Old Man At The Bridge - Workbook/Textbook Solution of Treasure Trove of Short Stories
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The short story Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway wholly demonstrates the vicious repercussions of war on disinterested innocents. The short story, narrated by a nameless soldier, sensitively portrays the sorry plight of the refugees who are displaced by war.
The action takes places at a pontoon bridge near the Ebro Delta on an Easter Sunday during the Spanish Civil War. All the refugees of that area were crossing the bridge to protect themselves from the impending attack by the enemy troops. The young soldier was on a mission to cross the bridge and find out how far the enemy had advanced.
After the soldier had scanned the region for any sign of the enemy troops, he noticed an old man still sitting at the pontoon bridge. The seventy-six-year-old man wore black dusty clothes and his face was dusty grey. He wore steel-rimmed spectacles which suggested that he was neither a shepherd nor a herdsman. He appeared weak and exhausted. The soldier asked the old man where he came from. The old man replied that he was from Sans Carlos. He had already walked about 12 kilometres from his hometown, San Carlos, and was weary and exhausted. Therefore, even after the soldier had advised him to flee, the old man did not move.
The officer asked the old man about his political loyalty and he replied that had no politics. In San Carlos, he owned two goats, a cat and some pigeons which he had to leave behind because of the artillery. His whole life revolved around his animals and his hometown. He was just taking care of his animals without harming anybody just like any other ordinary individual unconcerned with the ongoing war. When he was told to move to safety in view of the advancing enemy troops, he was worried about the safety of his animals and wanted to remain with them.
The old man is more concerned for the safety of his animals than for his own safety. The animals stand for different qualities. The pigeons, for example, represent peace and harmony and the fact that they fly away, away from the war, maybe is a reference to the refugees who flee from the war to a safer place. The cat being a symbol of independence, does not need anybody to survive, but the goat is often used as a sacrificial animal and this probably represents the old man and his situation. Like a goat which is sacrificed, the old man’s fate is sealed. The old man’s obsession with the safety of his animals brings out Hemingway’s point that this mad war unnecessarily destroys even such useful human beings who help to sustain life. The narrator, the young soldier, advised the old man to cross the pontoon bridge to save himself from the impending assault of the advancing enemies. Although the old man got up and tried to move, he swayed and teetered. So, he sat down again in the dust as he was too tired to move. He finally resigned himself to his fate and the imminent doom.
We, along with the young soldier, arrive at the painful realisation that the old man will not be able to move on and will probably die at the bridge. The irony is that like a goat which is sacrificed, the old man`s fate is sealed on an Easter Sunday, a day of hope and faith.
Neither the old peasant nor the war is identified by name in the story, for the idea of the tragic sacrifices of uninvolved men in every war is universal. The old man epitomises the victims of war- men, women and children who had to leave their home and their normal life as victims of a war with which they have nothing to do.
Old Man at the Bridge
Extract I
There was a pontoon bridge across the river…..he was too tired to go any further.
1. What is a pontoon bridge? Why are many people crossing the bridge?
A bridge that is made of large hollow containers filled with air is called a pontoon bridge.
The story is set during the Spanish Civil war and people are crossing the bridge to protect themselves from the impending attack by the enemy troops.
2. Where is the old man sitting? Unlike others, why doesn’t he move?
The old man was too tired to go any farther because he had already walked twelve kilometers since he left his hometown, San Carlos.
3. Who is the speaker in the above extract? Why is he there?
The unnamed narrator, who is an army scout is the speaker. He was on a mission to cross the bridge and find out how far the enemy had advanced.
4. What is the first question that the narrator asks the old man? What does he answer? Why does the old man smile?
The narrator asked the old man where he came from. The old man replied, “ San Carlos”, and he smiled because the mention of his native town gave him pleasure.
5. Why is the old man the last one to leave his town? Describe his physical appearance.
The old man was the last to leave because he was taking care of his animals. The old man wore dusty clothes and steel rimmed spectacles. His face was grey and dusty.
Extract II
He did not look like a shepherd…. “What animals were they?”
1. Who is referred to as He in the extract above? In what condition is he?
Old man is He. He is in a weary condition as he has already walked twelve kilometers and too tired to move further. Moreover his clothes are dusty and his face has turned grey.
2. What all animals did he own? What kind of relationship did he share with them?
He had two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. The animals were his family; he loved them and cared for them so much that separating from them made him feel that he had lost his reason for existence.
3. What did he do with the animals? What forced him to do so?
He left the animals behind in his native town of San Carlos. They heavy firing from the enemy forced him to do so.
4. Why doesn’t the old man cross the bridge and escape to a safer place?
He had already traveled twelvekilometers, so he was too tired to go any further. He was weak, the old man had no family and he had left his animals behind, he felt helpless as he couldn’t save his animals; he surrendered himself to his fate.
