THE OLD MAN AT

THE BRIDGE
 THEME
“The Old man at the
bridge” reveals
that war comes
with loss
SUMMARY
‘THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE’
E.Hemingway
 SUMMARY

The story is set in the countryside during the Spanish Civil War. An old man wearing steel-
rimmed spectacles and dirty clothes sits exhausted by the roadside near a pontoon bridge that
crosses a river. Peasant refugees and Republican soldiers were fleeing from the advancing
Fascist army. Carts, trucks, men, women, and children were also crossing the bridge. The
narrator who is crossing the bridge as a part of his business to find out to what point the enemy
had advanced, notices the old man while crossing back. Upon questioning him, he knows that
the old man is from the town of San Carlos. He is so exhausted as he has just walked 12 km
from his hometown that he has to halt at the bridge. He wants to take care of animals left
behind, and he is more conscious and worried about their safety than his own. He is in charge
of two goats, a cat, and four pairs of pigeons. Sadly, he is compelled to leave them behind. He
says that the cat will take care of itself but doesn't know what will happen to the other animals.
The correspondent suggests that he can catch a truck towards Barcelona at the crossroads but
the old man explains that he knows no one there. The correspondent seems unconcerned and
thinks the enemy would soon cross the bridge and the old man would meet his fate.
SETTING
‘THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE’
E.Hemingway
 SETTING
The setting of the story is daytime
near a pontoon bridge close to the
village of San Carlos in Spain. Proof
of this is shown when the narrator
asks the old man where he is from
and the old man says, San Carlos. It
is during the Spanish Civil War in
probably 1938.
Characters
 The old man
 76 years old, healthy.
 Leaves his hometown due to the Spanish
Civil War.
 No family, but loves his animals, worried
about the safety of the animals during war
 not worried about his own safety
 A fatalist
 Obsessed with the thought of his animals’
safety
 Reconciles himself with his impending
death.
 The soldier

 A dutiful soldier
 Worried about the safety of the old
man during the war
 Advises the old man to leave the place
and save himself
 Feels pity for the old man
 expresses his helplessness to do
anything about the old man
 Bemoans the old man’s impending
death
Point of View
POV
 The story was told from
the first-person point of view
Limited
 Story

Climax

Raising Falling
 Rising action
The middle of the story presents the rising action in
the form of dialogue. The narrator presents the
conversation between him and the old man on the
bridge. Their conversation is simple and reveals
gradually that the man has to leave his town and the
animals he was taking care of. The narrator advises
the old man to keep going, but the old man is not
convinced and keeps thinking about his animals.
 Climax
The old man tells the narrator that he is an old man of seventy -
six and has come twelve kilometers and is too tired to go
further. Though the narrator tells him to walk up the road and
catch a ride on a truck to Barcelona, but the narrator's advice
cannot convince him in any way. The old man continues to
express his concern over the fate of the animals. At one time,
the old man tries to get to his feet, sways from side to side then
sits down backwards in the dust. Here, at this point, the reader
is forced to think about the fate of the old man He is inclined to
think whether the old man will survive by reaching to a safe
place with the help of the soldier or he will be killed by the
enemy.
Conflict
 Conflicts

1st 2nd

Internal External
The old man - his inner self, the
old man is guilty of leaving his Much larger forces whose
animal behind for fear of the struggle affects the little people’s
artillery. lives unavoidably involved
For the old man, his animal was
his family. However in order to
save himself, he had to leave his
animals behind
Style
 IMAGERY

The lonely old man himself symbolizes a soldier who is alive after the
war. The 2 goats represent the soldiers who could not take care of
themselves and couldn't fight the war. The cat represents the soldiers
who could fight well with the enemy and kill them without any fear.
The 4 pairs of pigeons symbolize new hope.
.

“An old man with steel rimmed spectacles and very

dusty clothes sat by the side of the road” Quotation
 Symbolism magnified

Cats Pigeons Goats

The suvivors who are free for The suvivors who fly The victims who do not survive
luck (nine lives).
 Cats
● The cat, which “can look out for itself,” is the most
resilient creature because it is autonomous and does
not depend on others to survive. It is also a solitary
animal, and in an ugly conflict where people must
fend for themselves, the cat represents someone
who can stay alive but won’t necessarily help
others.
 Pigeons

The flock of birds, first called pigeons by the

old man and later called doves by the
narrator, can escape from the unlocked
cage and fly away from the artillery. The
fact that the narrator refers to them as
“doves” (a symbol of peace) after the old
man spoke of them as pigeons reveal his
longing for the war to end.
 Goats

The goats come to be associated with the narrator

himself, as they have no chance of surviving
with nobody to care for them, just as the old
man himself will likely die without family or
friends to help him escape.
IRONY

Like a goat which is

sanctified, the old man’s
fate is sealed on an Easter
Sunday, a day of hope and
faith.
 Irony (Quotation)

01 02

Though the man is so worried

The story takes place on about his animals, they have a
Easter Sunday-a day better chance of surviving than
usually known as he does.
peaceful.
“ I was only taking care of
“It was Easter Sunday and the
animals”
Fascists were advancing towards
the Ebro”
 Reflection
● War causes devastation not only to the
ones involved in the battle but also to the
common people. War causes both
physical and emotional, trauma to all the
victims.

● Stories were told, and graves were built,

but the pain still remained. One who was
born in peace should be grateful for the
peace they got.
THANK YOU