Quote by Ernest Hemingway
That's my town,' Joaquin said. 'What a fine town, but how the buena gente, the good people of that town, have suffered in this war.' Then, his face grave, 'There they shot my father. My mother. My brother-in-law and now my sister.' 'What barbarians,' Robert Jordan said. How many times had he heard this? How many times had he watched people say it with difficulty? How many times had he seen their eyes fill and their throats harden with the difficulty of saying my father, or my brother, or my mother, or my sister? He could not remember how many times he heard them mention their dead in this way. Nearly always they spoke as this boy did now; suddenly and apropos of the mention of the town and always you said, 'What barbarians.
Summary
The quote captures a conversation between Joaquin and Robert Jordan, where Joaquin recounts the suffering his town has endured during the war, including the tragic loss of his family members. The mention of the atrocities committed evokes a sense of anger and condemnation from Robert Jordan, who empathizes with the pain experienced by the people. The quote reflects a common sentiment expressed by those directly affected by war, where the unspeakable acts of violence committed against loved ones leave a deep and lasting impact on survivors, shaping their perspective on the conflict.
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