The Old Man At The Bridge

When/Where do you think the incident happened?

Easter Sunday stopover at the Ebro River during his coverage of the Spanish Civil War in April
1938.
The Old Man at the Bridge is about how people are effected by things they can not control, in this
case, war. The Scout sees the Old man sitting at the bridge and talks with him. The Old man
continues to talk about his animals and how he is worried at how they will survive. He states, The cat
can take care of itself, but that he is worried about the others. At first he tells the Scout he has 2
pigeons, but they are later changed to Doves when asked if the door was open so they could fly
away, now remember that Doves are a sign of peace in war, so them flying away could be like the
loss of peace. The old man also has some goats, animals of sacrifice through history, they could also
be there for the term, Scape-Goat, people who are blamed for actions they did not have any impact
on. So pretty much the Old Man at the Bridge is a story about how this Old Man, who has no political
affiliation or Family, who just used to take care of Animals in his hometown, lost everything that he
once knew, due to war.

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Old Man at the Bridge Summary

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Ernest Hemingway's economical short story "Old Man at the Bridge" first appeared in Ken
Magazine (Volume 1, Number 4, May 19, 1938) prior to its later publication in the book The

Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, also published in 1938. The Fifth Column is
Hemingway's only full-length play and also includes all of his previously published short stories.
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
(NANA), Hemingway apparently decided to submit it to Ken Magazine as a short story instead
of using it as a news article.
As Hemingway observes the movement of vehicles and civilians fleeing across the pontoon
bridge from an anticipated enemy attack, he notices a solitary old man sitting at the edge of the
structure. Upon questioning him, Hemingway determines that the old man has just walked
the twelve kilometers from his home village of San Carlos, but fatigue forces him to halt at the
bridge, for he can go no further. The last man to leave the village, the old man's duty is to take
care of the animals left behind. It is obvious that he takes his obligation seriously, for he worries
more about the cat, two goats, and eight pigeons that were under his care than for his own safety.
Sadly, he explains, he was forced to leave them behind. The cat will be able to take care of itself,
he adds, but the goats and pigeons will have to fend for themselves. The correspondent suggests
that the displaced man cross the bridge to the next crossroads, where he can catch a truck toward
Barcelona, but the man explains that "I know no one in that direction." Although the
correspondent is curious, he is not particularly helpful, and when the old man is unable to
proceed, the journalist decides that "there was nothing to do about him." The enemy would cross
the bridge soon, and death appears imminent for the old man.
The irony of the situation is not lost upon the correspondent, who realizes that the animals for
which the old man is so concerned have a greater chance of survival than their caretaker during
the next crucial twenty-four hours. Unable to walk and barely able to stand, the old man's luck
has run out, and he, too, seems resigned to his fate at the bridge.
"Old Man at the Bridge," which Ernest Hemingway "cabled from Barcelona" to his
publisher in April of 1938, most likely grew out of the author's experiences as a journalist
during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In this brief and spare story, Hemingway
unleashes a multitude of contrasts: young and old, war and peace, the man-made and
the natural.
The story details a chance encounter between a young soldier and an old Spaniard at a
pontoon bridge. The old man's hometown of San Carlos is being evacuated because of
artillery fire, and he sits at the roadside before the bridge crossing, too tired to walk. The
soldier, while anticipating contact with the enemy, expresses concern about the man's
safety and encourages him to continue moving. The old man, on the other hand, is not
concerned about himself but worries about the animals he left behind. The old man's
view of himself as a guardian of animals contrasts ironically with the soldier's identity as
a killer of people.

