Nothingness is a condition man is faced with when his life has no meaning, when there is no reason to exist. It is the hollowness or emptiness man experiences when he feels that his life has no significant meaning. If there is nothing to believe in, then life is nothing. The older waiter in the story recognizes the existence of nothing: "Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y pues nada y pues nada" (202

The Gentleman's hell is shown through the old waiter. The old waiter would rather go to the bodegas, which is hell, than go home. The old waiter is the inner side of the Gentleman that the Gentleman doesn't want, but accepts the position he is in. So, we start to see where the Gentleman is leaning towards. The old waiter would rather go to the bodegas because he has no wife or significant reason to go home and the Gentlemen agreed. Also, it was stated in the text "the Gentleman tried to commit suicide by hanging himself". He was tired of suffering, because of not having his wife. Then we see the "Nada" speech that includes two prayers. One was the Lords prayer and when putting "nada" in the text tells us that the Gentleman had nothing to feel good about. The other was Hail Mary, which is only seen in Catholicism and all religions have a Lords prayer but Catholicism. He also feels that there is nothing to feel bad about. Basically, there is nothing left in life but death. So, if the Gentleman tried to commit suicide and talks of Hail Marys meaning nothing to him then we come to believe the Gentleman is looking for a way out even if it is the easy one, hell. We know he will go to hell because of the Catholic slurs.

The old man in the story represents the final stage in the ill-fated belief of existentialism. It is suggested that at one time the old man had a valid existence that he created for himself and did very well: "He has plenty of money" (199), "He had a wife once too" (200). Now, however, he has no wife, has no job and has even lost his hearing. From an existentialist point of view he has no reason to exist. Nor does it seem that he has any potential to have a reason to exist. Faced with the ultimate nothingness, the old man tries to kill himself: " 'Last week he tried to commit suicide', one waiter said" (199). Ironically, the old man is saved by his religious niece for "Fear for his soul" (200). The old man sits "in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light" (199). The man sitting in the shadow of the tree represents living in the nothingness. He lives inside of the nothingness surrounded by the artificial light, or artificial truth that he has created for himself. The only relief he has is to numb the sting of the emptiness he feels inside with brandy.

The "nada" speech reinforces that the Gentleman has given up. We see this through the old waiter. The old waiter is telling the young waiter about life, which is the Gentleman's inner conflict. The old waiter gives two prayers, one being the Lords prayer, which says,

"Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada: pues nada."

Purgatory is a place or state of temporary suffering or "a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven," according to Miriam-Webster Dictionary. When you start to bring in the spirituality of the matter (Heaven and Hell) then you can understand the Gentleman's position and some of the actions he takes. Only Catholicism deals with purgatory. We start to see this matter unravel when the Gentleman's personal heaven establishes itself.

RESPONSE TO "A CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED PLACE"

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ernest Hemingway, Hail Marys, Clean Well-Lighted, Gentleman Gentleman, , Actually Gentleman, Heaven Hell, Hail Mary, Roman Catholic, CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED, nada nada, waiter waiter, pues nada, nada pues, nada nada nada, nada pues nada, life waiter, gentleman's personal heaven, clean well-lighted, religious faith, reason exist, artificial light, nada speech, nada nadas nada, gentleman tried commit,
Approximate Word count = 2660
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)