A Clean Well-lighted Place - Research Paper Example

?Outline Loneliness will be major problem for old age people For them, any public place in the midst will provide them a relief For the Old man and the old waiter, the bright Cafe acts as a escape from darkness and loneliness For the young waiter, Cafe acts only as a place of livelihood, as he has young wife waiting at home Even inside the cafe, the old man wants a lonelier and calmer place Brightness inside the cafe acts as a claming influence When he leaves the cafe, he starts to fee depressed Thus, when old people face loneliness in the fag end of their lives, they will find some place comforting like the Cafe. A Clean Well-lighted Place The emotions of loneliness and despair, which are part of human lives, have been depicted in numerous literary works. Although no human being wishes to experience these emotions, life creates circumstances in which one has to face these depressing emotions. Old age is one such stage of human life which is supposed to harbor loneliness and despair. The feeling of despair experienced by old people is portrayed in the short story A Clean Well-lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway. In the story, the conversation between a young waiter and an old waiter reveal the state of mind of the drunken old man. The old waiter and the young waiter are expressing their individual thoughts regarding the deaf man’s habit of staying in the cafe for a long time. The setting in the story is a clean well-lighted cafe where a deaf old man is having his drinks. The setting in the story is crucial, as it reflects the thinking of the lonely old men who aim to escape from the world of darkness and despair. The views of the characters regarding the setting of the cafe have brought forth the theme of the story, which is the loneliness of old people. Characters’ mindset and cafe The story focuses on the plight of old men who are overwhelmed by the feeling of despair and loneliness, and how the cafe which is bright and clean provides comfort. “To the old man, the pleasant cafe is his refuge, the place to which he can go to relieve his loneliness.” (Gerhard 5). The feelings of the deaf man are understood by the old waiter, for he is also experiencing similar feelings in his life. For both them, the cafe is a place which aids them to escape from the gloomy world of despair. Young people fail to realize the significance of well-lighted and clean place in the life of old people, battling with despair. The young waiter represents the thoughts of youth who are unable to comprehend the suffering of the old people. For the old waiter and the deaf man, the cafe is a source of succor and comfort. "He was in despair." (Hemmingway). They view the cafe from same perspective, for they are experiencing similar feelings. On the contrast, for the young waiter, the cafe is just a workplace. So he is eager to finish work and go to his house where his wife is waiting for him. The deaf man seated in the cafe and having drinks serenely, point towards quest for tranquility. “…he was a good client” (Hemmingway). He chooses the night time to visit the cafe, for he wants to avoid the crowd that would be present in the cafe during the daytime. “It gave him a sense of peacefulness.” (Brown). The deaf man’s wish to keep away from the eyes of other people is expressed through the seat he selects in the cafe. The deaf man is isolated from the society he is living in and even in the cafe he desires to be alone, enjoying the calmness of the cafe in the night. The interaction of the characters in the cafe provides an insight to their thoughts and attitude towards life. Contrast The contrast in the setting of the cafe and the world of old people aids in depicting the sorrow and suffering of the old people. The cafe is bright and clean whereas the house and world of the deaf man and the old waiter is full of darkness. It is this contrast that compels the deaf man and the old waiter to spend more time in the cafe than in his house. The brightness of the cafe brings light into the dark world of the deaf man. “For a lonely, old man, the clean, well-lighted cafe is a slight respite from the darkness.” (Lombardi). Even for the old waiter the brightness of the cafe relieves him from the feeling of despair for some time. He is free from depressed thoughts when he is in the well-lighted cafe. The moment the deaf man and the old waiter leave the cafe, they feel lonely and gloomy. Another contrast that is presented through the setting in the story is the divergent views of old people and youth. The contrasting views of the old waiter and the young waiter prove that young people fail to realize the feelings and loneliness of the old people. The young waiter thought that the deaf man had no cause for being depressed, as he was wealthy. "He's got plenty." (Hemmingway). He believed that money brought happiness and contentment, and there is no need for him to be lonely and unhappy. It is this indifferent attitude of the young waiter that makes him to treat the old man inferiorly and cafe just as a place where people came to satisfy their drinking needs Feelings of the characters The setting of the cafe and the manner in which each character in the play looks at the cafe brings forth the feelings of the characters. The feeling of despair and loneliness, on which the story focuses, is presented through the setting of the cafe. The deaf man is lonely and engulfed in sorrow, so the bright cafe seems to provide him some relief from his dark world. The old waiter also experiences the same feelings of despair and so he also wants to stay in the cafe for more time. For the young waiter, the cafe is just a place where he comes to earn his livelihood. The setting of cafe is an important element of the fiction in the story, for it aids the reader in comprehending the feelings of the characters and it is these feelings that portray the theme of the story. The cafe with its bright interiors attracts the deaf man and the old waiter towards it, and the reason behind this attraction conveys the message of the author. The understanding of the story lies in the significance of the cafe in the lives of old waiter and the deaf man. The isolation of the old people from their societies is depicted through their feelings towards the cafe. (Bacon) Conclusion A Clean Well-lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway depicts the struggle of the old people to cope with the loneliness and despair in their lives. Most times or sometimes, the elderly will spend their last part of the lives in loneliness. That is, after living an active professional and personal life with family members and friends, people in their old age could become inactive and lonely, as their sons and daughters move on with their lives, and also their spouses and friends ‘moving out’ of this world. Although many old people could be active and be in the midst of action with their family members and friends in the last stages of their lives, most of them could become inactive and live in loneliness. Hemingway brings into focus this aspect of loneliness and how the elderly without anything to keep them physically and mentally occupied, and without anyone in their homes will always like to live a ‘lonely life’ that too in public places. Although, this lonely life will be filled with despair, like the character in A Clean Well-lighted Place, the old people will find some place to comfort like the cafe. Works Cited Bacon, Wallace A. The Art of Interpretation, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972. Brown, Charles. “The Search for Peace in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” City Colleges of Chicago, n. d. Web. 4 April 2012. Gerhard, Dominik. The Fear of Nothingness in Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place". GRIN Verlag, 2008. Hemmingway, Ernest. “A Clean Well Lighted Place.” E-publisher LiterNet, 6 Nov 2011. Web. 4 April 2012. Lombardi, Esther. “A Clean Well-Lighted Place.” About.com: Classic Literature. Web. 4 April 2012. Read More