Give a critical analysis of Ernest

Hemingway's the Old Man at the Bridge

The story begins by talking about an old man, who was

forced to leave his town and his animals because of the
war. He was so sad and worried about his flock and his
sadness on the separation of his town and his animals,
which were his only source of comfort. He was alone in a
world with no one to go to. There was no place for him to
go, and there was a soldier who was assigned to find out
how close the enemy was , and when he was performing
his mission, the soldier saw the old man sad and feeling
confused and tired, sitting next to the bridge and he was
trying to guess what will happen to his animals. The
injustices of the world and its general cruelty has been
highlighted by the narration in this story.The narration talks
about having faith and about moving on with passing of
time, and it also illustrates the conditions of victims in war
who didnot do anything bad to be forced to leave their
homes. There is also something ironic in the story as the
narrator speaks to the old man and urges him to escape but
fails to help him. In the same way, the old man is
responsible for taking care of his flock but in the end he fails
to protect them. It’s like taking the role of a savior through
words but becoming powerless to do anything in the face
of hardships. Here, the soldier blames the old man’s luck for
his situation and leaves him to the chances of fate.