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This chapter is another installment in the story of Andres as he
is hampered by his own people. You will remember he had made swift
progress through enemy territory. It\'s his own people who still
continue to slow him down.
Again, if one of Hemingway\'s goals in For Whom the Bell Tolls was to
show that a noble cause died at the hands of self-interested
leaders, this chapter is one of his most successful, devastating
efforts. The scene is populated by selfish and short-sighted
military men.
First there\'s the pompous, suspicious company commander who
escorts Andres to battalion headquarters. Then there\'s the
self-important Gomez, a former barber now a battalion commander, who
insists on personally driving Andres to brigade headquarters. Finally,
there\'s Lieutenant-Colonel Miranda, whose only ambition is to finish
the war with the same rank. He is supported in this vital role by
whiskey, sodium bicarbonate, cigarettes, and a pregnant mistress.
Miranda issues official clearance papers for Andres and asks Gomez
to take Andres on his motorcycle to General Golz.
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