The old man tells the soldier that he was forced to leave behind two goats, one cat, and
four pairs of doves. The old man admits that "there is no need to be unquiet" about the
welfare of a clever cat, and also confirms that he left the dove cage unlockedthe birds
will certainly fly to safety. It is the fate of "the others"the two goatsthat he laments.
The old man is very much like the goats he left in harm's way, since they have nowhere
to go and cannot take care of themselves. Unlike the goats, however, this man is
completely alone. Ultimately, both the goats and the old man are left to their fates
because the soldier admits that "there was nothing to do" but leave the old man behind.
Finally, and almost parenthetically, the young soldier mentions that this encounter took
place on Easter Sunday. The image of the risen Christ is not unlike the image of the old
man's doves being released from their cageboth are symbols of hope and peace. The
soldier, however, is not hopeful about the old man's fatehe bitterly remarks that "all the
good luck that old man would ever have" was the fact that artillery planes were not flying
that day and "the fact that cats know how to look after themselves." In this tale of
contrasts, Hemingway portrays the natural world as morally and spiritually superior to
the manufactured world of human beings because it does not destroy itself in war. As a
keeper of animals, the old man, though he has no family and no political affiliations, is
also morally and spiritually superior to the young soldier who leaves him behind.
"Old Man at the Bridge"
The setting is a spot in the countryside during the Spanish Civil War. An old man with
spectacles sits exhausted by the side of the road near a pontoon bridge that crosses a river.
Peasant refugees and Republican soldiers laden with munitions and supplies flee the
advancing Fascist army.
The narrator, who says that his mission is to cross the bridge and find out how far the
enemy has advanced, does so and finds the old man who was sitting by the bridge when he
crossed toward the enemy still sitting there when he crosses back. He begins talking to the
old man and elicits the information that his hometown is San Carlos; he was the last person
to leave the town, as he was anxious on behalf of some animals he had charge of.
The narrator, nervously awaiting the advent of the Fascist army and the ensuing battle
between the armies, asks the old man about the animals. The old man says he had charge
of two goats, a cat, and four pairs of pigeons. He says a major told him to leave the town
and the animals because of artillery fire. He says he has no family.
He then begins to express concern about what will happen to the animals. He says the cat
will be all right because cats can look after themselves, but he doesnt know what will
happen to the other animals.
The narrator, more concerned for the old mans safety than that of the animals, inquires
what the old mans politics are, and the old man replies he has none. He is 76, has come 12

kilometers and is too tired to go any further. The narrator tells him to walk up the road and
catch a ride on a truck to Barcelona.
The old man thanks him, but continues to express concern over the fate of the animals he
left behind. The narrator reassures him, saying the animals will be fine. The doves will fly
away, the narrator says, but the old man continues to worry about the goats. The narrator
tells him it is better not to think about it, and that he should get up and walk to the trucks.
The old man tries to get up and walk, but he is too tired and sinks back down. The narrator
thinks, in closing, that the old mans only luck is that cats can look after themselves and
that the day is overcast so the Fascists arent able to launch their planes.
ANALYSIS
Old Man at the Bridge was inspired by Hemingways 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. Hemingway was writing for the North American
Newspaper Association but decided to submit this snippet of writing as a short story to a
magazine instead of as a journalistic article, which accounts, to a certain extent, for its short
length.
For all of its unorthodox origins, the story deals with familiar Hemingway themes of
depression, resignation, and impending death. The old man is the heroic fatalist or fatalistic
hero of the story, resigned to his fate as a casualty of the war. He is too old and tired to
move, he says, and demonstrates, to the narrator, and the narrator 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, and his mind is
eased by the fact that cats can look after themselves, but aside from that, the narrator says
nothing can be done for him and his death seems certain.
As occurs elsewhere in Hemingways writings, specifically in The Killers, the narrator of the
story seems more affected by the inevitability of the mans probable fate than by the old
man. Just as the old man worries about the goats he left behind, and the narrator tells him
its best not to think about them, the narrator worries about the old man he will have to
leave behind, but is obviously not able to stop thinking about him.
Nevertheless, one lingering question occurs to the reader as the story closes and the
narrator bemoans the old mans impending death. Why doesnt the narrator help the old
man at least part of the way to the trucks bound for Barcelona? Surely everyone, including
the narrator and the old man, is going in the same direction. Surely it would not be a great
imposition for the narrator to help a 76-year-old man who had already walked 12 kilometers
along at least part of the way to safety. Are the old mans fatalism and the narrators
despair justified? Since this story began as a news dispatch recounting an encounter
Hemingway actually had, this question takes on more than academic significance.
There is one symbol of hope in the story. At the beginning of the narrators conversation
with the old man, the birds the old man was looking after were referred to as pigeons, but
by the end of the story, they become doves, symbols of peace in wartime. The narrator
makes this switch as he asks, Did you leave the dove cage unlocked? It is unclear whether
this is a slip of the tongue, because the narrator is clearly distracted by the impending

arrival of the enemy, or if Hemingway is attempting to give the image of the birds flying
away an even more positive tint by referring to them as symbols of peace.

