First
Also note that much of what I’ve observed is from playing the part of V as a heterosexual with Panam as his romantic partner. Other story paths could change some of what follows.
It helps to have at least some familiarity with the story and characters of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
The Title of the Book:
• The book’s title is a reference to John Donne’s poem about an individual’s connection to the broader community (“mankind”). The phrase, For Whom the Bells Tolls, references the practice of a church bell being rung upon a person’s death.
• The book is found in Jackie’s garage and was a favorite of Jackie’s. If V chooses to leave the book as a gift at Jackie’s memorial, it symbolizes the ringing of the bell in remembrance of Jackie’s death.
• After the heist, Takemura calls V from the café and tells V that it is time he stepped back into the ring, that the bell has tolled. Takemura specifically uses the word “tolls”, not rung. This is symbolic of V’s death at the hands of Dex and is a foreshadowing of his own eventual second death.
The Quests and the Story:
• In the novel, Robert Jordan is an outsider who must seek help from a community of guerilla rebels to complete his mission to destroy a bridge. Like the protagonist Robert Jordan, V finds himself accepted amongst a community of nomads who help him as he completes his mission to destroy his bridge (the implant) to Johnny.
• The story has a main story quest titled, For Whom the Bell Tolls. And again, we see V relying upon a person by the name of Rogue to accomplish his mission. In the novel, the guerillas were rebels, a band of people who had “gone rogue” against the established fascist government. They were, in a fashion, rogues.
• V’s story sits in parallel in many respects to the story of Robert Jordan. Both have an extremely dangerous mission they must accomplish, and they need the help of community of others. In the course of the stories, both men find romantic love, and both accomplish their missions but must ultimately make a choice at the end of the story concerning how they will die (not whether they will die).
The Characters:
• V is Hemingway’s Robert Jordan. An outsider to the nomads who he must gain help from in his mission to destroy his bridge to Johnny.
• Panam is Maria from the novel. Maria is a member of the guerillas and becomes Robert Jordan’s romantic partner. Similarly, Panam is a member of the nomads and becomes V’s romantic partner.
• Misty plays the role of Pilar, in part. In the novel, Pilar is the spiritual leader of the guerillas. She is something of a gypsy and a mystic. She reads palms and interprets dreams. Similarly, Misty services as V’s spiritual guide or connection. She reads his fate in the tarot just as Pilar reads Jordan’s fate in his palm.
• Saul. This one may be an overreach. He plays the part of Pablo, from the novel. Pablo is the leader of the guerilla band. He is a difficult and uncooperative leader who opposes Robert Jordan and is more concerned with protecting the family than completing the mission. He is ultimately opposed and deposed from his position. In the same way, Saul is uncooperative and opposes any action that he believes is too dangerous or risky. Like Pablo, he too ultimately loses his role in the band and is replaced by a stronger, more passionate leader.
o Note: Pablo’s name in English is Paul.
o The Apostle Paul, from the New Testament biblical texts, was previously named Saul.
o Saul = Paul = Pablo
• Johnny is...Hemingway. He serves as the narrator. Quest dialogue is in Johnny's "voice". He serves as the guide through the story.
The Themes and Symbols:
• Community and family. The protagonist, Robert Jordan, is an outsider (American) tasked with a military mission and relying on the help of a community of Spanish guerilla soldiers in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Community and family are themes explored by Hemingway in the novel. This is often one of the strongest themes in the game and finds itself played out across interactions with Jackie, the nomads, River Ward and other positive examples. You also see the theme in a negative light in the actions of the Arasaka family and the NCP.
• Absinthe. This alcoholic drink is in the game and has a description in it that reads, “Be Bohemian”. In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Absinthe is a symbol for a lifestyle dedicated to pleasure and is Robert Jordan’s drink of choice. The book in fact includes dialogue referencing the bohemian lifestyle. Hemingway was considered a Bohemian in his lifestyle and wrote an article for the Toronto Daily Star called "American Bohemians in Paris."
• War. This is a central theme in the novel. It explores the it’s affects and the disillusionment of those who fight and the horrible outcomes of war on people. You see in Robert Jordan how his perspective changes over the course of the story. In CP77, war and its affects are frequently referenced through many of the quests. Both Mitch and Scorpion are veterans and the game’s narrative describes how war has affected them. You also see this in the cyberpsycho quest line with some of the victims of the affliction. Interestingly, the name Arasaka is similar to the name of the Japanese rifle, the Arisaka, used in many wars in the early to mid 20th century.
• Night. In the novel, one of the primary conflicts for Robert Jordan is that he cannot complete his mission at night. It is a daytime mission. Night and darkness are key symbols in Hemingway novels in general and Jordan’s inability to perform his mission at night is key. There is a certain irony in that V’s mission can only be completed in Night City.
It concerns me that the depth and breadth of the of story of CP77 will not be fully appreciated. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface on all of the various themes and symbols woven into the world’s broader narrative. The idea of V as the archetype Hemingway Hero is something I might explore further.
This was a long summary of my observations and I hope someone finds some value in it. CDPR tells great stories. I’ve found in the Witcher and CP77 stories of greater complexity, depth and seriousness that is unmatched in PC gaming (just my opinion). I’m looking forward to more.
- I reserve the right to be wrong.
- Warning. This is long.
