Why the old man sit down again in the dust? What light does his actions throw on his character? .
Answers
The given excerpt is from the famous short tale of Ernest Hemingway named “old man and the Bridge”. The short tale was written by him while he worked as a journalist to cover the news about the Spanish Civil War that happened in 1938. Hemingway has submitted this story to the Ken Magazine as a short story which was actually prepared for the news column.
Coming to the question, the old man who was found by Hemingway was sitting against the dust near the Pontoon Bridge while everyone in the surrounding villages is fleeing across the bridge along with soldiers to survive an anticipated enemy attack. Hemingway questioned the old man and came to know that the old man was forced to halt near the bridge because of fatigue as he used to walk twelve kilometers from his village. The old man said that he was forced to leave all the pet animals behind and worried thinking about them.
Even though Hemingway suggested the old man to leave the bridge and take the crossroad to head away from the enemies the old man didn’t seem to proceed by the suggestion. The old man just replied that he knows that there is no enemy in the direction that was suggested by Hemingway. Hemingway had come to a determination after hearing that reply that the old man was determined to face death as it is imminent for the old man.