Themes on 'The old man at the Bridge'
Answers
Answer:
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Explanation:
1. Pointlessness of War: One of the main themes of the story is the pointlessness (fatality) of war. The Spanish Civil War forms the background to the story Hemingway has depicted in the story how, in times of war, man acts inhumanly to his own race, War causes death and destruction, and this is highlighted through the condition of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of war. The old man gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals, but war takes away everything from him. He now nits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as his goats; he cannot escape and is to old and tired to save himself. Forced to flee his town, the old man now under hear the Ebro river. He surrenders to his fate and waits for his impending death.
2 Compassion: The theme of compassion is reflected through the nameless soldier, who engages in a conversation with the old man. Once the soldier es the region to observe the advancing of the enemy, he sees an old man and asks him trivially, "where do you come from?" At the beginning, he seems le interested in the old man. Then he starts to feel pity and compassion for him. The two engage in a conversation about the animals that the old man has left behind. The old man tells him that there are two goats, a cat ed four pairs of pigeons. The old man is neither concerned about the cat, as cats can independently protect themselves, nor the pigeons, as the soldier is him that they will fly away. The old man worries for the goats; similarly, the soldier worries for the old man.The soldier becomes a friend in need for the old man, with whom the boy man shares his worries. Perhaps it is the old man's first contact and ersation with another person since a long time and he is happy that ecoe is interested in him. The soldier tells the old man to reach the other ed the bridge and advises him to flee as soon as possible. He urges the get up and cross the bridge, the man tries but fails. The soldier feels saker him. Thus the story ends with the old man's concern for the goats t the soldier's concern for the man.