The Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Miller Hemingway [Summary]

"The Old Man at the Bridge" belongs to the period when Hemingway was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the story was a news dispatch from a bridge over the Ebro River on Easter Sunday in 1938. The story tells of war's devastating effects and the misery of the civilians without a single sound of a gunshot or any other mention of violence. Animals have a better chance of survival than human beings in wars, which no animal ever stages. The tragedy of the human condition marked by stoicism, depression, and death is deftly suggested with a minimum of words and practically no external action.

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About the writer Ernest Miller Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

The Old Man at the Bridge [Summary]

 So, many people are escaping toward safety place by crossing the Ebro River. Supporters of leftists, many soldiers were helping to cross people from the pontoon bridge (पानीमा तैरिने पुल).

An old man was on the bridge. A soldier asked him why he did not want to run away to a safe place. The old man had come there from a town, San Carlos. He did not have any family members. When the soldier advised him to run away, he only talked about his three types of animals, two goats, a cat, and four pairs of pigeons. He thought that in the time of war, the cat only looked after himself.

He said that he did not know about politics. The soldier told him to go to Barcelona so that he might not be hurt and killed by fascists. The old man did not want to go there because there were not any known people to him. The soldier again asked him if he freed the caged bird, dove.

At that time, the soldier got slips of the tongue as the old man had told him that he had only four pairs of pigeons. In fact, dove stands for peace in Europe. The soldier may have wanted peace so that his mind may have asked him about the dove.

At that time, there was Easter Sunday which is the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection. Similarly, the weather was not good so there were not any fascists plane in the sky. It was great luck to the old man.

In this way, the story shows the negative impact of war, especially on poor and old people.

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The Old Man at the Bridge [Question answer]

What is the significance of Easter Sunday in the story The Old Man at the Bridge?

Ans: Easter Sunday is the day of the revival of Jesus Christ from his death. The significance of Easter Sunday in the story is that Easter Sunday is presented as a savior day for the old man.

Why does the narrator change pigeons for doves towards the end of the story?

Ans: The narrator changes pigeons for doves towards the end of the story because his tongue might have slipped. The old man revealed to him that he had four pigeons in his town but the soldier asked him if he freed doves. Here, symbolically dove stands for the peace and love that the soldier wanted in Spain.

Why is the old man more concerned about the animals than about himself in the story ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’?

Ans: He is from a town, San Carlos, and does not have any family members. He is old enough. So, for him, animals are his part of family members. Similarly, goats and pigeons are his sources of income so he recalls every time to them.

Why does he think the cat is much better off among all others?

Ans: The cat is much better off among all others because he knows more tricks to defend himself than goats and pigeons. Similarly, he is not used to being eaten for meat but goats and pigeons are edible and can be stolen too.

What does the old man symbolize? Is it meaningful that he is at the bridge?

Ans: The old man symbolizes the innocent people for whom the matter of handing to mouth is only important. Yes, it is meaningful that he is at the bridge because till people have the thread of hope and life, they do struggle to survive so he also came to the Ebro River walking from far from his native town.

What has the setting to do with the action of the story The Old Man at the Bridge?

Ans: The setting of the story is Ebro River on Easter Sunday which echoes the Spanish civil war between leftists and rightists. Easter Sunday makes us recall the life of Christ.

How does the writer suggest that the Old Man wouldn't be able to return to his native town?

Ans: He is now sixty- six years and cannot walk anymore. To return to his native town, he has to run or walk with great consciousness.

Bring out the irony of the story The Old Man at the Bridge?

Ans: The irony of the story is that the old man has come to Ebro River with the mentality to go to a safe place but as he comes there, he does not want to go to the safe place.

What does the story ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’ suggest about the consequences of armed struggle?

Ans: Due to armed struggle, people become homeless, jobless, and penniless. Innocent people who do not care about politics and war, also suffer much. Political leaders for their welfare, invite war but its negative impacts directly go to the poor and innocent people.

Similarly, armed conflict often leads to forced migration, refugee flow, capital loss, and the destruction of societies' infrastructure. Social, political, and economic institutions are indelibly harmed. In the story, the old man was happy with his three types of animals: goat, cat, and pigeons (for pigeons also, he says animal). Due to fear of war, he left them all in his town and becomes homeless.

There was nothing to do about him. It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists were advancing toward the Ebro. It was a gray overcast day with a low ceiling so their planes were not up. That and the fact that cats know how to look after themselves was all the good luck that an old man would ever have. Based on these lines, do you think the story ends in a note of hope or despair? Explain.

Ans: The story ends on a note of hope because Easter Sunday is the symbol of hope, resurrection, and revitalization. The writer indirectly wants to say that the old man is not harmed on that day because of Easter Sunday. Due to Easter Sunday and the power of Christ, fascists' planes did not appear in the sky because there was a grey or black cloud.