what is the old man's fate symbolic of
Answers
I guess you are asking about the short story “Old man at the bridge” by Ernest Hemmingway.
From the story, there were three symbolic animals the cat, birds and the goats.
The cat symbolizes survivors, the birds symbolize peace and the goats symbolize sacrifice of the victims. It is a very touching story about the war.
I guess this question is most probably from the story, " Old Man at the Bridge " which is authored by Ernest Hemingway.
The fate of the old man is clearly symbolized by his pet animals and birds, namely, the cat, the two goats and the four pairs of pigeons. He is concerned a lot about the fate of these animals by which the author actually defines the fate of the old man. The cat can lead a life on its own and hence symbolizes independence and the people who will survive in the war. The two goats symbolizes the sacrifice or death of the poor people of the war going to occur. The four pairs of pigeons symbolizes the people who are leaving their houses due to the fear of the ill effects of war which is going to occur in their town. Sadly and unfortunately, the goats which are going to die symbolizes the fate of the old man i.e. death.
