?
2. Just as they are about to leave, what do Jordan and Anselmo see?
3. What aircraft do the socialists fly? 
4. What did Anselmo nail to the door of his village church?
5. What is the difference between hunting animals and killing men?
6. Why has Anslemo lost his faith?
7. Upon what is his morality based?
8. How would he punish the feudal lords and corrupt clergy, if he had his way?
9. Anselmo ran at Segovia, when he faced fascist Mausers with only buckshot. He believes that he may run again if the bridge turns into a battle? Does Jordan consider himself a coward?
10. How does Jordan reconcile himself to the danger of the mission? (43)
11. What does aburmiento mean and why is it the Spanish peasant’s favorite word?
12. Through all his obscenities, what serious warning does Augustin give Jordan?
13. Why must Jordan work with Pablo?

Chapter Four (pp. 48-58)

p. 48 How does Hemingway help us understand Jordan's character by simply describing the things he carries in his pack? 
Why does he take the pack with him into the cave?

Leather covered lask, blocks of dynamite wrapped in sleeping robe, the cigar box with the wild bird egg detonators, submachine gun, leather jacket, pans and clips of ammo, coils of two different types of wire, pliers, an awl, cartons of Russian cigarettes

pp. 49-53 What have the partisans been discussing?
How does Jordan challenge Pablo with his body language?
Why does Jordan choose to drink anis at this tense moment?

pp. 54-58 Does Pilar fully understand the consequences of helping Jordan with his mission? 
What does Pablo know that she does not?
Is Pablo correct in his condemnation of Jordan's mission (and the war as a whole) 
as being in the interests of foreigners?
What logic is there in Pilar's comparison of the bullfighter's arrogance 
to Pablo's reluctance to cooperate?
Why does Pablo give in? Will he cooperate?

1. What does Jordan carry in his pack? 
2. What’s all this “thee” and “thou” stuff? 
3. Describe three strangers whom Jordan watches (not Pablo, Anselmo, or Augustin). Names?
4. Why does Pilar send Maria from the cave? 
5. What is ‘anis’? Why is Jordan drinking it at this moment? To what does he compare this ‘drink’?
6. Why does Pablo oppose the plan to blow the bridge? Who else understands? How does Pablo make his argument? Is he reasonable? For whom is this war now being fought? 
7. How does Jordan get the peasants to side with him?
8. What logic is there in Pilar's comparison of the bullfighter's arrogance to Pablo's reluctance to cooperate? Name Pilar’s lover before Pablo.
9. Do things work out the way Jordan would have wished? Why does he need Pablo?
10. Look carefully at Pilar’s ideas after she thinks again of what she had seen written on Jordan’s palm? What has she realized? Has she changed her mind? 
11. What is tragedy?


Chapter Five (pp. 59-64)

pp. 60-63 Why does Jordan refuse to kill Pablo despite the clear risk of keeping him alive?
What is Jordan's first priority? 
Can Jordan know absolutely the best course of action?

How does Pablo nurse his shame and humiliation?

1. List the smells in the cave. What does Jordan smell when he steps outside the cave? What does he hear?
2. Why won’t Jordan take Rafael’s advice and ‘assassinate’ Pablo?
3. Why does Jordan refuse to kill Pablo despite the clear risk of keeping him alive? What is Jordan's first priority? 
4. How does Jordan make decisions? Can Jordan know absolutely the best course of action?
5. How does Pablo nurse his shame and humiliation?

Chapter Six (pp. 65-68)

pp. 65-68 How does Jordan distinguish between communism and anti-fascism?

How did Jordan's father die? What torture was he evading?
How did Maria's father die?

p. 68 Is Pilar right when she dismisses Pablo as one of those who have 
‘passed all capacity for danger’? 


1. What do Jordan and Maria have in common? What is the difference between the two that Jordan cannot tell?
2. Is Pilar right when she dismisses Pablo as one of those who have ‘passed all capacity for danger’?

Chapter Seven (pp. 69-73)

pp. 69-73 Take careful note of Hemingway's use of dialogue in the love scene between Robert and Maria. 
How does its simplicity convey depth and complexity of emotion?

What must the lovers overcome to unite emotionally?
How did Pilar save Maria from devastation after her degradation at the hands of the fascist soldiers?
What does Robert say which enables Maria to return to full emotional life?

