Old Man at the Bridge Question and Answers RTCs

Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway: Question and Answers RTCs: 

** For a detailed line by line explanation video of the story, click on the following link: https://youtu.be/r7mbQf9T1gE

1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

An old man with steel rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts, trucks and men, women and children were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts staggered up the steep bank from the bridge with soldiers helping push against the spokes of the wheels. The trucks ground up and away heading out of it all and the peasants plodded along in the ankle deep dust. But the old man sat there without moving.

i. Why were civilians crossing the pontoon bridge?

Civilians were crossing the pontoon bridge in order to get to a safe place before the Fascists attacked their home towns. It was no longer safe for them to remain in their home towns.

ii. Why did the old man not move from his place?

 The old man was seventy-six years old. He was too tired to get up as he had already walked twelve kilometres. Moreover, his mind was numb from the shock of being displaced from his home and leaving his animals behind.

iii. Why did the narrator cross the bridge? What did he notice when he returned? 

The narrator crossed the bridge because it was his responsibility to check how far the enemy had advanced.

On returning from the bridge, the narrator noticed that there were not many carts on the bridge and fewer people on foot. But strangely, the old man was still sitting at the same place.

iv. Where was the old man from? Why did he leave his animals behind?

The old man was from San Carlos.

He was forced to leave his home and his animals on the captain's orders in order to escape the artillery fire.

v. Why did the narrator speak to the old man the first time? 

The narrator first noticed the old man sitting by the side of the road. The old man did not seem eager to cross the bridge along with the other people. Even when the narrator crossed the bridge, examined the surroundings and returned, he spotted the old man still sitting at the same place. The crowd crossing the bridge had reduced but the old man had not budged. This made the narrator curious and he spoke to the old man.

Q2 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

"Yes," he said. "I stayed, you see, taking care of animals. I was the last one to leave the town of San Carlos." He did not look like a shepherd nor a herdsman and I looked at his black dusty clothes and his grey dusty face and his steel rimmed spectacles and said, "What animals were they?" "Various animals," he said and shook his head. "I had to leave them."

i. Why did the narrator find it difficult to believe that the old man looked after animals?

The old man did not look like a shepherd or a herdsman nor was he dressed like one. His black clothes and steel rimmed spectacles were dusty and dirty from the long journey.

ii. How many animals did the old man own? Was he happy to leave them behind?

The old man had two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons.

He was unhappy to leave them behind and fretted over their safety. He wondered how they would manage without him and how they would survive the war.

iii. What did the narrator advise the old man? Why?

The narrator advised the old man to walk up to the point where! to Tortosa and hitch a ride in a truck to Barcelona.

He gave this advice because the place could be attacked by the enemy any moment. Also, he felt sorry for the helpless old man who had been uprooted from his home town for no fault of his.

iv. Why did the old man not heed the soldier's advice?

The old man was seventy-six years old. He had walked twelve kilometres and was too tired to walk further. Moreover he was still numb from the shock of being separated from his beloved animals and continuously worried about them. He did not appear too concerned about his own safety.

v. Explain the significance of the old man's statement 'I am without politics:

The old man's statement about having no political leanings perfectly captures the status of common people during a military conflict. It also highlights the futility of war quite clearly. Whether they support a war or not, common people are the most affected by it. They are forced to be a part of something they do not entirely understand. They find themselves in a helpless situation, forced to uproot their lives.

3 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

He looked at me very blankly and tiredly, then said, having to share his worry with someone, "The cat will be alright I'm sure. There is no need to be unquiet about the cat. But the others. Now what do you think about the others?"

i. What was the old man fretting about? Why?

The old man was fretting about the animals he had left behind- one cat, one goat and four pairs of pigeons. He was less worried about the cat as he felt it could take care of itself.

He constantly worried about his animals' welfare because he was not sure if they would be able to escape the artillery. He felt that if he had to evacuate because of the impending attack, there was very little chance that animals would be able to survive the attack.

ii. How did the narrator attempt to console the old man?

The narrator attempted to console the old man by assuring him that his animals would be safe and would survive the artillery fire. He assured him that the cat and the goats would be fine while the pigeons would fly away to safety as the cage door was open. He further attempted to calm the old man by changing the topic and urging him to move from there.

iii. Even as the narrator was conversing with the old man, what thoughts were passing through his mind?

Even as the narrator was chatting with the old man, he kept watching the bridge and the Ebro Delta and wondered how long it would be before the enemy made contact. He listened for unusual sounds that indicated that the enemy had made contact. He watched the far end of the bridge where no more carts were to be seen anymore.

iv.Why does Hemingway call the pigeons 'doves' later in the story?

Doves are symbols of peace and hope. By referring to the pigeons as doves, the author might be indicating that those who managed to flee have the chance to experience peace. They can hope to rebuild their lives elsewhere.

v. How is the theme of compassion reflected in the story?

