Existentialism in For Whom the Bell Tolls

As the scientific and industrial revolutions came to a head in the 19thcentury, and society became increasingly secularized, the traditional social orderunderwent radical change in a very short time. During this period, people beganto feel disconnected from the traditional belief systems that had helped themmake sense of the world and of their lives. In these conditions, people may notliterally commit suicide, but a kind of spiritual death – spiritual death – becomesa real danger. It occurs when people give up to resignation and surrender in theface of what they see as the pointlessness of existence.