This is a wonderful short story which clearly depicts the true destruction caused
by war. What is marvellous about the story is it uses an old man & some animals
to make us realize where the true destruction of war lies.
Normally in literary compositions regarding war, the stories revolve
around young people. Very often its a young soldier corresponding with his
lover or family, or a young wife mourning the loss of her lover who was a soldier,
or its a retired soldier returning home only to find that his parents and loved
ones have already died. But in this short story Ernest Hemingway has used an
old man & his pets to convey the destruction caused by war in a deeper context.
Use of an old man in the context of war is truly unique and universal as it may
happen anywhere in the world. On the other hand this short story brings us the
experience of an individual and how war has affected him. It also makes us
realize that old people too have similar needs & requirements as any other &
that they too are significant.
This story revolves around an old man who was forced to leave his hometown
due to war. He didnt have anyone to consider as family in the form of humans,
but few pets whom he considered as his family. He was so attached to them
where he gave individual attention to each one of them. His whole world
centered on them and his whole existence purely depended on them. In simple
terms he lived because of those animals.

But then came the war and he was asked to leave his
hometown because of heavy artillery. The most difficult thing for him was
leaving his animals. He was not that worried about his cat because he believed

that cats could look after themselves. But he was constantly worried about the
other animals. Since he was forced to leave and the other people were
evacuating the city, he too had to leave the city. He walked twelve Kilometers
and stopped just before the bridge which carried them to the other side of the
river which was considered as the safe area. But the old man refused to cross
the bridge claiming to be tired. Crossing the bridge promised a physically
unharmed life . But it failed to give psychological happiness to everyone. Those
who were with their families crossed because they had hope to keep their
families safe and to live with them. But the old man was deprived of any hope.

He lost his hope at the very moment he left his animals. Therefore we can say
that he psychologically and symbolically died at the moment he left his animals.
That is because he lost his hope and his whole reason for existence. In this
respect Hemingway defines life as living with your loved ones and implies that a
man can be considered as living only if he carries hope. The old man constantly
mentions the symbolic death when he says that hes tired.

Thus Hemingway subtly criticizes war and makes us

realize that the least destruction that war can cause is destruction of physical
property. But the maximum destruction is where people lose their hope as in the

situation with the old man. It also shows that even an old man can lose hope
due to war.

Hemingway touches the readers heart

The short story Old man at the Brigde written by Ernest Hemingway, published 1938, is
about a conversation between a soldier and an old man who had to leave his hometown
during the Spanish Civil War. The story conveys the subsequent problems for helpless
victims,
especially
old
people.
The action takes places at a pontoon brigde near the Ebro Delta on Easter Sunday during
the civil war. The day is described as a gray overcast day with low ceilling(line 66) and all
the
refugees
of
that
area
are
crossing
the
bridge.
The story is written in the first person and narrated by a nameless soldier whose duty it is to
observe the advancing of the enemy. As Ernest Hemingway was in Spain during the civil war
as well, it is quite possible that he assimilated his experiences of this horrible time in this
story.
After the soldier has explored the region, he sees an old man and starts a conversation with
the trivial question Where do you come from?(11). At the beginning he seems
uninterested in the old man and answers with simple statements like Oh.(16), but this
changes
in
the
course
of
the
conservation.
The seventy-six-year old man, who wears steel rimmed spectacles(1) and black dusty
clothes(19), comes from San Carlos and you feel that this is very important to him because
when he talks about his hometown it gave him pleasure to mention it(14). The most
crucial part of the old mans life are his animals. He owns two goats, a cat and some
pigeons which he had to leave behind because of the artillery. The repetition of the sentence
I was (just) taking care of animals(15,17,63,64) underlines the importance of this duty.
He is without politics and has no family, so his whole life circles around only his animals and
his hometown. Now he has had to leave all this and it does not surprise as he says I can go
no farther(48), after he walked about 12 kilometres. The old man just has no vitality left,
he is described as blank(45) and tired(45) and his meaning of life has been taken away
from him by the civil war and the flight. Even after the soldier advises him to flee as long as
it is possible, the old man does not move. The reader notices that he is very grateful the
soldier talks to him But thank you very much. Thank you again very much(43/44).
Perhaps it is the first contact and conversation to another person for a long time and he is
happy that someone is interested in him and his worries. First the soldier does not really
want to know the old mans story, but after he heard it he begins to feel pity There was
nothig
to
do
about
him.(65).
In this short story Ernest Hemingway uses a lot of metaphors and symbols. One of the
symbols is the bridge, which represents uncertainty and dangers. Those are the feelings
most of the people have during wartime. In contrast to this stands the fact that the story
takes place on Easter Sunday, a holiday that stands for hope and and the faith in God. The
feelings of the refugees probably stand in the same contrast. On the one hand they feel
very frightened and worried, but on the other hand they do not want to lose hope. The
animals also 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
mans
fate
is
sealed.
I really like this short story, because Ernest Hemingway manages to touch the readers
heart by telling a sad and moving story, despite its extreme shortness. (J.W., 11c, Dec.
2008)