1. What must the lovers overcome to unite emotionally?
2. What has Maria never done before? What else?
3. How did Pilar save Maria from devastation after her degradation at the hands of the fascist soldiers?
4. What does Robert say which enables Maria to return to full emotional life?



Chapter Eight (pp. 74-86)

pp. 75-79 Jordan awakes from his night with Maria to the roar overhead of the Fascist air fleet. 
What is Hemingway's symbolic purpose in creating this stark juxtaposition 
of opposites?

What are the implications of this massive air raid? What does Jordan believe 
has happened? 
What does he send Anselmo and Raphael to do?

pp. 79-84 What news does Fernando bring from La Granja? Why is it very bad for 
Jordan's mission?
Describe Fernando's attitude despite the gravity of the situation.
How does he easily irritate Pilar?

pp. 84-85 Describe the best time of Pilar's life- in Valencia with the bull fighter Finito.
How does this story further humiliate Pablo?

1. Jordan awakes from his night with Maria to the roar overhead of the Fascist air fleet. What is Hemingway's symbolic purpose in creating this stark juxtaposition of opposites? 
2. What kind of planes do the Fascists fly? In what direction are they flying?
3. How does Jordan determine what their target is? What is it? Exactly how far is Jordan from the Republican lines? (76)
4. What does he send Anselmo and Raphael to do? What news does Fernando bring from La Granja? Why is it very bad for Jordan's mission?
5. What do they eat for breakfast?
6. How does Fernando crack up Maria? What is his specialty?
7. Describe three of Pilar’s memories fromValencia, the best time of her life.

Chapter Nine (pp. 87-97)

p. 87 What images occur to Jordan as he watches the bombing squadron return from its raid later that morning?

pp. 89-91 Why has Pilar so readily accepted Jordan as Maria's lover?
Why does Pilar now feel sorry that she told the story of her days in Valencia 
before the whole group?
Why does she stay with Pablo?
What faith has replaced Pilar's faith in God?

pp. 93-95 How does Augustin restore Pablo in Pilar’s eyes?
Why does he believe it will be vital to follow Pablo and not Jordan after the bridge has been blown?

1. What images occur to Jordan as he watches the bombing squadron return from its raid later that morning?
2. Why has Pilar so readily accepted Jordan as Maria's lover?
3. What faith has replaced Pilar's faith in God?
4. What is the difference between Pilar’s sadness and Pablo’s?
5. Why does Augustin, the man who would obscenity I the motors of the airplanes, believe it will be vital to follow Pablo and not Jordan after the bridge has been blown?

Chapter Ten (pp. 96-130)

pp. 96-98 How does Pilar try to get Maria to think with her head and not her heart?
What often happens when relationships begin as passionately as this one has begun?

p. 99 Pilar stops and decides to tell Jordan and Maria the story of the day the revolution came to the town from which she and Pablo come.
What prompts Pilar to tell the young lovers this terrible story?

pp. 99- 102 What purpose is served by Pablo's ruthless brutality with the captured guards?
Is it simple sadism? What lesson is Pablo trying to teach the other partisans by tormenting the prisoners prior to summary execution?

pp. 103-108 How well did the fascists and the peasants in this town know each other?
Why does Pablo convert the town square into a bull-fighting ring before 
bringing the mayor, the priest, and their fascist compatriots out one by one to walk the gauntlet and meet their deaths? 
How will this final test demonstrate the true nature of a fascist's character?
What political purpose will this spectacle serve? 
Why must the killing be done ‘with great emotion’?
Define 'machismo'? What role does it play in Spanish peasant culture?

pp. 108- 120 What happens when the killing actually starts? How does the crowd 
respond differently to Don Benito, Don Frederico, and Don Ricardo?
What makes the killing of Don Faustino unnecessarily cruel?
Why is the killing of Don Guillermo unjust?

Did Pablo foresee the degeneration of the crowd from executioners of 
harsh justice to a bloodthirsty, drunken mob? 
How will this shameful act bind the peasants even more powerfully 
to the revolution?

What impact does this story have on Robert and Maria?
Think again. Why is Pilar telling them this story? 
How did participation in the executions change her?

What is Hemingway's judgment of the Spanish peasant revolution?
What starts with abstract clarity quickly degenerates into depravity, 
yet Robert Jordan is fighting on the side of the peasants. 
Can such people govern themselves? 
What, for Hemingway, counterbalances the horrible brutality 
of the peasant revolution?

pp. 120-126 Note the skill with which Hemingway builds this nightmarish scene 
to a crescendo of horror. 
What happens within the Ayuntamiento?
From where is Pilar watching the action?

