OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE                  

The short story The Old Man at the bridge by Earnest Hemingway is an anti-war story where Hemingway reflects on the horrors of war and how it affects the common people “without politics ” physically, mentally as
well as psychologically.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The protagonist of the story, the old man is seen sitting by the side of the road. He wore a steel rimmed spectacles and his clothes were dusty. He had walked twelve kilometres and was exhausted.The narrator, a young soldier converses with the old man and that tells us the whole story. It is from this conversation that we come to know that the old man used to take care of the animals he had, and had to leave them behind due to the artillery attack of the Fascists.

THE STORY SUMMARY

His whole concern was the animals whom he had to leave behind. He was worried about their safety. He was so filled with their thought that he paid no heed to the narrator’s advice of getting into the truck to Barcelona.
Hemingway has used a number of symbols in the story to interpret imaginatively the complex reality of the time. The very Ebro River is used as a symbol in this story. It symbolizes the old man’s journey of life. Here, the Ebro River sweeps the old man towards a change.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The war will change his life. If he crosses the bridge and reaches Barcelona. The bridge on the Ebro River too is symbolical. It symbolizes uncertainly and danger because the people of San Carlos had to leave their native town, cross the bridge and go to another land as refugees from where they might never return. Hence their lives are filled with uncertainly.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The next object of symbolism are the animals the old man took care of. He took care of two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. The pigeons represent peace and harmony. Their flying away or rather flying away from the war refers to the refugees who fled from the war to a safer place. The flying away of the pigeons also suggest that peace and harmony has left due to war. The cat symbolizes independence. It does not need anybody to survive, the goat is a sacrificial animal. Hence the goats represent the old man and his situation. As a goat can’t escape being sacrificed, similarly the old man’s fate is also sealed.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The incident takes place on Easter Sunday, the day itself is very significant in the story. Easter Sunday is the third day after Jesus Christ was crucified. Hence, it is symbolized as a time of rebirth, renewal and resurrection, But in the story this day stands for inevitable death. It is a day of uncertainty, danger and death. This day also stands for hope and faith in God. The refugees though are on the verge of an uncertain life ahead, does not lose their hope and faith in God.

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The day on which the artillery attack is to take place is described as a very cloudy and gloomy day with the gray clouds hanging like a low ceiling. The word gray symbolizes old age, sadness, and monotony. The day, since being selected by the Fascists for the artillery attack is no doubt to bring destruction associated with sadness and loneliness. The appearance of the old man as wearing “black dusty clothes with a gray dusty face ” suggests the
extent to which the old man was destroyed by the war both physically as well as emotionally.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

Hemingway in this story shows two levels of conflict – man with his inner self and man against another man. The character of the old man portrays the conflict between man and his inner self. The artillery attack compelled the old man to leave his house and the animals behind. His animals were his only family and he loved and took care of them. Hence, leaving them behind because of the artillery attack filled him with a sense of guilt, and he feels he has not done justice to the animals. So, crossing the bridge though would have given him physical protection would not have given him psychological and inner peace.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The other conflict in the story is man against another man. War compels a man to cause pain and suffering to another man. Man fights against his own race for some selfish reason. In this story the Fascists are about to attack the helpless civilians, as symbolised by the old man. The cruelly of war compelled him to leave his hometown and the animals, who were his only family.

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

This shatters him physically and psychologically to such an extent that he reigns himself at the hands of fate and sits at the road side without crossing the bridge waiting to embrace his death.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

Hemingway deals with the themes of compassion and pointlessness of war in the story. The narrator of the story, the nameless soldier at the pontoon bridge over the Ebro River encounters the old man on an Easter Sunday when he was exploring the region to observe the advancing of the enemy. It is at this point that he sees the old man of the story. He feels pity for the old man and gets involved in a conversation with him. The fact that the old man has to leave his animals behind, who were his only family, and his sense of guilt and helplessness draws compassion from the narrator. He suggests the old man to cross the bridge and go on the other side and get into, one of the trucks which were taking the refugees to Barcelona.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

Another important theme of the story is the fatality of war. During war man forgets his fellow men and this fact is very well depicted by Hemingway in this story. Through the deplorable state of the old man Hemingway depicts the miserable condition of all those civilians who are victims in the hands of war. War compels man to treat another man inhumanly in the name of greater good.

SUMMARY OF THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

The old man had to leave behind the animals whom he loved and took care of, in the mouth of death. He is old and exhausted physically as well as psychologically. He resigns himself in the hand of fate and does cross the bridge but rather remained seated by the side of the road waiting for his inevitable death.