The whole story is about death

Ernest Hemingways story The old man at the bridge is about
death and war. It takes place during the Spanish Civil War in the
late 1930s. The story is told by a soldier who is a scout. He has to
watch the bridge where refugees flee from the advance of the
Fascist army. Then he sees an old man at the bridge. He starts a
talk with the man. At the beginning the solider is not really
interested in the things the man tells him. The old man came from
San Carlos and was the last one who left the town because of his
animals. Although the solider asks some superficial and inconsequential questions he is
more interested in watching the other side of the bridge and thinks about how long it would
be until they were able to see the ememy. After a while the solider begins to feel pity for the
old man, who was a caretaker of animals and is more concerned for the safety of his
animals than for his own safety. The man has already walked twelve kilometers and now, he
tells the soldier, he is too tired to go on. He just wants to sit there. The solider does not
understand the worries of the seventy-six-year-old about his animals, but then when he
says that he has no family or relatives and his animals mean everything to him he seems to
become more interested in the things the man says.
The animals are two goats, a cat and a few doves. These animals are used as symbols. The
man tells the soldier that he is not worried about the cat, because it can care for itself. After
the soldier asks if he left the cage of the doves unlocked the man is sure that the doves will
fly away. But he mentions again and again that it would be better not to think about the
others. The others are the two goats. Cats are very independent animals. So the cat
represents the free will and freedom of thought. The chance for the cat of the old man is to
run away. That shows the reader that nobody can control your thoughts even if you are
forced to do something, your thoughts are free. And you have a free will. For example, the
old man in the story was driven out of his hometown, but he has got still a free will and he
is able to go where he wants to.The doves represent peace. It is clear that the story takes
place during a war, because the chance of the doves to stay alive is to fly away. The
meaning of the two goats is not so easy to see. The goat represents unreasonableness and
aggressiveness but also adaptability and that is the really important meaning. It is not
mentioned what happened or what maybe would happen to the two goals, and if they are
able to care for themselves or have to die. This means that the people have no possibility to
stop the war and they have to accept it. They have to live with this, and also with the
problems which appear in the war and so the people have to try to make the best of it.
Another symbol in the story is the bridge on which the two men meet. It shows that some
big things change but that there is still a connection between these two things. In this case
it is the old life of the man that lies now behind him and the new life where many things will
change because of the war.
The old man says that he is too tired to go on. He stands in front of the bridge, thus still
clinging to his old life with his animals that he does not want to leave behind. But in fact he
will have to. And at the end of the story it seems to be clear that the old man does not
intend to cross the bridge and to go on. So you can see that the whole story is about death.
And in the end it is also clear for the narrator the soldier and the old man that death is
imminent. (K.S., 11c, Dec. 2008)

