In the short fiction story, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, Hemingway depicts an environment where three characters indirectly address the human conditions of their existence. At first sight, the story seems very simplistic and apathetic but when the reader looks for a deeper perspective, they can find Hemingway’s hidden message behind it. He uses vagueness throughout the story so that it can bring readers to a higher level of comprehending the realities of life. In other words, the naked truth is buried deep underneath; where we reveal inner darkness, feelings of depression, and ultimate isolation, all caused by the “nothingness.” One of the striking aspects in Hemingway’s story is the inner darkness surrounding the old man
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Between the old man and the older waiter, their loss of faith has lead them to find this place of light where the feelings of depression to seem to go away. With the old man attempting suicide and the old waiter’s meaning of the Lord’s prayer, they both illustrate signs of depression. The old waiter repeatedly utters, "It was a nothing", "Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee" (76). The nothingness indicates my understanding that this is all he knows, and it explains why the old man is always, “drunk every night” (21). The light from the cafe is an escape from the “nada” and the nothingness that comes along with depression. Although they both have similar feelings, the young waiter has an obvious indifference caused by his impatience and arrogance. He shows insensitiveness when he says to the old man, "You should have killed yourself last week" (18), and "He's lonely. I'm not lonely" (36). The young waiter represents senses of a callous, materialistic mindset of youth whereas the old waiter represents the wisdom of age. Overall, these three characters indicate the progression from youth to old …show more content…
The image the author conveys of the “old man who sat in the shadow of the leaves” is reiterated various times during the story (1). Because of this, the indication of the old man “in the shadow of the leaves” insinuates the depths of his despair and the places emphasis on his dissociation from the world (1). Indeed, the old waiter understands that feeling of emptiness. While they are both drowning in their “nothingness”, the younger waiter is not lonely because he states he has “a wife waiting in bed for me” (36). He has "youth, confidence, and a job", whereas the older waiter lacks “everything but work” (66). As a result, this exemplified the different generations of youth and age between the waiters and old man. It illustrated the dichotomy of light and dark in which the old waiter only can begin to sleep where there is
Between the old man and the older waiter, their loss of faith has lead them to find this place of light where the feelings of depression to seem to go away. With the old man attempting suicide and the old waiter’s meaning of the Lord’s prayer, they both illustrate signs of depression. The old waiter repeatedly utters, "It was a nothing", "Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee" (76). The nothingness indicates my understanding that this is all he knows, and it explains why the old man is always, “drunk every night” (21). The light from the cafe is an escape from the “nada” and the nothingness that comes along with depression. Although they both have similar feelings, the young waiter has an obvious indifference caused by his impatience and arrogance. He shows insensitiveness when he says to the old man, "You should have killed yourself last week" (18), and "He's lonely. I'm not lonely" (36). The young waiter represents senses of a callous, materialistic mindset of youth whereas the old waiter represents the wisdom of age. Overall, these three characters indicate the progression from youth to old …show more content…
The image the author conveys of the “old man who sat in the shadow of the leaves” is reiterated various times during the story (1). Because of this, the indication of the old man “in the shadow of the leaves” insinuates the depths of his despair and the places emphasis on his dissociation from the world (1). Indeed, the old waiter understands that feeling of emptiness. While they are both drowning in their “nothingness”, the younger waiter is not lonely because he states he has “a wife waiting in bed for me” (36). He has "youth, confidence, and a job", whereas the older waiter lacks “everything but work” (66). As a result, this exemplified the different generations of youth and age between the waiters and old man. It illustrated the dichotomy of light and dark in which the old waiter only can begin to sleep where there is