CLASS IX- OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

TREASURE TROVE STORIES

WORKBOOK ANSWERS

EXTRACT I
There was a pontoon bridge across the river…..he was too tired to go any
further.

1. What is a pontoon bridge? Why are many people crossing the bridge?

ANS: A bridge that is made of large hollow containers filled with air is called
a pontoon bridge.
The story is set during the Spanish Civil war and people are crossing the bridge to
protect themselves from the impending attack by the enemy troops.

2. Where is the old man sitting? Unlike others, why doesn’t he move?

ANS: The old man was too tired to go any farther because he had already
walked twelve kilometers since he left his hometown, San Carlos.

3. Who is the speaker in the above extract? Why is he there?

ANS: The unnamed narrator, who is an army scout is the speaker. He was on
a mission to cross the bridge and find out how far the enemy had advanced.

4. What is the first question that the narrator asks the old man? What does
he answer? Why does the old man smile?

ANS: The narrator asked the old man where he came from. The old man
replied, “ San Carlos”, and he smiled because the mention of his native town gave
him pleasure.

5. Why is the old man the last one to leave his town? Describe his physical
appearance.

ANS: The old man was the last to leave because he was taking care of his
animals. The old man wore dusty clothes and steel rimmed spectacles. His face was
grey and dusty.
EXTRACT II

He did not look like a shepherd…. “What animals were they?”

1. Who is referred to as He in the extract above? In what condition is he?

ANS: Old man is He. He is in a weary condition as he has already walked

twelve kilometers and too tired to move further. Moreover his clothes are dusty and
his face has turned grey.

2. What all animals did he own? What kind of relationship did he share with
them?

ANS: He had two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. The animals were his
family; he loved them and cared for them so much that separating from them made
him feel that he had lost his reason for existence.

3. What did he do with the animals? What forced him to do so?

ANS: He left the animals behind in his native town of San Carlos. They heavy
firing from the enemy forced him to do so.

4. Why doesn’t the old man cross the bridge and escape to a safer place?

ANS: He had already traveled twelve kilometers, so he was too tired to go any
further. He was weak, the old man had no family and he had left his animals behind,
he felt helpless as he couldn’t save his animals; he surrendered himself to his fate.

5. What do the incidents in the story show about the consequences of the war?

ANS: The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and
Hemingway depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race.
War causes and 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 the war takes away
everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as his
goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself.

EXTRACT III
"I am without politics…..forks for Tortosa.

1. What does the old man mean when he states, “ I am without politics”? Why
does he mention his age?

ANS: Like other innocent civilians what matters to the old man is his home
and animals rather than politics. He mentions his age along with the fact that he had
already walked twelve kilometers to reflect the extent of his weariness.

2. Describe the old man’s appearance. What was he doing in San Carlos?

ANS: The old man wore steel rimmed spectacles; his clothes were black and
dusty and his face had turned grey from dust. In San Carlos, he was taking care of
his animals.

3. The narrator says “ This is not a good place to stop.” Which place is he
referring to? Why is it not advisable to halt there?

ANS: The place referred to is a war zone at a pontoon bridge across the Ebro
river. The place is 12kilometers from San Carlos in Spain.

4. What does the narrator give to the old man? How does the old man react
to it?

ANS: The narrator advised the old man to cross the bridge and catch a truck
towards Barcelona. But the old man replied that he did not know anyone there.
However, he thanked the narrator for his suggestion and continued to express his
concern for the fate of the animals he had left behind.

5. Explain why the old man finally resigns to his fate.

ANS: The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and
Hemingway depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race.
War causes and 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 the war takes away
everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as his
goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself. Forced to flee his
town the old man sits near the Ebro River; he surrenders to his fate and waits for his
impending death.

EXTRACT IV

He looked at me very blankly….think about others?

1. Why does the old man look blank and tired? How can you say that the old
man needed someone to talk to?

ANS: The man was forced to flee from his native town, leaving behind his
only family i.e. his animals. He was concerned for them but did not know what to
do. It made him blank. Moreover, he was 76 years old man who had already travelled
twelve kilometers so he was tired.

The manner in which the old man engaged in a conversation with the narrator and
told him about his village and animals shows that he needed someone to talk to.

2. What is the cause of old man’s worry and guilt?

ANS: The old man believed that he must watch over the cat, the goats and the
pigeons in San Carlos. The man was not able to fulfill his responsibilities so was
guilty and wondered what the animals would do in his absence.

3. Explain how the story brings out the conflict between man and his inner
self.

ANS: The story has two levels of conflicts. One of the conflicts is that
between man and his inner self which is seen in the character of the old man. The
old man is guilty of leaving his animals behind for the fear of fire by the artillery.

Man against another man is the other conflict in the story. In times of war, a man
causes pain and suffering to another man. He fights with his own race for a
seemingly greater good.
4. The old man seems to have given up on his life. Do you agree? Why?

Yes, it seemed that the old man had given up on his life:

ANS: He was not concerned for his safety. He sat by the side of the road at a
pontoon bridge in the war zone. Despite repeated insistence from the narrator to save
his life and to catch a truck to Barcelona, the old man paid no heed. He was
preoccupied only with the fate of his animals he had left behind in San Carlos.

5. How does the narrator try to relieve the old man of his worries? Does he
prove successful? Support your answer with instances from the story.

ANS: The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had

left the dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine.
At regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a
friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries. The
old man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals. The
narrator thus realizes that nothing can be done about him and moves on leaving him
at the bridge.

EXTRACT V
“I was taking care of animals……would ever have.

