A Clean, Well-Lighted Place - Essay Example

A clean well lighted place Not everything is visible to man’s naked eye. Every single thing placed on the earth’s surface has a meaning, perhaps a hidden one which can only be deciphered by those who seek to decipher them through introspection. Often, things that are right in front of us are not the complete truth which means that nothing can ever be comprehended by simply looking at things. In Hemmingway’s “A, clean well lighted place” the central theme revolves around the mystery of truth behind what is visible and right in front of us, appreciation of life, and that of loneliness. Central characters The short story has only three characters- the old man sitting alone at the cafe and the two waiters’ .The dialogue between the two waiters is of central focus since it was during this dialogue that most of story unraveled. The old man sitting at the bar was the object that initiated the conversation between the two waiters. The younger waiter’s lines showed that he had little liking for an old man’s life because it was evident that he wanted to go back home to his wife and family and not serve an old man. "He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me” says the younger waiter. The old waiter on the other hand, was like a shadow of the old man who was sitting and drinking at the bar because he constantly defended the old man. The old waiter points out that the younger one would not be able to understand the plight of the older men- “You have youth, confidence, and a job," the older waiter said. "You have everything." It was as if he understood the plight of the old drunk man and somewhere could relate to it even though he had no real reason to defend the old drunk man. The word constantly referred to in the text “nada” shows this. It seems that the older waiter uses thus term since unlike the “younger waiter who thinks only in materialistic terms, he is aware of the importance of non-rationalistic, mystical experience” (Stock,1962,p55). Setting: The characters seem to come alive during the various scenes because of the setting which gives a dark, mysterious touch to the story’s setting keeping in lines with the central theme of the story. The setting is mostly the dark and deserted bar where a single man was sitting and drinking. The setting sets the mood for growth of the story. At first we see a cafe setting which is well lit showing a place for solace. This setting later changes into a bar which is symbolizes the though process of the waiter because he compare the setting of the bar to that of the cafe which actually signifies his need for solace and his world of loneliness. Later in the story we see the old man going to another bar which is also a part of the setting and successfully confirms with the theme. Tone and Style The author uses dialogues throughout the story and the tone is very natural for each of the characters. The author’s attitude towards the story is visible by reading the lines. It has a minimalistic approach since each of the lines are brief, to-the-point and fairly simple without the usage of jargons. The story is filled with dialogues and monologues which seems as if the reader is actually listening to a conversation instead of reading a story. Symbolism At first glance the story looks fairly simple and straightforward but a closer look at the diction would reveal that the story has a deep embedded meaning in its words. Each and everything in the story is a symbol that revolves around the central theme and highlights it as well. The first symbol in the story is that cafe represented a shelter for the sad and old gentlemen. This is not only evident from the behavior of the drunk old man who loved coming to the cafe but it also become evident in the latter part of the story when the old waiter says that he loved his clean and well lit” cafe. The cafe was perhaps a symbol of life, love, health and happiness which the old men clung onto overlooking the dark and real aide of life. The used of words such as “old man”, “lonely man”, is present throughout the story which shows that the old man was really very lonely was a symbol of despair and tragedy. The old man was deaf which was a symbol-he "liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference" (174). He is not just literally deaf, but deaf to the world. This showed that as he aged he became detached from the world; the world went its way while the old man sat at one place and the old man too did not care about the world at all. In the end part we see the old waiter falling asleep only when light entered the room i.e. when it was dawn and this was truly symbolic for life since it seems that he was unhappy in his life which was shrouded with despair, pain and loneliness. This is the reason he like the warmth of the first rays of the sun which was perhaps the only happy moments of his life. Conflict Hemmingway’s’ method of portraying things and his style of writing is something that is likely to create conflicts in its interpretations since the author leaves all derivation of thoughts and feelings on the readers. The readers are free to feel as less as or as much as they can successfully decipher. The story has a few conflicts depicted in its contents. Firstly, the physical appearance of the old waiter and the young waiter exudes the fact that the younger waiter was much happier in life. Their views in life were also different from each and were in fact conflicting in nature. In the story the “opposing viewpoints because of difference in age and experience, creates a dramatic effect” (Leonard, 1994, p63). For example, the old man understood the concept of loneliness whereas the younger waiter could not relate to the concept at all. Point of view If the story is read slowly, understanding the symbolism and depiction of each word that has been written, more than one theme emerges from the story. The style and tone of the writing is so simple and elegant but the meaning is so much deeper than what can be clearly seen. The author has used excellent symbolism technique to make his point. The author manages to draw up conflicting ideas in between dialogues perhaps giving the readers something to think upon afterwards. The theme of loneliness or nothingness has been beautifully pursued all throughout the story especially when the old waiter substitutes “nada” in prayer (Kerner,1992,p.561) All in all, the short story was an excellent example of a literary fiction since the story has all the components that make up a classic. REFERENCES Kerner, David. "The ambiguity of `A Clean, Well-Lighted Place'." studies in Short Fiction1.1 (1992): 543-583. Print. Leonard, John. "A Man of the World\' and `A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"- hemingway's unified view of Old Age." Hemingway Review 1.1 (1994): p64. Print. Stock, Ely. "HASSL E ! NAP A I N HEMINGWAY' S " A CLEAN , WELL-LIGHTE D PLACE "." Midcontinent American Studies Journal 3.1 (1962): 52-55. Print. Read More