Why is Pablo watching the priest so intently during the build up of the mob outside the locked doors? What is he saying to the priest?

pp. 127-130 Later Pablo expresses disappointment about the way the priest faces his death. 
How should a Spanish priest have died?

Pilar is disgusted with herself and her fellow revolutionaries, but Pablo is glad 
that the way the executions got out of control. Why?

What happened in the town three days later?


1. Describe the setting Pilar chooses to tell her story to the lovers.
2. What blinds Maria and Roberto to what Pilar describes as the ugliness of relationships? She believes that all relationships must come to this state. Is she right?
3. Where on the map is Avila?
4. Where was Pablo from?
5. What does Pilar warn them of before she tells her story?
6. What prompts Pilar to tell the young lovers this terrible story?
7. Who are the Guardia Civil? Why do the peasants hate them?
8. What purpose is served by Pablo's ruthless brutality with the captured guards, what Pilar describes as ‘ugliness’?
9. How well did the fascists and the peasants in this town know each other?
10. Why does Pablo convert the town square into a bull-fighting ring before bringing the mayor, the priest, and their fascist compatriots out one by one to walk the gauntlet and meet their deaths? Why does he choose the gauntlet as the method of execution?
11. With what are the men in the gauntlet armed? Why does Joaquin cry?
12. How will this final test demonstrate the true nature of a fascist's character?
13. What political purpose will this spectacle serve? 
14. Why must the killing be done ‘with great emotion’?
15. Define 'machismo'? What role does it play in Spanish peasant culture?
16. How does Don Benito, the mayor, face death? Who lands the first blow?
17. How does Don Frederico, the town’s chief fascist die?
18. How does Don Ricardo die? How does this death change the character of the men in the gauntlet?
19. What makes the killing of Don Faustino unnecessarily cruel?
20. Why is the killing of Don Guillermo unjust? (See p. 116)
21. Did Pablo foresee the degeneration of the crowd from executioners of harsh justice to a bloodthirsty, drunken mob? 
22. What do the red and black scarves worn by many of the drunks indicate?
23. Will this shameful act bind the peasants even more powerfully to the revolution?
24. By the time Don Anastasio comes out, what has the crowd turned into?
25. What does a mob smell like?
26. Why is Pablo watching the priest so intently during the build up of the mob outside the locked doors? What is he saying to the priest?
27. Later Pablo expresses disappointment about the way the priest faces his death. How should a Spanish priest have died?
28. What happened in this town three days later?
29. What prompts Pilar to tell the young lovers this terrible story?

Chapter 11 (pp. 131-152)

pp. 132-134 Describe Joaquin, the apprentice matador turned partisan fighter.
Why did Joaquin give up bull fighting?

pp. 134-138 Read Jordan's soliloquy carefully. 
What does he resolve to do if he survives the war?
What is the unflinching truth about human nature that he has discovered?
How has Hemingway himself adopted Jordan's resolution?
Does Jordan doubt for a moment his commitment to the Republic?

About which women has Jordan thought most before Maria? 
Look carefully at the way Robert describes Maria. Does he see her clearly, 
or is he idealizing her? Why is it dangerous for men to idealize women?
Is their love substantial, or is Jordan leaping dangerously towards the very type 
of idealized abstraction which he criticizes about the revolutionary's zeal for justice?


pp. 138-140 What happened to Joaquin's family? 
How are he and Maria now brother and sister? 
What happened to Robert's father?

pp. 141-152 Describe El Sordo. What does his manner tell you about his character?
How does he test Jordan to determine his worthiness as a leader?

What makes the news El Sordo brings from Segovia particularly bad?
How has Jordan's mission been made significantly more difficult and dangerous?
How many men will El Sordo provide? How many horses? 
How is this mission becoming more dangerous by the minute?

How does Jordan insult El Sordo and Pilar? Did he do so intentionally?
What is Jordan's honest assessment of the value to the war effort 
of the partisans’ actions? How does Pilar respond?
How has Jordan passed El Sordo’s test? What do the peasants respect most?


Chapter 12 (pp. 153-157)

PP. 153-157 Remember that in Hemingway the truth lies beneath the surface of the narrative. 
You must use your imagination to uncover it.