1. Why does the narrator note that the old man spoke ‘dully’

ANS: The old man had lost all hope and was filled with guilt for not being
able to look after his animals. War thus does not only cause physical destruction but
also psychological destruction.

2. What makes the narrator feel that “there was nothing to do about him?”

ANS: The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had

left the dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine.
At regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a
friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries. The old
man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals. The narrator
thus realizes that nothing can be done about him and moves on leaving him at the
bridge.

3. State how both the narrator and the old man are depicted as helpless by the
end.

ANS: The old man loved his animals so much that separating from them made
him feel that he had lost his reason for existence. The old man, like his goats, had no
one to take care of him and thus he surrendered to his fate.

The narrator lends a kind ear to the old man and urges the man to get up and cross
the bridge; the man tries but fails. The soldier feels sorry for him. Thus the story
ends with the old man’s concern for the goats and the soldier’s concern for the man.

4. What is “all the good luck that old man would ever have?”

ANS: All the luck that he would have is that the cats could protect themselves
and as the day was overcast, the Fascists would not launch their planes to attack the
local people.

5. The story is set on an Easter Sunday, which symbolically shows renewal

and peace. How is it ironical with reference to the events in the story?

ANS: The Old Man at the Bridge, the action of the story is set on Easter
Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after he was
crucified. Thus, Easter is symbolically viewed as a welcome time of rebirth, renewal
and possible change. However, for the old man at the bridge, this day meant
inevitable death and the destruction of that was meaningful to him.

The image of resurrected Christ is like the image of the old man’s doves being
released from their cage, both being symbols of hope and peace. The soldier ,
however, is not hopeful about the old man’s fate-he bitterly remarks that ‘all the
good luck that old man would ever have’ was the fact that the artillery planes of the
enemy could not fly that day.
STRUCTUTRED QUESTIONS

(A) State the narrator’s attitude towards the old man. Give evidence from the
story to support your answer.

ANS: The narrator feels quite concerned about the safety of the old man. He
tries hard to convince him to get away from that place, for the enemy troops are
about to reach there.

The old man does not seem very concerned about his own safety; he is only
worried about the animals he has left behind. Those animals include two goats, a cat,
and eight pigeons.

Having traveled for twelve kilometers, the old man is now stopped midway
on a bridge, brooding over the well-being of his animals. The narrator can see the
pointlessness of the old man’s concern. He pities the old man, for his life is more
vulnerable than those of his animals in the situation.

When the old man says, “A cat can look out for itself, but I cannot think what
will become of the others," the narrator tries to allay his fears by saying, “They'll
probably come through it all right.”

Moreover, the narrator comes up with quite a convincing argument to make

the old man feel safe about his pigeons. He says that “they'll fly,” because the old
man has left the door of the cage unlocked. The old man agrees with him, but he is
not able to overcome his anxiety for his animals. He says, Yes, certainly they'll fly.
But the others?. At the end, the narrator gives in and decides to leave the old man to
his fate.

(B)There are times when the people are made helpless by situations beyond
their control. Justify the statement in context of the story.

ANS: The short story ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’ is written by Ernest
Hemingway. It is a story which depicts how people become helpless due to situations
that are beyond their control.
This story shows a setting in San Carlos during the Spanish Civil war. The
author’s mission was to cross the bridge daily to check the advancement of the army
into their territory.
 On one such occasion, the author happened to come across an old man sitting
near the bridge at the Ebro river. Although he knew the army had reached really
close, the old man would not listen to the author’s plea of moving from there. He
could not bear to part with the animals and birds he loved the most.
The author was prepared to help the old man to get out from there. However,
the old man refuses to move from there, which makes the poet feel helpless.
(c) Without a single shot being fired or a drop of blood being spilled in the story
the author has portrayed the true destruction caused by war. How does the
story highlight the destruction caused by war?

ANS: In His story, Hemingway has shown the readers a brief glimpse of war by
making the use of different literary devices into the story to point out the tragically
ironic features of war’s ability to destroy even the most innocent creatures in its
wake. The nameless old man who is about 76 years old has walked over six miles
from his home in San Carlos and reached a pontoon bridge near Ebro river and sat
there completely tired. There he meets the narrator and is warned by him to move
along and flee to Barcelona. But the old man is too tired to journey any further to
any place.

On the far side of the bridge lies Barcelona, which represents the
possibility of safety and refuge. On the near side, only certain destruction awaits.
The bridge symbolizes the point of no return for the old man. If he crosses over, he
may be safe but he must give up his everything. But if he stays, he will most likely
share the fate of his beloved animals he cared for in San Carlos.

The narrator of the story points out that the story is set on Easter Sunday,
a Christian holiday meant to celebrate Christ rising from the dead. But the irony in
his declaration is very much apparent as no one will resurrect but only join the dead
when the Fascists attack the city.

The unarmed old man does not belong to either side. He feels compassion
for those organisms who are not equipped to survive the destruction unleashed by
the war and its aftermath. He is 76 years old and does not have enough strength to
make it to the other side of the bridge. It clearly shows that he poses no threat to
anyone. But still his life is in danger.
 The Spanish Civil War can be said to be a precursor to World War II and
alerted the world to what the horrors of a war and what would lie ahead for then
when the actual war would spread. Hemingway shows us what happens to the
innocent and the powerless in the war.

In the end, Hemingway captures the inhumanity and barbaric nature of

war. But quite ironically, he does so without a single shot being fired or one drop of
blood being spilled in his tale of a nameless old man at a pontoon bridge.