Analyse af Ernest Hemingways 'Old Man at the Bridge'

I’ve read the fictional short-story written by Ernest Hemingway, called ‘Old Man at the Bridge’. In this essay I’d like to analyse it.The story doesn’t have an introduction. It starts in medias res and the story is chronologic: First we’re presented to the narrator and then he meets the old man sitting in the dust. They have a dialog where the narrator requests the old man to move, while there’s something going on. The story ends without the old man moving. Therefore it’s an open ending: we don’t know what will happen to neither of the characters which means that the end isn’t fulfilling.

In the text it’s mentioned, that: “(…) the Fascist were advancing toward the Ebro.” I’ve searched and found that the Ebro is a river in Spain. Therefore I can conclude that the setting is in Spain.Also the artillery is mentioned so my guess would be that the story takes place during the Spanish Civil War.The story is written in first person and I can tell that because of all the ‘I’s. Therefore one of the characters we’re presented for is the narrator. The narrator must be some kind of scout: “It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out what point the enemy had advanced.” The other character is the old man at the bridge. He’s 76 years old and he’s wearing black, dusty clothes and steel rimmed spectacles. His face is grey and dusty and he seems a little confused – or maybe he’s in chock. The old man is asked why he has left his animals and he answers: “Because of the artillery” Therefore I could imagine that he’s a refugee who has been displaced by the war and that could be the reason why he’s chocked.The scout and the old man don’t know each other, but they’re both involved in the war. The scout is probably expecting something to happen at the scene or maybe it’s just too dangerous for the old man to sit in the middle of everything, so therefore he’s trying to get the old man to leave the place. He’s listening to the old man’s story and feels sorry for him. The old man isn’t reacting on the suggestions from the scout and he’s not moving at all.