Hemingways narrative skills have a great impact

In the short story "Old Man at the Bridge" by Ernest Hemingway the author narrates a
fictional situation taking place during the Spanish Civil War. Hemingway (1899 - 1961) was
a famous American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. In 1937 he travelled to Spain
in order to report about the Spanish Civil War for some American newspapers. One year
before parts of the Spanish army had attempted a revolution against the government. They
were supported by the German and Italian fascist regimes. The war was between Catholics
and atheists, between army, communists and anarchists, between landowners and
peasants, between nationalists and republicans and separated family members from each
other, friends and neighbours. The war was performed with unknown cruelty and witnessed
by an unknown simultaneousness of the mass media. Hemingway was on the side of the
republicans, reported from their point of view and was inspired by what he experienced to
write forty-nine short stories. After almost three years the rebels succeeded. 500.000
people were killed. The dictatorship by General Francisco Franco began.
The short story "Old Man at the Bridge" is one of "The First Forty-Nine Stories, written in
1938. Through his narrative skills Hemingway manages to give the reader the impression
that he himself is part of the scene or the encounter might have really happened like 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 animals in his native town,
but is worried now whether they might survive the artillery attack. The old man wears steel
rimmed spectacles, which do not fit to a shepherd or herdsman. The man is seventy-six
years old, he cannot walk any further, he is too weak and does not stop worrying about the
animals he left behind. The narrator asks him about the animals and finds out that the man
has left a cat, four pairs of pigeons and two goats. He comforts the old man by mentioning
that the cat and the birds will be fine and will take care of themselves.
Even if the story is full of dialogues, attempts to comfort, offerings of help, it is a sad story.
The old man might have had a life of intellectual interests, might have been a teacher or a
union activist. At the end of his life, he is neither worried about his dreams or goals or any
political opinions nor about his life or health, but about a few animals for which he felt
responsible. He must leave behind the pigeons, the symbol of peace and hope, and the cat,
symbol of seven lives. Only the goats, like the old man himself, are lost. Life shrinks to one
point of sorrow, which is endured with composure. There are no unnecessary or sentimental
words. The first person narrator helps the reader to identify with the scene of threat and
hopelessness. The plot is without climax or inner development. In my opinion Hemingway
was very successful to touch the readers heart with just a few words. (L.J., 11c, Dec.
2008)

The old man symbolizes the victims of war

The short story Old Man at the Bridge takes place during the Spanish
Civil War. It displays Hemingways own experience in war. The story deals
with a soldier who comes in contact with an old man at a bridge where
people are crossing to flee from the Spanish Civil War. The scout discovers
the old man and in the end he realizes the old man cannot move anymore
and
will
probably
die
at
the
bridge.
The first person narrator, who is not described in detail, tells the story.
That gives the impression that you are involved in this situation. The
narrator carefully describes the situation with commentaries, so that a clear picture of the
old
man
is
developed.
The main character of the story is a 76-year-old man. The narrator realizes that the refugee
is a man without politics. At the beginning he thinks that the man just wants to rest, but
later he realizes the old man is not able to move on and is going to die at the bridge. He
was forced to leave his farm where he had lived and to leave his animals behind. The man
repeats I was taking care of animals, I was only taking care of animals a few times. This
makes clear that he symbolizes the 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.
The old man also talks about the animals he has. He has a cat which can probably flee. She
is a symbol of the survivor because she has nine lives. He has pigeons which can fly away,
so they can also flee. They are a symbol of peace. But the old man is neither like the cat nor
the pigeons because he cannot flee like them. He is like the third animal he owns, the goat.
He cannot escape and is a victim of the war like the goat. The narrator apprehends that
there is nothing to do about him, the situation of this old man is hopeless. So he is going
to die on Easter Sunday, which is very ironic, because that is the day of the celebration of
Jesuss resurrection. (A.W., Dec. 2008)

By investigating The Old Man At The Bridge, we can understand that that the author Ernest
Hemingway is potraying the short story as an example of the relationship that he previousily
shared with his father. Hemingway uses devices such as the plot and characters to suggest
that Hemingway and his father were not close. He also emphasizes his fathers death in this
story; how he was watching through a window of consciencenous.
This short story describes Hemingway and his fathers interconnection. In the story The Old
Man and the Soldier do not know eachother. The soldier sees The Old Man as a stranger in
his eyes. The soldier is just there doing his job, and happens to see an old man that he'd
never seen before, sitting on the bridge. "An old man with steel rimmed spectacles and very
dusty clothes sat by the side of the road." (Hemingway1) What makes this a bit interesting is
that during his real life, Hemingway was distant from his father. They did not have a good
father to son connection that the Dad's are always braging about. "Growing to disdain his
father and despise his mother, Hemingway left Oak Park, Illinois, at 18 to begin his career
as a journalist at The Kansas City Star." (Broad,2,1) After his father had committed suicide
he felt somewhat more degrated and left behind. Therefore, The Old Man and Soldier
symbolize his father and how Hemingway saw their relations.

To continue with, The Old Man At The Bridge is a brief description of Hemingway's real life
relationship between him and his father. In the story the bridge is the door to death and The
Old Man is waiting behind it, in the reality of the story he at his last breathe, he's old and he
doesn't want to go on. While this happens, the soldier is standing by watching and knowing
that he is going to die if he doesn't move along. The Soldier tries but he makes no
difference to The Old Man; "If you are rested I would go," I urged. "Get up and try to walk
now." "Thank you," he said and got to his...