Setting in "Old Man at the Bridge" by Ernest Hemingway

Abstract

In this paper, the writer tries to analyze “Old Man at the Bridge” by Ernest Hemingway. The purpose of this writing is to analyze setting of the short story. The writer uses theory of setting and close reading method. The short story consists of setting of time, setting of place, and setting of environment. To conclude, the setting is dominated by setting of environment.

Keywords: “Old Man at the Bridge”, Ernest Hemingway, setting

1. Introduction

            “Old Man at the Bridge” is written by Ernest Hemingway. The main character is the old man, who 76 years old, walked twelve kilometres from his hometown, San Carlos and he is the last person from his hometown. The short story shows a message from a tragedy of war using the bridge as the setting which has its meaning. 

2. Theory and Methodology

            According to Merriam-Webster.com, “setting is the time, place, and circumstances in which something occurs or develops, the time and place of the action of a literary, dramatic, or cinematic work or the scenery used in a theatrical or film production.”

The methodology on this study is setting which divides into setting of time, setting of place, and setting of environment.

3. Research Object

            The objects of research consist of material and formal object. Material object in this study is “Old Man at the Bridge” by Ernest Hemingway. Formal object of this study is setting in the short story.

4. Biography of Ernest Hemingway      

            Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Cicero (now in Oak Park), Illinois. He was a son from Clarence and Grace Hemingway. In high school, Hemingway worked on his school newspaper, Trapeze and Tabula. At the young age of 20, Hemingway met Hadley Richardson, the woman who would become his first wife in Chicago. After their marriage, they moved to Paris. In 1923, Hemingway had a son named John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway.

5. Summary of “Old Man at the Bridge”

            An old man with black dusty clothes and grey dusty face sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts, trucks, men, women and children were crossing it. He was 76 years old and came from San Carlos. A young soldier came close to him and asked some questions. The old man said that he is taking care of animals, that is, two goats, a cat, and four pairs of pigeons.  

6. Discussion

            In “Old Man at the Bridge”, the setting is setting of time, setting of place and setting of environment.

”There was a pontoon bridge across the river....”

Setting of place of  the short story is at pontoon bridge across the Ebro river. The bridge is a symbol which has two sides, that is, war and peace or death and life. One side is the old man, who walked twelve kilometres from his hometown San Carlos and he said that he can not go any further. The other side is a young soldier, who does his job by exploring the bridge.

“It was Easter Sunday...”

Ernest Hemingway shows us that it happens during the Spanish Civil War in April, 1938 on Easter Sunday.

“It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy had advanced.”

From the quotations, we know that the social environment is environment of the capable people even though they are busy with themselves.

7. Conclusion

            Setting is the time, place, and circumstances in which something occurs or develops of the action of a literary, dramatic, or cinematic work. In the short story, Ernest Hemingway using setting of time which is happen during the Spanish Civil War, setting of place is at pontoon bridge, and setting of environment is environment of the capable people even though they are busy with themselves. 

References    

Kennedy, X.J. 1978. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama  2^nd ed. Boston:         

          Little, Brown, and Company, Ltd. 

Meyer, Michael. 1976. The Bedford Introduction to Literature 2^nd ed. Boston: Bedford Books of St.   

          Martin’s Press. 

“Setting”. Merriam-Webster.com. 1828. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/setting 

          (accessed on 6 June 2017) 

Thrall, William Flint, and Addison Hibbard. 1960. A Handbook To Literature. New York: Odyssey 

           Press.