Orwell's Homage to Catalonia: War, Politics, and People

Introduction: Why Politics Cannot Be Separated from War

George Orwell wrote Homage to Catalonia about his time spent as a soldier for POUM — the Worker's Party of Marxist Unity — during the Spanish Civil War. His vision of war was certainly different going in than it turned out to be after he had spent several months on the front line. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the war, besides the cold, was the political conflict that was undermining the overall efforts of those fighting against Franco.

Suppose Orwell had written about his experiences without bringing in the deeply confusing tangle of different political agendas — would the message of Homage to Catalonia still be the same? Hardly. Even Orwell himself said that it would "be impossible to write about the Spanish war from a purely military angle. It was above all things a political war." (46) Yet in spite of his disgust at the conflict among those who were supposedly fighting for the same things, Orwell found it necessary to write his memoirs of his time in Spain.

Clearly the war meant many different things to him, and it is through Homage to Catalonia that he tries to convey these meanings — his profound feelings for the Spanish people, and the political agenda that counteracted any real progress made against Franco. To Orwell, his interactions with the POUM Catalans, as well as those from other socialist groups fighting on the same side, were the experiences that affected him most profoundly. It was these relationships that shaped his time in Spain, and they are the sole purpose of his homage.

Orwell's Affection for the Spanish and Catalan People

George Orwell — an Englishman who carried a Spanish dictionary for much of the war — speaks openly of his affection for the people of Spain many times throughout the book. He learned very quickly how sincere the Spanish people around him were. He describes how no one could spend time with the Spaniards he served with and not be "struck by their decency; above all their straightforwardness and generosity." (12) He goes on to declare that their generosity was "at times almost embarrassing," noting that if you asked for a cigarette, a Spaniard would more than likely "force the whole packet upon you." (12)

Orwell also refutes other journalists' descriptions of "bitterly jealous" Spaniards, saying he never encountered anyone fitting that image. (12) The humility and honesty of the Spaniards was something he was unaccustomed to, and he was quite moved by it. When one Spaniard gave credit to the French by declaring them "braver than we are," Orwell mused that an Englishman would rather "cut his hand off" than admit anyone was better. (12)

As his time in the militia continued, Orwell was transferred several times to other units and became acquainted with many different types of people, though he mostly remained among the Catalans he had met early on. This relationship — with men he was sometimes even put in charge of — is central to the book. He had only intended to report on the war, yet the enthusiasm and spirit of revolution that had embraced him in Spain caused him to voluntarily join a conflict from which he stood to gain nothing. This was not his country, his war, or his people. Yet Orwell joined the militia, learned the language, and became part of a brotherhood that could have killed him — and nearly did. The kinship he describes, the affection he expresses for these people, seems to have transcended all barriers of race, language, and politics. It is difficult to imagine many people today placing themselves where Orwell did, for people he barely knew — which speaks volumes about both the man and the people of Catalonia.

Political Conflict Within the Anti-Fascist Coalition

Orwell saw only minimal amounts of direct fighting in Spain, which raises the question of what affected him so deeply that he barely waited until he had returned safely to England before writing about his experience. As noted above, it was in part because of how profoundly he was influenced by the people he encountered. Politically speaking, he may also have used his writing as a sounding board for what he called "inner-party feud" — conflict he found "annoying and disgusting." (66) From a journalist's point of view, many accounts of the war were propaganda rather than factual reporting, and Orwell notes the gradual shift from attacking the enemy to attacking "other socialists." This war was unique in that "as time went on, the Communists and the POUM came to write more bitterly about one another than about the Fascists." (66)

Orwell had initially ignored the political dimension of the war entirely. He admitted, "At the beginning I had ignored the political side of the war," and that he was "unaware of it" for some time. (46–47) He was exasperated that two or more groups of people wanted the same outcome — the defeat of Fascism — yet could not agree on anything beyond that. He confessed that he "did not realize that there were serious differences between the political parties." (47) His most blunt statement on the matter was: "Why can't we drop all this political nonsense and get on with the war?" — a sentiment he concluded was precisely what the English media wanted people to believe, in order "to prevent people from grasping the real nature of the struggle." (47)

As a soldier, Orwell felt that each person was not only fighting against Fascism but also playing a role in "an enormous struggle that was being fought out between two political theories." (47) Ultimately, this internal struggle prevented a unified front from forming against the Fascist forces. The defeat and suppression of the anti-Fascist side was, in Orwell's view, a direct consequence of the minute political differences he devoted considerable space to explaining — in passages that are not only lengthy but often difficult to follow.

Conclusion: What the War Left Behind

As to why Orwell found it necessary to include the politics of the war in his writing, the reasoning is clear: every aspect of the war carried some political tie or motivation. Orwell was oblivious to this when he first signed up with POUM, which makes his gradual revelation all the more honest — and all the more painful. Had he understood the political quagmire he was entering, he might have refrained from joining altogether. Perhaps not. Orwell does express how much he missed Spain the moment he left it. He wished he could have "stayed to be imprisoned along with the others," which speaks to how deeply the experience changed him. (230)

The most poignant statement in the novel comes near its end: "I have recorded some of the outward events, but I cannot record the feelings they have left with me." It is not only the war, but also the politics, that gave him the months in Spain that meant so much. He would never have lived through what he speaks of so fondly — and so harshly — had it not been for the anti-Fascists bickering and struggling among themselves for power. As a study of how Orwell's political thinking developed, Homage to Catalonia remains essential reading.

Orwell sums up the book best in his own words:

"This war, in which I played so ineffectual a part, has left me with memories that are mostly evil, and yet I do not wish that I had missed it." (230)

Orwell could not have written about what he had just been through without writing about the political reasoning behind those he was fighting with, fighting against, and struggling against on the same side of the war.

Bibliography

Orwell, George. Homage to Catalonia. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1952. 232 pages.