there are times when people are made helpless by situation beyond their control . justify the statement in the context of the story 'old man at the bridge' by ernest hemingway(400-500 words)
Answers
Answer:
The old man at the bridge is a victim of circumstances. He has no politics, and yet, his world has been torn apart by a war he takes no sides in. He has nowhere to go, everyone from his village left before him. The old man stayed to care for the animals and only left when forced to. He is too weak to continue and too worried about the animals and life he left behind. He is helpless and without direction all because of circumstances beyond his contro
Explanation:
The theme of stagnation and lack of agency makes its presence strongly felt in the first paragraph of the story through its imagery of the dusty landscape. This is also highlighted through the use of words like ‘stagger‘, ‘plodded‘ etc which convey a sense of difficulty in movement. Not only does it reflect the manner in which people are stuck physically in a particular place but also represents countless lives stuck in the hell-hole of war violence.
Making use of the first person narrative, Hemingway, in one masterstroke, underlines the theme of loss of agency by linking the literal and the figurative :
“It was my business to cross the bridge; explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy had advanced. I did this and returned over the bridge. There were not so many carts now and very few people on foot, but the old man was still there.”
The people spoken of in the first paragraph of the story have already crossed the bridge. This soldier (who is narrator of the story) has already returned after having crossed the bridge. But an man is still there where he had erstwhile been. The old man tells the soldier how they were made to vacate his hometown due to the war and how he had to leave his animals behind which included a cat, pigeons and two goats.
On a closer look, one finds that out of the animals the old man talks about, the cats and dogs are free to escape but the goats are stuck, unable to move, very much like the old man himself. This confluence of the literal and the figurative meanings of the story is manifested in the inaction of the old man throughout the story. Much about this, later.
“Where do you come from?” I asked him
“From San Carlos” he said and smiled. That was his native town so it give him pleasure to mention it and he smiled.
This story isn’t as simple as it appears to be, quite like the abovementioned ‘smile’ of the old man. At first sight, it may seem that the soldier is in charge of the situation. In fact, he projects himself to be in charge and even wield some authority over the old man- to the extent of interpreting all his actions (including his smile). However, for all we know, he is just as lost and clueless and is stuck in the position where he has to face the advancing Fascists (it is sheer irony that the advance of the Fascists takes place on Easter Sunday, supposed to be a day of peace). Furthermore, very often in the story, we find a sense of miscommunication between the two men. The soldier often uses the phrase “not quite understanding” and often, the words spoken by either characters are seldom directed at each other. Therefore, when the narrator says that it is the pleasure that makes the old man smile while mentioning San Carlos, we need not necessarily accept it at face value. The reason behind the man’s smile may either be what the soldier presumes it to be or alternatively, it could be a confused expression resulting from the trauma of displacement. For all we know, not all smiles translate to happiness.
When the soldier is “watching the bridge and the African looking country of the Ebro Delta” and “listening for awhile for the first noises that would signal that ever-mysterious event called contact” we understand that he has been provided a word (“contact”) with which to understand his situation. However, the old man’s life has been torn apart by a nameless reality, one which he can neither understand nor articulate.
We are told that the old man had to leave behind “two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons”.
“And you had to leave them?” I asked
“Yes. Because of the artillery. The captain told me to go because of the artillery.”
This seemingly disinterested line becomes significant in its import. In times of war or any hostile atmosphere for that matter, many innocent lives are very easily and conveniently labeled as “collateral damage” – people who are deeply affected by a situation in which they are not even participating through their own volition.
Events like war refuse to recognize and acknowledge the humanity of the individuals – with all their hopes, aspirations, desires, and their way of life. Indeed, the very fabric of their being is shredded by its inhumane logic. Moreover, one doesn’t need a reason to be sucked up in its whirlpool of violence. One simply is.