For Whom the Bell Tolls

American  

noun

1. a novel (1940) by Ernest Hemingway.

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for whom the bell tolls Cultural  

1. An expression from a sermon by John Donne. Donne says that because we are all part of mankind, any person's death is a loss to all of us: “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The line also suggests that we all will die: the bell will toll for each one of us. (See No man is an island.)

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The twentieth-century American author Ernest Hemingway named a novel For Whom the Bell Tolls; the book is set during the Spanish Civil War.

Example Sentences

Hemingway wrote most of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” on site.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hemingway was fresh off selling the movie rights to “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

From Salon

Kushins reveals that Leonard found his earliest inspiration in “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Man, genuinely delighted to be back “home” in the Pacific Northwest, took the stage nestled against a bank of trees at Remlinger Farms, the most highly anticipated new concert venue of the year, with an unholy heavy metal medley featuring snippets of thrash metal masterpieces like “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and Slayer’s “Raining Blood.”

From Seattle Times

But the presence of so many peers and predecessors — “I got to see my heroes this weekend,” Hetfield told the crowd — appeared to draw out the group’s competitive streak: Its 1-2-3 opening punch of “Whiplash” into “Creeping Death” into “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was as tight and furious as Metallica has sounded in ages.

From Los Angeles Times