The Light of the Heart
             After reading Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", I can easily imagine an old man walking lonely deep in the night. That picture is lasting in my mind for so long, which do not easily go away. The story takes place at a café in a late night. When everyone has left, there is still an old deaf man drinking all alone. Through the story, Hemingway has used many symbols to emphasize his theme. Such as the "light" and the "dark night" are symbolizing life and death. Also, the title itself is a meaningful symbol; "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" represents living with dignity. By using these symbols, the author portrays three main characters in order to show people's loneliness and emptiness towards aging.
             The three main characters in the story are the old man and the two waiters. Actually, the character of the old man is told by the conversation of the two waiters. Such as "Last week he tried to commit suicide."..."He was in despair."... "He has plenty of money." These conversations tell the background of the old man. But as a reader we do not know if it is true because it is told by the two waiters, not by the character himself. Through those conversations, it has showed people's curiosity and judgement on this old stranger. I find it interesting that when one waiter asks another about the old man's despair, and the other says it was nothing because the old man has plenty of money. Because people are in different ages and having different lives, they tend to feel and think differently. For being a waiter, especially a young waiter, all he needs and worries are about money. He has a wife and a family; he has his youth and confidence. He probably thinks that with a little bit more money, his life will not needanything else. This is by the young waiter's perspective. For the old man, his needs are definitely more than just money. Suppose this old man is rich as others has sa
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