Describe the mountain meadow in which Pilar, Robert and Maria stop to rest. 
What is on Pilar's mind after their meeting with El Sordo?
Why does she describe the beauty of the snow as a rotten illusion?

Why is she jealous of Robert being Maria's lover? Pilar is no ‘tortillera’.

Pilar is extremely coarse in this scene- just like a ‘gypsy peasant’. 
Is she a ‘hard’ woman-- as Robert says? What makes her simplicity so complicated? 
Is there any value to her ruthless honesty? 
What is she teaching Maria?


Chapter 13 (pp. 158-177)

pp. 158-161 Notice the imagery with which Hemingway describes the emotion flowing 
between Maria and Robert as they hold hands and then make love. 
How has Hemingway made this lyrical scene unsentimental by introducing it 
with Pilar's coarseness?

Look carefully at the stream of consciousness in the lovers’ minds 
as they make love. 
How is Robert literally finding his way back from ‘nowhere’ to full life? 
How long can this perfect happiness last-- even if they survive the war? 
What does Pilar know that the lovers do not?

pp. 161-170 Robert's Soliloquy: 
Who else knows the real danger of the mission to blow the bridge?
How can Robert accept the ‘impossible orders’ that he has been given?
How can he accept the fact that he must lead people he likes into danger?

When Robert thinks about his politics, in what type of society does 
he honestly believe? 
Then why does he fight for the communists?
Why did the original republic fail?

How has Robert changed since he met Maria?
Why does he now regard belief in any ideology to be ‘bigoted’?
Why does he believe it will be absolutely necessary to write about his actions 
in the war if he survives and returns home?
Is it possible to live a whole lifetime in seventy-two hours?

How has Robert's life achieved sudden clarity? Where was he before?

How is he able to resist his cynical attempt to turn his feelings for Maria into something ‘lousy’? Why would he do that?

What does Robert now understand about General Golz’s description of this 
mission as ‘an honor’?

pp. 170-177 Why does Pilar force Maria to tell her out loud about the pleasure 
of their lovemaking? 
Is Pilar just being jealous and cruel? 
How might her ruthlessness actually help Maria heal?

Why does ‘the earth move’ only three times in a life?

After such depth of sentiment, are you surprised when the weather suddenly turns for the worse? How will snow make the escape after the mission nigh impossible?


Chapter 14 (pp. 178-190)

pp. 178-182 Why is Pablo gleeful about the snow?
Note the way Robert masters his rage and converts the snow into a thing of wonder.

pp. 182-190 How did Pablo meet Pilar?
What made Finito de Palencia a great matador? 
What particular story does Pilar decide to tell to prove Finito's greatness 
to the group?

How did Finito catch tuberculosis?
What will be the climax of the flamenco celebration in honor of Finito?
What so terrifies Finito? Was it the wounds from the bulls horns 
or his diseased lungs that finally killed him?

What, for Hemingway, is the true meaning of courage?


Chapter 15 (pp.191-201)

pp. 191-201 What dilemma does Anselmo ponder as he sits miserably in the snow?
How is his situation precisely like Jordan's overall situation?
Is Anselmo able to reach a correct decision about what he should do?

What does Anselmo think of the fascist sentries who are warm in their hut 
only a few yards away? 
Hemingway moves our perspective within the hut for a moment. 
What are these men like? 
Why did they join the fascist army?

What does killing do to people, even when it is justified by the necessities of war? 
Why does Anselmo wish he could still pray? 
What kind of penance will he pay if he survives the war?

How has Anselmo proven himself in Jordan's eyes?
Why is Jordan now convinced that he will accomplish his mission?


Chapters 16 and 17 (pp. 202-224)

pp. 202-210 How does El Sordo demonstrate the Spanish ideal of civility?

Is there a word which can encompass the contrasts of the Spanish 
Peasant’s character in all its aspects, both noble and sordid?

How was land reform accomplished in America through homesteading 
and inheritance taxes? 
Did this reform eliminate all the abuses of capitalism?

Could a fascist movement have blossomed in America?

pp. 210-216 Who wins in the test of wills between Pablo and Jordan? 
Why does Pablo refuse to rise to the bait of open violence even 
after Augustin has struck him? 
Does Jordan have the will to ‘assassinate’ Pablo in cold blood?

