Introduction of the Story:
The short story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ by Ernest Hemingway is one of The First Forty - Nine Stories’, written in 1938. It first appeared in Ken Magazine (Volume 1, Number 4, May 19, 1938) prior to its later publication in the book The Column and the First Forty - Nine Stories, also published in 1938. At just two pages in length, ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’ is one of Hemingway's shortest tales. It is based upon an Easter Sunday stopover at the Ebro River during his coverage of the Spanish Civil War in April 1938. Although employed by the North American Newspaper Association, Hemingway apparently decided to submit it to Ken Magazine as a short story instead of using it as a news article.
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| Theme and Summary of the Story of Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway |
In the story, Hemingway manages to give the reader the impression that he himself is the part of the scene or the encounter might have really happened in the story. The situation is that Spanish people flee from fascist artillery over a bridge across the river Ebro. Men, women, children are crossing the bridge, but the old man sits beside it. Hemingway describes it with simple, realistic details which incorporate the reader into the scene immediately. The narrator involves the old man in a conversation and asks where he comes from The old man tells him that he was taking care of the animals in his native town , but is worried now whether they might survive the artillery attack . The old man is seventy six years. He cannot walk any further. He is too weak and does not stop worrying about the animals he left behind.
Theme of the Story:
The story clearly points out that war brings a large number of mass killings and destruction and this is highlighted through the pathetic condition of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of the war. The old man who has no family, gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals but the war takes away everything from him. He is forced to leave his home town due to impending attack. While sitting by the side of the road near the bridge, he seems to be as helpless as his goats. Because of being very old and having excessive physical exhaustion, he shows his inability to escape from the danger of the war. Ultimately he resigns to his fate and waits for his doom. Then there is the theme of love for one's native town. When the old man is asked about his whereabouts, he shows great pleasure while mentioning his own native place. He seems to be emotionally and psychologically attached his native place as a large number of memories of the old man are associated with it. He feels great proud at his native town, San Carlos. When the old man is forced to leave his hometown, he feels highly dejected.
Then there is the theme of sense of duty. The old man believes that he must watch over the four doves, the cat and the two goats in Sans Carlo. The young soldier feels that it is his duty to carry out the orders of the evacuation to ensure overall success in the war. While he encounters the old man at the bridge and feels some empathy for him, the soldier does nothing to aid the old man, opting to keep to his sense of duty to the military and his orders. On the other hand, the old man places the needs of the other living things over his own well-being and the need to save himself. The old man represents nature and morality. His duty is to care for nature.
Next there is the theme of pity and compassion. The soldier (the narrator) shows pity and compassion for the old man. He becomes a friend in need for the old man with whom the lonely man shares his worries. He advises the old man to flee away from the danger of the impending war and save his life at some safe place. He shows consoling attitude towards the old man when the old man expresses his concern for the safety of the animals. He assumes the old man saying that his animals will be fine and he does not need to worry about them. The story comes to an end with the soldier's showing humanity.
Summary of the Story:
The setting of the story is a spot in the countryside during the Spanish Civil War. The action of the story takes place at pontoon bridge near the Ebro Delta on an Easter Sunday during the Spanish Civil War. Peasants, refugees and Republican soldiers laden with ammunitions and supplies were fleeing at the expected attack by the fascist army. There was a chaos among the people of that place. The danger of an impending attack filled the hearts of the people with a kind of fear. All they were going to a safe place. The area was being evacuated. The people, for fear of the impending war were crossing the bridge in carts and trucks.
The narrator of the story who was an army soldier was on the duty to watch the advance of the enemy. He had taken his position on the bridge. He was constantly looking across the bridge. When the soldier crossed the bridge towards the direction from where the enemy's attack was certain, he noticed an old man who was sitting by the side of the bridge. It seemed to him that he (old man) was so much overpowered with physical exhaustion that he was unable to move any further. After the solider had scanned the region for any sign of the enemy troops, he found the old man still sitting at the pontoon bridge. The soldier was curious to know about the old man. He stopped to him and enquired his whereabouts. The old man replied that he was from Sans Carlos which was his native town. While mentioning his native town, the old man felt great pleasure. Then the old man told the soldier that he was the last person to leave the town as he was worried for the safety of the animals he was taking care of.