The theme of compassion is seen through both the old man and the soldier's actions. The old man's thoughts revolve entirely around the safety of his animals. He is disappointed that he could not do enough to ensure their safety. He does not express any worry for his own safety. Similarly, the soldier shows compassion by showing concern for the old man's well-being and by lending an ear to the old man. He realises that the old man was shocked by the developments and also exhausted. So he gently tries to urge the old man to walk on. Thus, the story clearly shows that human beings can show their compassionate side even during difficult situations.

Q4 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

 "If you are rested I would go," I urged. "Get up and try to walk now."

"Thank you," he said and got to his feet, swayed from side to side and then sat down backwards in the dust.

"I was taking care of animals," he said dully, but no longer to me. "I was only taking care of animals"

i. Quote the lines from this extract that express the narrator's concern for the old man. Did the narrator believe that there was any hope for the old man? 

"If you are rested I would go," I urged. "Get up and try to walk now." These lines bring out the soldier's concern for the old man.

The narrator had lost all hope for the old man. This is evident from his thought that there was nothing to do about the old man.

ii. What happened when the old man tried to get back up? Why? 

On the narrator urging the old man to get up and try to walk to escape the enemy, the old man got up. But he swayed from side to side and sat back down again.

The old man was seventy-six years old and had walked twelve kilometres from his hometown. He was exhausted and had lost the will to carry on. Moreover he was too shocked and disappointed about having to leave his animals behind.

iii. According to the narrator, what'good luck' did the old man have?

The Fascists were moving towards the Ebro. But because it was a cloudy day, the Fascists would not be able to fly their planes. So their arrival would take more time. Also, the old man's mind was partly at ease because his cats would be able to look after themselves. According to the narrator, this would be the 'good luck' that the old man would enjoy.

iv. Comment on the irony in the story.

One of the ironies in the story is that the old man's cat and the pigeons stood a better chance of surviving the artillery rather than the old man. However, the old man was more worried about his animals' survival rather than his own safety.

Another irony is in the setting of the story on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is believed to be the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore, a day of celebration. But for the old man, it was likely to be his last day. Since he was too tired to walk any further, he would most like not escape the Fascists' attack..

v. Describe the narrator's character.

The narrator comes across as a considerate person. He takes interest in what the old man tells him and does not lose patience even when the old man keeps repeating himself. He even tries to comfort the old man by saying that his animals would make it out alive. The soldier is anxious about the old man's safety and urges him twice to try to walk to a safer place. Like the old man, the soldier loses hope ultimately and accepts that there was nothing much he could do for the old man.

II. Answer the following questions with reference to Ernest Hemingway's short story Old Man at the Bridge.

i. What does the old man symbolize in the story 'Old Man at the Bridge?"

The old man symbolizes innocent civilians whose lives are disrupted by war irrespective of their political leanings. War leaves everybody scarred and wounded, physically and emotionally. The old man, who is seventy-six years old, is forced to leave his home and his animals, who were practically the only family he had. As a result, he is deeply emotionally traumatised. All through his conversation with the narrator, he can only think about his animals. Despite the narrator's best efforts to ease his worries, he repeatedly keeps wondering how his animals would survive. Just as he is emotionally drained, the old man is physically exhausted too. After having walked twelve kilometres at his age, he no longer has the strength to carry on. He does try to get up once, but does not manage to stay on his feet.

The old man also represents fatalism. The war has deprived the old man of all hope and he seems to have accepted his fate. Several statements in the story indicate this fatalistic attitude. For instance, he tells the narrator how he "could go no further". When the narrator tells him about the truck to Barcelona, he says that he knows no one there, indicating that he has no motivation to hitch a ride and save himself.

ii. In what respect are the narrator and the soldier similar at the end of the story? Towards the end of the story, both characters are seen as helpless and devoid of all hope.

The war had forced the old man to leave his hometown and his animals behind, and walk twelve kilometres to the bridge to escape the artillery fire. He felt immensely helpless because he could do nothing for his animals. In a way, he seemed to feel guilty about having left his animals to die. The old man had no hope for his own survival either. He had given up entirely on trying to walk further to a safer place. No amount of encouragement from the narrator gave him the will to try to save his own life.

The narrator felt helpless because he could do nothing more than urge the old man to walk on. This is brought out most clearly through his observation: "There was nothing to do about him." After having tried twice to urge the old man to move to safety, he lost all hope. He knew that the old man would not be able to walk any more and that he would eventually be killed in the enemy attack.

Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway  :-

1. Question and Answers RTCs: http://old-man-at-bridge-question-and-answers

2. Context and Summary: http://old-man-at-bridge-context-and-summary

3. Themes, Setting, Literary Devices, Form and Structure: http://old-man-at-bridge-themes-setting-form

4.  Character Analysis: http://old-man-at-bridge-character-analysis