- I know I’ve probably either missed elements that support my theory and that I’ve likely overreached on others.
- I've also posted this on Reddit.
Also note that much of what I’ve observed is from playing the part of V as a heterosexual with Panam as his romantic partner. Other story paths could change some of what follows.
It helps to have at least some familiarity with the story and characters of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
The Title of the Book:
• The book’s title is a reference to John Donne’s poem about an individual’s connection to the broader community (“mankind”). The phrase, For Whom the Bells Tolls, references the practice of a church bell being rung upon a person’s death.
• The book is found in Jackie’s garage and was a favorite of Jackie’s. If V chooses to leave the book as a gift at Jackie’s memorial, it symbolizes the ringing of the bell in remembrance of Jackie’s death.
• After the heist, Takemura calls V from the café and tells V that it is time he stepped back into the ring, that the bell has tolled. Takemura specifically uses the word “tolls”, not rung. This is symbolic of V’s death at the hands of Dex and is a foreshadowing of his own eventual second death.
The Quests and the Story:
• In the novel, Robert Jordan is an outsider who must seek help from a community of guerilla rebels to complete his mission to destroy a bridge. Like the protagonist Robert Jordan, V finds himself accepted amongst a community of nomads who help him as he completes his mission to destroy his bridge (the implant) to Johnny.
• The story has a main story quest titled, For Whom the Bell Tolls. And again, we see V relying upon a person by the name of Rogue to accomplish his mission. In the novel, the guerillas were rebels, a band of people who had “gone rogue” against the established fascist government. They were, in a fashion, rogues.
• V’s story sits in parallel in many respects to the story of Robert Jordan. Both have an extremely dangerous mission they must accomplish, and they need the help of community of others. In the course of the stories, both men find romantic love, and both accomplish their missions but must ultimately make a choice at the end of the story concerning how they will die (not whether they will die).
The Characters:
• V is Hemingway’s Robert Jordan. An outsider to the nomads who he must gain help from in his mission to destroy his bridge to Johnny.
• Panam is Maria from the novel. Maria is a member of the guerillas and becomes Robert Jordan’s romantic partner. Similarly, Panam is a member of the nomads and becomes V’s romantic partner.
• Misty plays the role of Pilar, in part. In the novel, Pilar is the spiritual leader of the guerillas. She is something of a gypsy and a mystic. She reads palms and interprets dreams. Similarly, Misty services as V’s spiritual guide or connection. She reads his fate in the tarot just as Pilar reads Jordan’s fate in his palm.
• Saul. This one may be an overreach. He plays the part of Pablo, from the novel. Pablo is the leader of the guerilla band. He is a difficult and uncooperative leader who opposes Robert Jordan and is more concerned with protecting the family than completing the mission. He is ultimately opposed and deposed from his position. In the same way, Saul is uncooperative and opposes any action that he believes is too dangerous or risky. Like Pablo, he too ultimately loses his role in the band and is replaced by a stronger, more passionate leader.
o Note: Pablo’s name in English is Paul.
o The Apostle Paul, from the New Testament biblical texts, was previously named Saul.
o Saul = Paul = Pablo
• Johnny is...Hemingway. He serves as the narrator. Quest dialogue is in Johnny's "voice". He serves as the guide through the story.
The Themes and Symbols:
• Community and family. The protagonist, Robert Jordan, is an outsider (American) tasked with a military mission and relying on the help of a community of Spanish guerilla soldiers in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Community and family are themes explored by Hemingway in the novel. This is often one of the strongest themes in the game and finds itself played out across interactions with Jackie, the nomads, River Ward and other positive examples. You also see the theme in a negative light in the actions of the Arasaka family and the NCP.
• Absinthe. This alcoholic drink is in the game and has a description in it that reads, “Be Bohemian”. In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Absinthe is a symbol for a lifestyle dedicated to pleasure and is Robert Jordan’s drink of choice. The book in fact includes dialogue referencing the bohemian lifestyle. Hemingway was considered a Bohemian in his lifestyle and wrote an article for the Toronto Daily Star called "American Bohemians in Paris."
• War. This is a central theme in the novel. It explores the it’s affects and the disillusionment of those who fight and the horrible outcomes of war on people. You see in Robert Jordan how his perspective changes over the course of the story. In CP77, war and its affects are frequently referenced through many of the quests. Both Mitch and Scorpion are veterans and the game’s narrative describes how war has affected them. You also see this in the cyberpsycho quest line with some of the victims of the affliction. Interestingly, the name Arasaka is similar to the name of the Japanese rifle, the Arisaka, used in many wars in the early to mid 20th century.
• Night. In the novel, one of the primary conflicts for Robert Jordan is that he cannot complete his mission at night. It is a daytime mission. Night and darkness are key symbols in Hemingway novels in general and Jordan’s inability to perform his mission at night is key. There is a certain irony in that V’s mission can only be completed in Night City.
It concerns me that the depth and breadth of the of story of CP77 will not be fully appreciated. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface on all of the various themes and symbols woven into the world’s broader narrative. The idea of V as the archetype Hemingway Hero is something I might explore further.
This was a long summary of my observations and I hope someone finds some value in it. CDPR tells great stories. I’ve found in the Witcher and CP77 stories of greater complexity, depth and seriousness that is unmatched in PC gaming (just my opinion). I’m looking forward to more.
