Life expectancy in the United States is approximately seventy-eight years. Zambian life expectancy is approximately thirty-three years. Does this mean that it is impossible for a person in Zambia to have a more fulfilling life than a person in the United States? In Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, Robert Jordan conforms outwardly, but internally raises questions about the value of life and discovers that it is possible to live a fulfilling life in any span of time if one lives life to its fullest. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning, Robert is sure of his causes and beliefs and is willing to sacrifice his life to win the war. But in the end, Robert's experiences and new knowledge all work together to convince him otherwise. His companions change the value of human life for him. Anselmo, Pablo and Robert are murderers. Everyone has taken lives in the past, but they have different opinions about it. For Anselmo «killing is a sin. Taking the life of another is…very serious” (Page 41). Religious and idealistic, Anselmo is the type of man Robert would like to be inspired by, but knows he can never be. No matter what path he takes, he can never match the peaceful Anselmo: Robert has too much to fight for, too much to live for. On the other hand, Pablo is the most different from Robert, but at the same time the most similar. For most of the novel Pablo is portrayed as weak, a man whose spirit has been broken, even though he was once a terrible killer. As Pilar said: “You have seen the ruin that is now Pablo, but you should have seen Pablo that day” (Page 74). Unlike Anselmo or Robert, Pablo actually likes killing; he likes it, for the most part. But it is destroyed before Robert's arrival, and thus Robert is unable to witness Pablo's transformation from a ruthless killer to a drunken slob. Pablo has undergone a change, through a psychological transformation, just like the change Robert goes through. The only difference between the two is that Robert continues to outwardly conform to society's needs despite his internal transformation, while Pablo chooses to abandon society and chooses to fully display his internal transformation. True to his character, Robert becomes even more conflicted towards the end. He doesn't want to kill and doesn't want to be killed, but he chooses to continue fighting for a cause he no longer fully believes in. These changes occur in Robert because of his new friendships, especially his bond with Maria. Robert's point of view his life changes as he progresses, especially after meeting Maria. Before meeting Maria, Robert firmly believes that "There are necessary orders... and there is a bridge and that bridge may be the point upon which the future of the human race can turn" (Page 43). At that point, he is full of conviction and ready to fight for the cause he fully believes in. With high hopes of changing the future, he is even ready to die for his cause, although he doesn't like the prospect. His life makes no sense. Soon, Robert meets Maria and she redefines the boundaries of his world. Life really starts to mean something: Robert wants to live thanks to Maria. Yet he sees the future and sees time running out. This is the tipping point and he realizes that “There is only now and if now is only two days, then two days is your life and everything in it will be proportionate” (Page 167). For Robert, there is only one path. He can't just stop fighting: he can only change the reasons he fights. Robert sees his fate and reluctantly accepts it. Yet, despite this acceptance, he does not abandon hope.