A short story “Old Man at the Bridge” was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1938. The events of the story take place during the wartime in Spain. The narrator is a soldier whose duty is to cross the bridge and see how quickly the Fascists approach the city. At this bridge, he sees an old man who tells the narrator that he has come from San Carlos where he took care of animals but was forced to leave them because of artillery. Having come to the bridge, the old man has no strength and desire to move forward. The following short story touches upon the themes of duty and hopelessness of human life.
The story of the old man sitting at the bridge demonstrates the importance of duty and calling in people’s lives. In fact, the only thing the man recollects at the end of his life is the time when he took care of animals. From his story, one learns that he has never had a family and, evidently, nobody to share his love with. As a result, these were his animals that became his best friends and his reason to live. The understanding that they would not be able to survive without him gave the man strength to live further and realize his importance in this world. However, when he left them, his existence lost its sense.
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"Old Man at the Bridge".
Another critical theme discussed in the following short story is the hopelessness of the human life and inevitableness of death. Having lived a long life, the old man has reached a particular point in it when he is unable to go further. The man is exhausted, physically and morally, and sees no purpose in continuing his way since he has no one who will wait for him anywhere in this world. The title of the story also has a symbolic meaning. In this case, the bridge metaphorically represents a new stage in someone’s life, a crucial change that one has to overcome. However, instead of crossing it, the old man chooses to stay sitting at the bridge waiting for the end of his life.
Summing up, the following story reveals a chain of philosophical problems. In particular, it emphasizes that duty and calling are essential factors that serve as a means of self-fulfillment for many people. Moreover, it demonstrates the brevity of human life and the unavoidability of fate.
- Hemingway, Ernest. “Old Man at the Bridge.” The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Macmillan Co., 1987, pp. 57–58.
