A Clean Well Lighted Place
Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" reflects the contrasts of youth and age. The characterizations and the symbolism illustrate that is not uncommon to become lonely and feel isolated with age. This is exemplified by the contrasts revealed between the two older men and the younger waiter. The two older men are portrayed as solitary, lonely, isolated individuals who feel that their lives are meaningless. The old man especially feels that his life is no longer worth living. The two older characters share a sense of despair, and it is only natural for them to seek out a comforting clean well-lighted place. The attitudes and emotions of the older men are contrasted with those of the younger waiter. The younger waiter is very eager and impatient to get on with life and he has no sympathy for the old man. The young waiter has no respect for the old man because he does not understand him. The mature waiter has much more empathy for the old man because he admires him and he understands his state of mind. It is clear that the older men have a different appreciation and understanding of the importance of life. Hemingway uses symbolism of light and darkness in order to better understand the characters. The clean wel
He has no respect for this particular old man and this is shown by the following statement, "You should have killed yourself last week" (Hemingway 958). Aging has had a negative effect on the mature waiter, but in a different way than the old man. Hemingway portrays the old man in the story as a depressed drunk. This is evident by his suicide attempt. Although he is a drunk, he still makes the effort to appear clean and tidy and he acts with dignity even when he is drunk. The young waiter in the story is portrayed by Hemingway as a brash, impatient person. He has not yet been disappointed in life and he still has many years ahead of him. An old man is a nasty thing" (Hemingway 958). The quiet and warm environment of the clean, well-lighted cafe provides comfort to this sad old man. He only permits himself to fall asleep with daylight.
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