"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

Paper Summary:

This book review examines the manner in which Hemingway delivers a strong message about man's search for meaning, while at the same time proving that there is no meaning to be found. Hemingway's story takes place in a cafe at night, as an old deaf man sits down to have a drink, while two waiters nearby discuss the old man. This paper details the plot as well as the three main characters in Hemingway's short story, considered by many as one of his best works of writing. The writer contends and explains why "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is far from being a story of hope. Instead, it is a story suggesting that there is no meaning in life to be found and that in some way, everyone is already aware of this fact.

From the Paper:

"This shows that the nothing they sense is related to spirituality. While some people find the meaning of life in God, for them there is no meaning of life. Nada then is an ultimate form of emptiness. Hoffman also notes that all three characters in the story experience nada, though only the older waiter seems aware of what he is experiencing. The other characters function "by establishing for themselves a clean, well-lighted place from which to withstand the enveloping darkness." In this way then, the cafe of the story is a means of avoiding what cannot be avoided. As suggested earlier, even the young waiter experiences nada, with his response being to want to hate and avoid the old man who reminds him that what he is clinging to may not last forever. In the end, all three characters are avoiding a defining sense of nothing."

More papers on "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place":

• Essay # 74551 : "Postwar Nihilism in 'A Clean Well-lighted Place'"
• Analytical Essay # 146850 : "Setting in "A Clean Well-Lighted Place"
• Book Review # 103406 : "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: