|
-
In Chapter 25, Hemingway hints even more strongly- through the
characters themselves- at the probability of death for the band.
Primitivo can curse. That\'s nothing new to you by now. Most of the
characters in this novel are blessed with very earthy, colorful
tongues. But Primitivo\'s present cursing is not the nonchalant foul
mouth of a man who disagrees with somebody.
His cursing is deliberate, serious, directed at the enemy. The group
can hear the battle sounds of El Sordo\'s band being massacred. And
so Primitivo curses and cries. Pilar is more hardened. She talks to
Primitivo with contempt for such feelings and for wanting to go to
El Sordo\'s aid. And then she says that Primitivo will die soon
enough here with his own band- why make an unnecessary trip to die
with others?
But Pilar comes down from her pedestal when an enemy plane roars
overhead. Fearfully, she refers to it as the \"bad luck bird.\" \"For
each one there is something,\" she says. \"For me it is those.\" Do you
also have a weak spot- a sight or a sound that automatically brings
a pang of fear or at least uneasiness?
It\'s time to prepare the noon meal. The hares would taste better
if they were cooked tomorrow or the next day, but Pilar says they
might as well eat them today. And Jordan agrees. It\'s clear that
they are aware of the possibility that none of them will still be
around tomorrow.
|
