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An Old Man Tells War Stories, Explained

Slacker · 1990

Capítulo 16 de 22 · 2'42"

An old man tells a visitor about missing the town's finest hour, then about the Spanish Civil War. He claims he fought in the Lincoln Brigade, but he only went to Spain in 1955. He leaves quoting a passage that wishes suffering on those he has faith in.

MonologuesStorytellingConfessingComplainingFriendsB2slowamerican

Key moments

Start here, then watch the full scene
  1. ❝ Monólogo · 4 frases He's Given Up on Mankind

    0:09–0:41
    32s
  2. More Like the Hemingway Brigade

    1:06–1:37
    31s
  3. ❝ Monólogo · 8 frases a Nietzschean creed

    He recites Nietzsche, making suffering the only proof of worth.

    1:55–2:30
    34s
  1. ❝ Monólogogiving up on mankind4 frasesPracticar ↗
  2. ❝ Monólogoa Nietzschean creed8 frasesPracticar ↗

An Old Man Tells War Stories, explained

What happens

An old veteran talks to a visitor, complaining that he missed the town's finest hour and saying he has given up on all of mankind. The talk turns to his war stories, and it emerges that he never fought in Spain at all. Before the visitor leaves, he recites a passage wishing suffering on those he admires.

What's really going on

The scene is a study in a certain kind of old man, and it is funny and sad at once. He begins with a grievance about missing the town's big day and slides from there into total despair: "I've practically given up on not only my own people... but for mankind in its entirety." What keeps it from being merely bleak is the counterweight of his vanity. He tells war stories about Spain, and the visitor learns that he only got there in 1955, long after the fighting — "More like the Hemingway Brigade." He is a man who would rather be a fraud with a good story than an ordinary person, and his parting gift is a passage that wishes suffering and self-contempt on those he has faith in. It is a warm goodbye built out of cruelty, and the scene lets both sit side by side.

Key lines & what they mean

“but I can now say that I've practically given up on not only my own people...”
His confession of despair, widened from the people around him to the whole species, delivered as if it were a hard-won insight.
“I can only address myself to singular human beings now.”
The conclusion he draws: he will deal with one person at a time, because the crowd has disappointed him.
“And remember, the passion for destruction is also a creative passion.”
His farewell line, a borrowed phrase that makes violence sound artistic and is the closest the scene comes to a thesis.
“Yeah, I never met anyone that fought in the Spanish civil war before.”
The visitor's polite interest, which sets up the reveal that the old man's war record is not what he claims.

Theme

  • Generations — An old man's memories of Spain and the town's big day are passed to a younger visitor, along with a harsh parting lesson.
  • Memory — He keeps retelling the war he never fought, turning a borrowed past into the story he wants to be remembered by.

Qué aprendes en este capítulo

Puntos de enseñanza

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A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.

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Ideas clave

Lo que te llevas
  1. A goodbye speech can hold a whole worldview.
  2. He borrows Nietzsche to make suffering sound like proof.
  3. The family calls out his war story without raising its voice.
  4. Giving up on people can be said quietly, even fondly.

Preguntas frecuentes

La pregunta, luego la frase
What does the old man claim about the war?

He says he fought with the Lincoln Brigade in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. The listener later learns that he and his wife only went to Spain in 1955, long after the fighting.

Why does the visitor say it is more like the Hemingway Brigade?

Because the old man was not really a soldier. Hemingway went to Spain as a writer and turned it into stories, which is closer to what the old man has done.

What does 'God rest her soul' mean?

It is a set phrase said when mentioning someone who has died, meaning may she rest in peace. He uses it while complaining about his wife, which is both harsh and oddly tender.

What does the old man say he has given up on?

Not only his own people but mankind as a whole. He says he can now only deal with single human beings one at a time.

What does he give the visitor as a parting thought?

A passage wishing suffering, sickness and self-contempt on the people he has faith in, which he calls the first hurdle for the true warrior.