Summary

The narrator in “The Old Man at the Bridge” by Ernest Hemingway is going to a bridge across a river to check if there is any sign of the enemy army advancing. The bridge is very crowded at first with trucks, carts, men, and women crossing it. On the bridge, there is also an old man who does not seem to be moving anywhere. After his exploration on the other side of the bridge, the narrator returns to see the old man in the same position. He finds out that the old man is coming from a town called San Carlos, 12 kilometers away. The old man was the last to leave the town, and his duty was to take care of some animals. The captain of the artillery demanded he leave, as they were expecting an attack on the town.

The narrator questions him, and the...