what is the dreadful effect of the war
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How does war impact everyone? Explain with reference to the story "Old Man at the Bridge."
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DAVID MORRISON eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
"Old Man at the Bridge" shows the devastating impact that war can have on people, especially innocent civilians. As the story opens, thousands of refugees are making their way to safety across a hastily constructed pontoon bridge. The fascists are coming, and their well-deserved reputation for brutality precedes them. With the imminent arrival of enemy forces, local people have no choice but to move on out.
The old man must also leave. But he chooses not to, sitting by the side of the dusty road in a state of debilitating torpor. The soldier tries to get the old man to get up and leave; but, although he manages to rise to his feet, the old man soon slumps back down in the dust, and there he remains.
The war has had a particularly devastating impact on the old man. This is the second time he's been required to leave town as a result of the conflict. He reluctantly had to leave his hometown of San Carlos behind, abandoning the animals he'd been caring for. This is what war does to people—it turns their whole lives upside down. More than that, it deeply traumatizes them, as we can see in the old man's constant worrying over the fate of the animals he was forced to leave behind.