5. What do the incidents in the story show about the consequences of the war.
The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and Hemingway depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race. War causes and death and destruction, and this is highlighted through the condition of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of war. The old man gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals, but the war takes away everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as his goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself.
Extract III
"I am without politics…..forks for Tortosa.
1. What does the old man mean when he states, “ I am without politics”? Why does he mention his age?
Like other innocent civilians what matters to the old man is his home and animals rather than politics. He mentions his age along with the fact that he had already walked twelvekilometers to reflect the extent of his weariness.
2. Describe the old man’s appearance. What was he doing in San Carlos?
The old man wore steel rimmed spectacles; his clothes were black and dusty and his face had turned grey from dust. In San Carlos, he was taking care of his animals.
3. The narrator says “ This is not a good place to stop.” Which place is he referring to? Why is it not advisable to halt there?
The place referred to is a war zone at a pontoon bridge across the Ebro river. The place is 12kilometers from San Carlos in Spain.
4. What does the narrator give to the old man? How does the old man react to it?
The narrator advised the old man to cross the bridge and catch a truck towards Barcelona. But the old man replied that he did not know anyone there. However, he thanked the narrator for his suggestion and continued to express his concern for the fate of the animals he had left behind.
5. Explain why the old man finally resigns to his fate.
The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and Hemingway depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race. War causes and death and destruction, and this is highlighted through the condition of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of war. The old man gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals, but the war takes away everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as his goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself. Forced to flee his town the old man sits near the Ebro river; he surrenders to his fate and waits for his impending death.
Extract IV
He looked at me very blankly….think about others?
1. Why does the old man look blank and tired? How can you say that the old man needed someone to talk to?
The man was forced to flee from his native town, leaving behind his only family i.e. his animals. He was concerned for them but did not know what to do. It made him blank. Moreover, he was 76 years old man who had alreadytraveled twelve kilometers so he was tired.
The manner in which the old man engaged in a conversation with the narrator and told him about his village and animals shows that he needed someone to talk to.
2. What is the cause of old man’s worry and guilt?
The old man believed that he must watch over the cat, the goats and the pigeons in San Carlos. The man was not able to fulfill his responsibilities so was guilty and wondered what would the animals do in his absence.
3. Explain how the story brings out the conflict between man and his inner self.
The story has two levels of conflicts. One of the conflicts is that between man and his inner self which is seen in the character of the old man. The old man is guilty of leaving his animals behind for the fear of fire by the artillery.
Man against another man is the other conflict in the story. In times of war, a man causes pain and suffering to another man. He fights with his own race for a seemingly greater good.
4. The old man seems to have given up on his life. Do you agree? Why ?
Yes, it seemed that the old man had given up on his life:
He was not concerned for his safety. He sat by the side of the road at a pontoon bridge in the war zone. Despite repeated insistence from the narrator to save his life and to catch a truck to Barcelona, the old man paid no heed. He was preoccupied only with the fate of his animals he had left behind in San Carlos.
5. How does the narrator try to relieve the old man of his worries? Does he prove successful? Support your answer with instances from the story.
The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had left the dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine. At regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries. The old man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals. The narrator thusrealizes that nothing can be done about him and moves on leaving him at the bridge.
Extract V
“ I was taking care of animals……would ever have.
1. Why does the narrator note that the old man spoke ‘dully’
The old man had lost all hope and was filled with guilt for not being able to look after his animals. War thus does not only cause physical destruction but also psychological destruction.
2. What makes the narrator feel that “ there was nothing to do about him?”
The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had left the dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine. At regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries. The old man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals. The narrator thusrealizes that nothing can be done about him and moves on leaving him at the bridge.
3. State how both the narrator and the old man are depicted as helpless by the end.
The old man loved his animals so much that separating from them made him feel that he had lost his reason for existence. The old man, like his goats, had no one to take care of him and thus he surrendered to his fate.
The narrator lends a kind ear to the old man and urges the man to get up and cross the bridge; the man tries but fails. The soldier feels sorry for him. Thus the story ends with the old man’s concern for the goats and the soldier’s concern for the man.
4. What is “all the good luck that old man would ever have?”
All the luck that he would have is that the cats could protect themselves and as the day was overcast, the Fascists would not launch their planes to attack the local people.
5. The story is set on an Easter Sunday, which symbolically shows renewal and peace. How is it ironical with reference to the events in the story?
The Old Man at the Bridge, the action of the story is set on Easter Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after he was crucified. Thus, Easter is symbolically viewed as a welcome time of rebirth, renewal and possible change. However, for the old man at the bridge, this day meant inevitable death and the destruction of that was meaningful to him.
The image of resurrected Christ is like the image of the old man’s doves being released from their cage, both being symbols of hope and peace. The soldier , however, is not hopeful about the old man’s fate-he bitterly remarks that ‘all the good luck that old man would ever have’ was the fact that the artillery planes of the enemy could not fly that day.
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