Pablo's ultimate insult to the group is to call them ‘illusioned ones’. 
Is he right? Will the group be able to escape without him after the bridge 
has been blown?

pp. 217-224 What is the ultimate barbarity of which Pablo is guilty?
Why does Pilar cringe at the idea of turning Pablo over to the fascists?
Why does Pablo change his mind and agree to cooperate on the mission?
Is he telling the truth?

Why is Pablo so indispensable despite his degeneracy?

Chapter 18 (pp. 225-248)

pp. 225-228 Describe the merry-go-round that Jordan has been riding. 
Is the problem of Pablo one which can be solved correctly? 
How does Jordan take refuge from the grating ambiguities of the immediate situation by focusing on the purely technical challenge of blowing the bridge?

Jordan reflects on how much he has changed in the past two days.
How was he different before he came to know Pablo, Pilar and Maria?

pp. 228- Who has made the luxurious Hotel Gaylord in Madrid into their headquarters? 
Why is that so ironic?
Where have the 'peasant' leaders of the resistance been educated?
How did Jordan believe a revolution was accomplished before he came 
to fight in Spain?
What did Jordan do for a living before he joined the fighting? 

Describe the Russian journalist, Karkov. 
What kind of reporting does a communist journalist do?

p. 231 Why has the Republican war effort been led by Russians?
Why will the Spanish generals have to take command soon?
What has made the Russians effective generals? 
Where did they learn their trade?

p.235- How does ‘Gaylord's brand of socialism’ differ from the idealistic socialism 
that inspired Jordan and other Americans to join the International Brigade 
and come to fight in Spain?

What happened to Jordan’s purity of belief during his first six months 
of actual combat? 
What experiences did he have which began to change his understanding of war?

p. 238- Who did Jordan encounter during the attack at Carrabanchal?
Why does he feel nothing but contempt for him?

p. 243- Who gets rich during a war? the fighters? the people?

p. 245- Who does Karkov refer to when he suggests that political assassinations 
may become necessary?
How has Jordan become ‘reliable’?
Is Jordan becoming realistic or is he in the process of being corrupted?
Why does he prefer to work with people involved at the actual front 
or even behind enemy lines?

What eventually would have happened to Jordan if he had not met Maria? 


Chapter 19 (pp. 249-257)

pp 249-256 What made Kashkin lose his nerve, according to Jordan?
What do the peasants believe instead?
How does Jordan explain the power of the peasant belief in 'bad signs'?
Does he believe in fate?

Does Hemingway?

Pilar insists that she could smell death on Kashkin.
What is the smell of death?

Can both Jordan and Pilar be right? What is Hemingways’ understanding of fate?

p. 254 What new danger has arrived with the end of the storm?
(Where is El Sordo?)


Chapters 20 and 21 (pp. 258-270)

pp.258- Hemingway takes great care to show us exactly how Robert makes a bed 
from a spruce tree for himself and Maria. Describe how, at least for this evening, Robert has directly connected to the natural order of life.
List Robert's favorite smells. 
How do these memories counteract ‘the smell of death’. 

p. 264- What understanding past reason do Robert and Maria achieve in love?

p. 265- How did the rider get past the night watch? Who had been posted on sentry?

pp. 267-70 Describe the difference in Jordan’s thought process when danger is present.
What enables him to think so quickly?
Why can Robert not bring himself to tell Maria he loves her 
after he has killed a man? 
Can love co-exist with his duty to kill?
What does Maria think?

Chapter 22 (pp. 271-279)

pp. 271- Describe the machine gun nest that Jordan makes to ambush the fascist cavalry. 
Why were the partisans given a machine gun that they do not know how to use? 
Why will the republicans lose this war?

What does Jordan plan to do if fighting breaks out?




Chapter 23 (pp. 280-287)

p. 280- Why does Jordan order that no shots be fired even though the partisans 
have the drop on the riders?
How many riders pass through the machine gun’s sights?

p. 283- What does Jordan feel compelled to do after the strain of danger has passed?
Augustin and Anselmo envision two different post-war scenarios if the Republicans manage to win. What are they? Which one seems more likely?

p. 286- Jordan describes the difference between the peasant's way of killing and the more educated soldier's way. Which one is more civilized?


Chapter 24 (pp. 288-294)

p. 288- Jordan gorges himself on sandwiches of meat, goat cheese and onion.
Hemingway presents Jordan as fully alive- never hungrier.
How is he directly in touch with the natural order of life?

