Until recent times in the U.S., men would be the only partakers during war. It seemed revolutionary to finally allow women soldiers and front liners. This “breakthrough”, however, already took place Almost 80 years ago in Spain. During this time the women left in the towns formed their own militias and remained on standby until they were needed. Even if they weren't on guard, women help out by manufacturing supplies and such. Pilar and Maria are the only female main character who appear in Ernest Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Maria doesn't hold up to the to common occurrence of the women troops during this time period and actually she is written as a more dependent type of person. Therefore, while Pilar may exhibit the characteristics of the female combatants, Maria fully does not at all.
Maria cannot be compared to a woman combatant because she played no major part in the mission or build up to it. During the battle her only job was to watch the horses. Even in this, she became restless which in turn made the horses restless. Anything can startle an already restless horse and could cause it to run away. Unlike a trained soldier she displayed her emotions in battle so much that others could
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Throughout the book she has displayed signs that she is content with being under the wing of others. Robert Jordan would call her “my little rabbit” when they would address each other. “Get in, little rabbit” he said and kissed her…” (Hemingway 69) She has also said that she would do anything he needed her to do, this of course meant many traditional chores she was expect to do being his woman. She has also been seen to be an eager to please type of woman, in many types of senses. Because she has been raped before she thinks of herself as inadequate for Robert Jordan and had to have been reassured (Hemingway 70-71). This most definitely does not fit the description of a hardy soldier that appeared in this