Theme a Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay - 810 Words

Theme: A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Sadness, frustration, or discontent, however it’s put, there is an obvious difference with the characters in, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† by Ernest Hemingway, and their ideas of mortality and old age. The short story shows the concept of â€Å"nothingness,† displayed through a very depressing view on life. This suggesting that all people, even those who are happy and content, will eventually end up lonely, drunk, or unhappy. By allowing a reader to view this from three diverse perspectives, Hemingway is able to render how someone’s attitude of their own life can go from one extreme to another. Allowing suicide as a final option to surface for some. The story is told from a total omniscience narrator,†¦show more content†¦The young waiter has a harsh view of him as well because on occasion the old man has been so drunk he walks out on his bill. The younger waiter has a different respect for time, it’s precious to him and he values it. â€Å"I wish he would go home. I never get to bed before three o’clock. What kind of hour is that to go to bed?† â€Å"He stays up because he likes it.† â€Å"He’s lonely, I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me.† â€Å"He had a wife once too† (153). The older you get, the more time wears down on you, and you begin to now, greater than ever, feel your mortality. This theme is used to help the reader understand the older mans pain and that no matter how young and confident someone is, they will eventually grow old and die. There is an apparent unity seen between the old man and the older waiter. Opposite from the young waiter, the older waiter and old man seem devastatingly lonely and worn out by life. While the young waiter is rude and insistently talks down to the old man, the older waiter defends him. He too understands and appreciates a clean, well-lighted cafà © opposed to a bar or bodega. The older men understand each other without there being any communication between them. In the final line the reader is able to truly understand the older waiters view of his own morality, â€Å"He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafà © was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he went home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally,Show MoreRelatedA Clean Well Lighted Place - Theme and Setting Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesTheme and Setting A clean well lighted place by Ernest Hemingway has a few themes that stand out clearly but the one theme that stands out to me is despair. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, despair means to lose all hope or confidence. In the story, the older waiter and the old deaf man somehow share a common bond of despair. Both men are of age and like to be out, late at night, alone. Asides from the story alone, the theme of the story can be brought out by the setting. The setting contributesRead MoreThe Importance of Themes in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway803 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place†, a short story written by Ernest Hemingway first appeared in a collection of short stories titled, Winner Take Nothing. Soon after the collection of stories had been published in 1933, â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place quickly became one of Hemingways most eulogized short stories. Through his excellent use of character development, Hemingway provides the reader with a lively portrayal of theme, plot, and symbolism throughout the entire piece. We are taken through a journeyRead MoreDiscuss the Relationship Between Character and Theme in â€Å"a Clean, Well-Lighted Place†2193 Words   |  9 PagesDiscuss the relationship between character and theme in â€Å"A Clean, Well-lighted Place† B-A9-0415-1 What is the most fearful emotion? 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In the story, we learn about three different characters that aren’t the same and view life completely different based off what they’ve gone through. Throughout the story we find out that two of the character can relate in a way and that the third one is selfish and only cares about himself and not others. We learn how lonely the old man isRead MoreA Clean, Well Lighted Place By Ernest Hemingway972 Words   |  4 PagesThe Pursuit of Peace and Comfort in a Clean, Well-Lighted Place Despair is an emotion that can rob one’s joy, inner peace, and eventually, life. The desire for serenity is usually sought after by a person whose life is futile and is at his or her wit’s end. That individual is usually left with no other alternative but to come to the realization that if he or she fails at his or her attempts (such as suicide) to alleviate despair, then the opportunity of finding peace and comfort is an alternativeRead MoreEssay about A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway641 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,† was written in 1933, by Ernest Hemingway. The main characters in the story are two waiters, one old, one young and an older man who is their customer in the cafà © on the evening the story takes place. There are three main elements of style portrayed in the short story, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.† The elements of imagery, symbolism and irony, are illustrated throughout the short story, in turn leading to the theme of despair. ImageryRead MoreA Clean Well Lighted Place1202 Words   |  5 PagesCameron Craig Craig 1 Lancaster English 1302.68 25 March 2015 â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† In â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place†, Hemingway uses themes of depression and life as nothingness by using symbols, and imagery. Two waiters in a Spanish cafà © are waiting late one night for their last customer to leave. As they wait, they talk about the old, deaf man sitting at the bar. It is revealed that he has recently attempted suicide. The younger waiter in the cafà © is very agitated and wantsRead MoreA Clean, Well Lighted Place By Ernest Hemingway1628 Words   |  7 PagesIn Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† the use of plot, symbolism, characters, and theme creates an intricate and complex story line. The elements of plot keep the readers engaged by guiding the reader though the story. Hemingway emphasizes on despair, loneliness, and isolation as major themes in his short story to help the reader understand the main idea. The themes represent the challenge of finding meaning in life. He also challenges the reader’s understa nding of compassion though