The Necessity of Intimate Companionship in Times of War

Forest wives in Hemingway’s novel ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and Paramount Vantage Pictures’ 2008 film ‘Defiance.’

Since the earliest years of American film, the movie industry has been profiting greatly from the production of war films, experiencing a dramatic rise in popularity after the end of World War II. Feeding off of the patriotic sentimentality of the American people, production companies made films that glorified the American military and created an idealized image of war as a romantic act of self-sacrifice for the well being of the nation. Combining elements of action, romance, and patriotism, this genre appeals to millions of movie-goers and continues to profit today.

Defiance, a 2008 film produced by Paramount Vantage Pictures and directed by Edward Zwick, narrates the heroic effort of the four Jewish Bielski brothers, who saved 1,200 Jews from persecution in Belorussia during World War II. In addition to its coverage of the brutalities of war, the film profiles the relationships that developed and grew within the camp.

Similar to Defiance in many ways, For Whom The Bell Tolls, a modernist novel by Ernest Hemingway, thematically discusses the value of an individual human life as well as incorporating romance into the plot-lines. These relationships play an increasingly significant role in the lives of the main characters of both Defiance and For Whom The Bell Tolls, ultimately becoming a necessity. The physical and emotional desire for love and companionship strengthens, evolving into a physical as well as emotional requirement to survive.

At the beginning of the movie, both Tuvia and Zus Bielski, the two oldest Bielski brothers, leave their wives and children at home in order to join the fighting ranks. They go into hiding in the woods after they discover the Gestapo has murdered their mother and father. The brothers gradually form a clan of Jewish refugees called the Bielski Otriad, composed of people they saved from the ghetto and other families that fled to the woods. As the movie continues, it is reported that the Nazis have murdered both Zus’ family and Tuvia’s family in search of the two men.

At this point in the plot, the two men have no one left to fight for, just as Robert Jordan has no one to fight for at the beginning of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Thrust into the lifestyle of Guerilla warfare, each man fights to hold onto his humanity. Tuvia Bielski, the leader of the group, addresses the camp toward the beginning of its formation by preaching,

Every member of the clan has lost someone and many have lost their entire families. In order to cope with these losses and preserve their humanity and compassion, widowed men and women seek companionship in each other. In the movie, these companions are labeled “forest wives” and “forest husbands.”

In For Whom The Bell Tolls, Robert Jordan develops a relationship with María, a young girl rescued by the Republic guerrilla fighters who serves as his “forest wife.” These relationships develop out of the human necessity for companionship, a primal desire that becomes a crucial resource of sustenance during times of loss and suffering.

Lazar, a cousin of the Bielskis and the lookout guard for the camp, first introduces the concept of the “forest wife.” When he first arrives, he approaches Zus and declares, “This is Lila. She is my forest wife,” an introduction to which Zus responds “Now that’s an interesting concept.”

Robert Jordan is first introduced to María while eating his first meal at the guerilla camp. She is the only female besides Pilar, who is already married to Pablo, in the camp. María appeals to Robert Jordan because she is innocent, emotionally fragile, and available; he subconsciously yearns to fight for someone who will willingly (and blindly) love him despite the uncertainty of a future together. Fighting in the name of the Republic and the Communist idea is no longer valid to Jordan. He needs a companion to draw his concern away from “that which will happen to [one]self” to “that which may happen to the woman and the girl,” (Hemingway 162).

In other words, Robert Jordan needs his relationship with María to distract him from his worry about the detonation of the bridge and his fear of dying. Jordan criticizes himself for worrying about the war on the walk with María to Sordo’s camp, reassuring himself “ you have already made love to this girl and now your head is clear,” indicating that he relies on his relationship with María to rid himself of negative thoughts (Hemingway 161).

Likewise, the Bielski brothers, along with several other people in the refugee camp, seek to develop romances in order to heal their sorrow and give them a new reason to continue fighting. After Lazar and Lila, Zus Bielski forms a bond with Bella. She approaches him one day and asks “Do you get lonely out here?” she goes on to ask Zus why women aren’t allowed to have guns for protection and Zus replies, “Women have men for protection,” to which Bella responds “I want protection” (Zwick). She proceeds by grasping Zus’ hand and placing it on her left breast.

This scene is one of the most important scenes in the film regarding forest relationships, complexly symbolizing the roles they play. Bella seeks companionship because she needs both physical and emotional protection to keep from breaking down. The fact that she places Zus’ hand on her breast indicates her physical needs, but also suggests her emotional desires because the left side of the chest is where the heart is. Understanding Bella’s needs and well aware of his own, Zus agrees silently to take care of her.

Like his brother, Tuvia also finds a forest wife named Lilka. Unkindly nicknamed “the property of the commander,” Lilka serves as a lover as well as a healer. Besides fulfilling Tuvia’s physical needs, Lilka cares for him for days on end while he is sick and helps him maintain enough physical strength to lead his people and give orders. By caring for Tuvia and ensuring his mental, emotional, and physical stability, she provides life and hope to the entire camp.

As the story progresses, Aseal Bielski, the third brother proposes to and marries Chaya at the camp. The wedding day provides an escape not just for the couple but for all of the members of the camp, giving the people a break from worry and work to celebrate companionship and love amidst suffering.

In For Whom The Bell Tolls, Robert Jordan contemplates marriage with María while fantasizing about their future after the war, asking “Why not marry her? Sure…I will marry her. Then we will be Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jordan…” (Hemingway 164). Jordan is clearly not set on marrying María but daydreaming about a future after the war relieves him of his current anxieties and the presence of María in his fantasies reflects his intense desire for companionship but also his fear of loneliness. In his fantasy, he does not describe loving her but merely states that “Spanish girls make wonderful wives” and thinks of showing her off to his intellectual colleagues because she can speak Spanish (Hemingway 164).

Throughout the novel, Robert Jordan can never figure out if he truly loves María or if his newfound passion was cultivated by the urgency of time. Jordan exemplifies his internal conflict by explaining “when I am with María, I love her so I feel, literally, as though I would die” (Hemingway 166).

Just as Robert Jordan questions his own motivations for loving María, Tuvia questions Zus, asking “What about Bella? Do you think she would be with you if this wasn’t happening? Is it love, Zus?” (Zwick). Tuvia proves by verbally projecting these questions that he recognizes the forest relationships for what they are: partnerships based on physical and emotional co-dependence.

However, forming such a bond in which individuals derive strength from necessitated love proves to be an effective coping mechanism during the tumultuous and traumatizing times of war. If one’s physical weaknesses, psychological breakdowns, and/or emotional stability can be cured by impulsive human companionship, then such relationships should be viewed objectively.

Though some of the relationships established in both For Whom the Bell Tolls and Defiance are based on selfish needs, every one of them is essential to the survival of the individuals involved. Such relationships not only provide security and support but also allow the people to preserve hope for a better life in the future.

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