Ernest Hemingway, born on July 21, 1899, in America, was a novelist, short story writer and journalist. The old man in the story symbolizes the countless civilian victims of war; those who are "without politics." The old man is going to die at the bridge: displaced, disoriented, alone. The old man symbolically is not a cat, nor a dove, but a goat who was "only taking care of animals.”
The story is in the form of a 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 perished (is killed) in the war. The story consists of just one brief scene – the conversation between the narrator and the old man at the bridge – and one setting: the pontoon bridge across a river in Spain.
The story is related to 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 forthcoming (approaching) death. An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles sat exhausted by the side of a road near a pontoon bridge that crossed the river. The soldier got engaged in conversation with the old man. During the conversation, he came to know that the old man was worried about the 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 (heavy weapons) fire. He had no family but he expressed concern about what would happen to 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 of 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 story ends with the narrator telling us that the Fascist army was advancing towards the Ebro river and the old man wouldn’t have long to get away. But the old man seems reluctant to move.
To conclude, the story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’ is not just a war story in the traditional sense. Although the Spanish Civil War is obviously integral to the story and more than a mere backdrop, rather than focusing on the conflict itself, Hemingway turns his, and his reader’s, attention to a man who is too old to fight, and who is nearing the end of his life. Rather than thinking about the human cost of war, the old man is only really concerned with what will happen to the animals he has had to leave behind in San Carlos.
pontoon – a temporary floating platform
staggered – walked with unsteady steps
plodded – walked slowly
mysterious – strange
artillery – heavy guns moved on wheels
hurrying down – moving down quickly
blankly – disinterestedly
cage – a structure made of wires in which animals are kept
fascists – a person who supports an extreme right-wing political system
Ebro – the name of a river
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