Jordan cynically describes the difference between himself and Kashkin:
“I am alive and he is dead.” Then he quickly catches himself.
How has Maria made such cynicism much more difficult for him?

p. 290 Augustin tells Jordan in all seriousness to treat Maria well.
Describe the Spanish peasant's attitude about the honor of a virtuous maid.

How does Jordan defend his honor and excuse the ‘informality’ 
of his relationship with Maria?

p. 293 Why can Jordan depend upon Augustin’s loyalty and discipline at the bridge?
What does Jordan hear in the distance on the wind?

Chapter 25 (pp. 295-301)

p. 295- How does Jordan know instantly that El Sordo is lost?
Why does he refuse to go to his aid? 
What do he and Pilar decide to do instead?

Is Pilar cold-hearted in her rebuke of Augustin for grieving for his friends?
Why don’t they have the luxury of grief at this moment?


Chapter 26 (pp. 302-306)

p. 302- What does Jordan learn about the soldier he killed by reading his papers?
What sacrifice has the town of Tafaqlla made for the fascist cause?

Note carefully Jordan's train of thinking as he considers his responsibility 
for this man's death. 
Even though the killing was necessary, what effect is it having on 
Jordan's character? 
Why is it difficult for Jordan to keep it all straight in his head?

Why will it be essential for Jordan to write it all down after the war?
How has Maria now become essential to Jordan's efforts to keep himself together? 

What has Jordan now recognized about the vital essence of love?


Chapter 27 (pp. 307-322)

p. 309- Who is La Pasionera? 
How has she tried to replace the Virgin Mary in the peasant fighters’ consciousness?

How does El Sordo trick the fascist captain into approaching the hilltop before the planes or the trench mortar gun arrive? 
How does Hemingway characterize this fool?

p. 318 Why is there no language as filthy as Spanish?

p. 321 Explain the irony of the boy Joaquin’s prayers to the Virgin as the planes approach the hilltop on a bombing run.

Why does Lt. Berrendo order the rebel corpses decapitated?


Chapter 28 (pp. 323-328)

p. 323- Why is Primitivo so disconsolate? How is Jordan able, at such a moment, 
to appreciate the mushrooms in the rabbit stew?

p. 327 What brings Anselmo to prayer for the first time since the war began?


Chapter 29 (pp. 329-333)

p. 330- Why is it significant that Anselmo saw four anti-tank guns on 
the road to La Granja?

p. 333- What message is Jordan sending to General Golz? 
Why is it essential that the message gets through?
Upon what is Pablo deciding as he watches Jordan write?


Chapter 30 (pp. 334-340)

p. 334- Compare Jordan's thoughts on the evening before battle with Anselmo's.
How is he able to quash the cynicism or fake sentimentality which 
continually creeps into his mind?
To whom do his thoughts turn as he considers the terrible odds against 
his team's survival in the mornings attack?
Is Jordan able to come to terms with his father's suicide?

When does Jordan convince himself that the attack will go through no matter what?


Chapter 31 (pp. 341-355)

p. 341- Why is Maria reluctant to make love with Robert- even on this last night before the attack? How has Robert's and Maria's love progressed even beyond the 
ecstasies of physical union?
What do the lovers speak of rather than the dangers of the coming morning?
Do you find Robert’s fantasies about life in Madrid sexist?

How do Robert and Maria wed this evening?
How is Hemingway attempting to reinvent the sanctity of the wedding ritual? 
Does he succeed?

p. 345- What has Pilar told Maria about the coming attack?
What does Robert speak of instead?
How does Hemingway protect even these most tender moments from degenerating into sentimentality?

p. 348- How has Robert’s desire for social justice merged with his love for Maria?

pp. 350-53 Why does Maria tell Robert of the terrible death of her parents and her brutalization at the hands of the Falangists?

pp. 354-55 How does Robert explain the Falangists’ brutality? 
Is it different form the peasants' cruelty?
Explain the rationale behind Robert's conclusion that the Spanish never fully accepted Christianity. 
How might this theory explain the cruelty inflicted upon Maria?


Chapter 32 (pp. 356-359)

What is the talk of the cocktail party at the Hotel Gaylord?
Describe La Pasionera. What news does she bring to the party?
What disturbs Karkov about the talk at the party? 
Does he believe the offensive should go ahead?