When the soldier closely observed the old man, he found that the old man wore black dusty clothes and his face was dusty grey. He also wore steel rimmed spectacles which suggested that he was neither a shepherd nor a herdsman. Then he asked the old man what animals he was taking care of. The old man told the soldier that he was taking care of three sets of animals i.e., two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. But he had to leave them because of the artillery fire.
The soldier watched the far end of bridge where a few last carts were hurrying down the slope of the bank and asked the old man if he had no family. At this he told him that his animals were his family . The old man seemed to be unconcerned about the threat to his own life, but he was more anxious about the safety of the animals. He admitted that there was no need to worry about the cat as cats can look after themselves; and since he had left the dove cage unlocked, the pigeons too would fly to the safe place. But he was much worried about safety of the goats. He expressed his sorrow about the fate of goats which could go nowhere and there was none to look after them.
On seeing the pathetic condition of the old man, the soldier grew more sympathetic towards him. He seemed to be more concerned for the old man's safety than that of the animals. The soldier asked the old man if he had political loyalty. At this the old man replied that he had no political loyalty. Then the soldier advised him to cross the pontoon bridge and catch a truck towards Barcelona to save himself from the impending assault of the advancing enemies. The soldier also warned him saying that it was not good for him to stay at that place for longer. The old man told him that he was seventy - six years old and he had already walked about twelve kilometers from home town, San Carlos and was weary and exhausted, hence it was difficult for him to move further. He added that moreover, he did not know anyone there. However, he thanked the soldier for his advice. He continued to express his intense humanly concern for the fate of the animals he had left behind. The soldier again consoled him saying that he should not worry about the animals. All the animals would be fine. He again advised him (the old man) to get up and walk to the trucks for a safe place.
Thanking the soldier for his sympathetic attitude, the old man, tried to get up on his feet and walk, but in vain. The old man felt that he was so weak that he could not move on. As he was not able to muster up his lost strength, he sank back on the ground. The soldier thought, in closing, that the old man's only luck was that cats could look after themselves and that the day was overcast, so the fascists were not able to launch their planes. The old man seemed to be fully submissive to his fate.
Theme of the Story:
The story clearly points out that war brings a large number of mass killings and destruction and this is highlighted through the pathetic condition of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of the war. The old man who has no family, gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals but the war takes away everything from him. He is forced to leave his home town due to impending attack. While sitting by the side of the road near the bridge, he seems to be as helpless as his goats. Because of being very old and having excessive physical exhaustion, he shows his inability to escape from the danger of the war. Ultimately he resigns to his fate and waits for his doom. Then there is the theme of love for one's native town. When the old man is asked about his whereabouts, he shows great pleasure while mentioning his own native place. He seems to be emotionally and psychologically attached his native place as a large number of memories of the old man are associated with it. He feels great proud at his native town, San Carlos. When the old man is forced to leave his hometown, he feels highly dejected.
Then there is the theme of sense of duty. The old man believes that he must watch over the four doves, the cat and the two goats in Sans Carlo. The young soldier feels that it is his duty to carry out the orders of the evacuation to ensure overall success in the war. While he encounters the old man at the bridge and feels some empathy for him, the soldier does nothing to aid the old man, opting to keep to his sense of duty to the military and his orders. On the other hand, the old man places the needs of the other living things over his own well-being and the need to save himself. The old man represents nature and morality. His duty is to care for nature.
Next there is the theme of pity and compassion. The soldier (the narrator) shows pity and compassion for the old man. He becomes a friend in need for the old man with whom the lonely man shares his worries. He advises the old man to flee away from the danger of the impending war and save his life at some safe place. He shows consoling attitude towards the old man when the old man expresses his concern for the safety of the animals. He assumes the old man saying that his animals will be fine and he does not need to worry about them. The story comes to an end with the soldier's showing humanity.
