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OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE by Ernest Hemmingway
Q1. WHAT INSPIRED THE AUTHOR TO WRITE ‘THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE’?
“Old Man at the Bridge” was inspired by Hemingway’s travels as a war correspondent
during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. In fact, the story was originally composed as a
news dispatch from the Amposta Bridge over the Ebro River on Easter Sunday in 1938 as
the Fascists were set to overrun the region.
Q2. WHAT IS THE SETTING OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE ?
The story “Old Man at the Bridge” by Earnest Hemingway is set in the backdrop of Spanish
Civil War in 1938. It starts with the description of an old man who was sitting at a bridge. It
was a war-like situation as the Fascists forces were advancing towards Ebro.
Q3. WHAT IS THE THEME OF THE STORY ?
The story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ deals with the themes of resignation,
depression and impending death, it also reflects humanity and
compassion. This theme is reflected in a conversation between a soldier
and an old man who had to leave his hometown during the Spanish Civil
War. The old man is gripped by panic and anxiety as he is 76 years old and
because of the war, has been displaced. He had to leave his home, his
animals and the only life he knew and was asked to move to an unknown
place where he did not anyone. He is a fatalistic hero of the story who is
resigned to his fate as a casualty of war.
The soldier who is concerned about the safety of the old man and tells him
to walk up the road and catch a ride on the truck to Barcelona. The old
manis too tired to go any further. So, he resigns himself to his fate. Then
the soldier reflects that he is sure to be killed once the Fascists advance to
the bridge across the Ebro. His life is prolonged by the fact that the day is
overcast and the Fascists cannot launch their planes. His mind is eased by
the fact that cats can look after themselves, but aside from that the soldier
says that nothing can be done for him and his death seems certain.
The soldier seems more affected by the inevitability of the man’s probable
fate than by the old man himself. On the other hand, the old man is worried
about the fate of his animals. He can’t get rid of the thought of safety of his
animals. This gives him depression. When the soldier tells him that it is
best not to think about his animals, he is unable to stop thinking about
them. This leads him to depression.
At the close of the story the narrator bemoans the old man’s impending
death. The soldier begins to feel pity for him and says, “There was nothing
to do about him.”
Old Man at the Bridge About the Author
Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in America. He was a
novelist, short story writer and journalist. His economical and understated
style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of
adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway
produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s. He
won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six
short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Additional works,
including three novels, four short story collections, and three non-fiction
works, were published posthumously. The Old Man and the Sea is
considered a classic of American literature.
Old Man at the Bridge About the Story
All about the Story : Old Man at the Bridge:
The story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ is in the form of conversation between a
soldier and an old man. The writer takes the ordinary detail and transforms
it into a powerful story about the tragedy of war. The old man in the story
becomes a symbol of countless civilians who perish in war.
The story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ is related through a conversation
between a soldier and an old man who had to leave his hometown during
the Spanish Civil War. During the war there was panic and anxiety all
around. Everyone was aware of the impending death. An old man with
spectacles sat exhausted by the side of a road near a pontoon bridge thatcrossed the river. The soldier engaged in a conversation with the old man.
During the conversation he came to know that the old man was worried
about his animals that he had left behind. The old man told the soldier that
he had the charge of two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. He said
that a captain had told him to leave the town and the animals because of
artillery fire. He had no family but he expressed concern about his animals.
He said that the cat would be all right because cats could look after
themselves, but he did not know what would happen to his other animals.
The soldier was concerned about the old man’s safety whereas the old
man was concerned about his animal’s safety. He told the soldier that he
was an old man of 76 and had come 12 kilometres and was too tired to
walk up the road and catch a ride on a truck to Barcelona. The old man
thanked the soldier for his concern for his safety but he continued to
express his concern over the fate of the animals he had left behind. The old
man remained obsessed with the thought about the safety of his animals.
At the end of the story the soldier felt pity for the old man and thought
“There was nothing to do about him.” He realized that he could not remove
the old man’s concern about the safety of his animals. The story reflects
the theme of depression and impending death.
The conversation between a soldier and an old man
The story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ is related through a conversation
between a soldier and an old man who had to leave his home town during
the Spanish Civil War. During the war there was panic and anxiety all
around. Everyone was aware of the impending death. An old man with
spectacles, who had walked 12 kilometres from his hometown sat
exhausted by the side of a road near a pontoon bridge that crossed a river.
Carts, trucks, men, women and children were crossing the bridge.
Peasants, refugees and Republican soldiers laden with ammunitions and
supplies fled the advancing Fascist army. The narrator, who said that his
mission was to cross the bridge and find out how far the enemy had
advanced, did so. He saw the old man sitting beside the bridge when he
crossed toward the enemy. He found him still sitting there when he crossed
back. He began talking to the old man and came to know that his
hometown was San Carlos. He was the last person to leave the town, as
he was anxious about his animals. The narrator asks the old man about his animals
The narrator, who was nervously awaiting the advent of the Fascist army
and the ensuing battle between the armies, asked the old man about his
animals. The old man said that he had charge of two goats, a cat and four
pairs of pigeons. He said that a captain had told him to leave the town and
the animals because of artillery fire. He also told the narrator that he had no
family. He, then, expressed concern about what would happen to the
animals. He said that the cat would be all right because cats could look
after themselves, but he did not know what would happen to the other
animals.
Old man’s Political Views
The narrator, who was more concerned for the old man’s safety than those
of the animals, enquired what the old man’s politics was. The old man
replied that he had none. He told the narrator that he was an old man of 76
and had come 12 kilometres and was too tired to go further. The narrator
told him to walk up the road and catch a ride on a truck to Barcelona.
The old man expresses his thanks to the narrator
The old man thanked him, but continued to express his concern over the
fate of the animals he had left behind. The narrator reassured him, saying
the animals would be fine. The narrator told him that the pigeons would fly
away, but the old man continued to worry about the goats. The narrator told
him that it was better not to think about them and that he should get up and
walk to the trucks and leave that place. He thanked the narrator and got to
his feet, swayed from side to side and then sat down backwards in the
dust. He reflected his obsession about the fate of his animals when he
remarked that ‘he was only taking care of animals’. The narrator felt pity for
the old man and thought that there was nothing to do about him. He
thought that the old man’s only luck was that cats could look after themselves and that the day was overcast, so the Fascists were unable to launch their planes.
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