Chapter 33 (pp. 360-362)

What has Pablo stolen in the night? Why?


Chapter 34 (pp. 363-368)

How can Andres be both disappointed and relieved that he will probably not be able to get back in time for the mission to the bridge?
What memory comes to him of a similar situation during his youth in his village? 
How did Andres earn the nickname ‘the bulldog of Villaconejos’?


Chapter 35 (pp. 369-371)

How had Jordan earlier predicted the precise moment of Pablo's treachery?
Why did he not see it coming? How will he be able to blow the bridge now?


Chapter 36 (pp. 372-377)

Which soldiers does Andres contact when he reaches the government lines?
Why can't he respect these men? Why will the republicans lose this war?


Chapter 37 (pp.378-382)

p. 379- Notice how Hemingway imitates the language of religious service 
in his description of Robert's stream of consciousness as he makes love 
with Maria. Is this blasphemous?
How is Hemingway trying to rediscover what is most holy about humans?

p. 380- What is 'La Gloria' to Robert? What can he no longer deny about life? 
What new knowledge about life does he now crave?
How has he lived a lifetime in three days?


Chapter 38 (pp. 383-391)

p. 385-86 Why does Jordan's plan seem so hopeless in daylight? 
What is the essential problem? 

How does Jordan's anxiety steamroll into a panic in which he doubts everything- Maria included? How does he manage once again to keep his head and quash his despair?

p. 387- How does Pilar try to reassure Jordan? Does it work?

pp. 389-90 Why does Pablo return? What does he bring with him?



Chapter 39 (pp. 392-395)

What is Jordan's greatest gift as a soldier?
How does he rediscover this gift?


Chapter 40 (pp. 396-401)

What delays Andres' approach to General Golz's headquarters?


Chapter 41 (pp. 402-411)

p. 404- Describe Jordan's thoughts when he shakes hand with Pablo.
What makes their alliance more honest than most?

pp. 405-406 What does Robert remember as he kisses Maria good-bye? 
What made that moment so awkward?
Has he finally come to terms with his father's death?


Chapter 42 (pp. 412-430)

p. 412- What has halted the convoy of trucks moving into position for the offensive?

p. 415- Describe Andres' impressions of the great army he passes in the night.

p. 416-421 Who is the general that arrests Andres at the comandancia?
Why would he want to prevent important information from reaching General Golz?

p. 425 Who saves Andres from certain execution?

p. 428 Would Golz have stopped the attack if he had received Jordan's message?
Why will the attack fail?


Chapter 43 (pp. 431-476)

p. 431 Notice the way Hemingway describes the coming dawn. How does using the imagery 
of coalescing trees, mountains, and pine needles contribute to his thematic purpose?

p. 432 How does Jordan justify his decision to fight for a losing cause in Spain?
Describe Jordan's new understanding of the elaborate web of reality.

Why does he have trouble watching the sentry through the binoculars?

p. 436 What will Jordan use to detonate the dynamite? What makes this approach particularly dangerous?

p. 437 Describe the flicker of ideas that jump into Jordan's mind as he is rigging the explosives? 
What problems have developed at the sentry huts?

pp. 442-44 What does Anselmo think of as he waits for Jordan to rig the other wire?
Why is he so calm?

pp. 446-47 How is Anselmo killed? How does Jordan master his anger when he discovers Anselmo is dead?

p. 451- What impression of the greater battle does Jordan sense as he waits for Pablo to arrive? 
Why does he not leave Pablo behind?
What has delayed Pablo's escape? What happened to his men?
What does Augustin believe happened?

p. 456 What surprises Jordan when he embraces Maria?

p. 458 What blocks their escape across the road?

pp. 460-61 How is Jordan injured? Why does he feel know pain? When does he realize that he cannot escape?

pp. 463-64 How does Jordan comfort Maria? Does he believe what he says?

p. 465- What does Augustin offer to do? Why does Jordan refuse?

p. 466- Left alone, how does Jordan quash his cynicism about life one last time?
Does he believe his life has been pointless and absurd?
What truths about life has he discovered in the last few days?
Does he believe that Pilar saw this fate when she read his hand?
Does he go to his death with regret?

p. 469- When does he start to panic? Why does he decide not to do it himself?
To what idea does he hold instead? 
How does this resolution help him master his fear?