The old man is too old to fight and very tired, he is inclined to remain at the bridge to await his fate, as his animals have already done. The old man neither supports or opposes the Fascists, and he has attachment for his animals and his town. By the end of the story the pigeons have become doves, representing peace -- in contrast to the war around the narrator and the old man.A Summary and Analysis of Ernest Hemingway's Old Man at the Bridge' Retrieved 22/2/2022. The old man himself represents the good shepherd wanting to look after his animals. The repetition of the old man's focus on the animals emphasizes his inability to separate the past from the present. The story is further intensified by the imminent death of at least one of the two main characters.
