The dialog between the two waiters in the cafe demonstrates their opposite attitudes towards the old drunk man. The young waiter makes light conversation out of the old mans suicide attempt. He mentions the attempt, but couldn't care less why the old man did it. "Last week h

It is loneliness that the waiter and the old drunk suffer from. It may have started with the loss of a loved one or in the drunk's case, from the loss of hearing. But as the old waiter talks to himself, you see that the emptiness they are trying to avoid is the result of believing in nothing. "Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it was nada y pues nada y pues nada. Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name...Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee." (88-89) If they believe that everything is nothing, then they themselves are nothing too. Being so close to death, they need light and order as a substitute for the confidence and security that believing in something can bring you. They avoid going home and into bed, not for fear of something but, the realization of the"... nothing that he knew too well." (88)

"Otro loco mas," said the barman and turned away. (89)

The old drunk and the older waiter may have once been like the young waiter. They may have once known a sense of purpose or meaning for their lives and their surroundings. Now, the only purpose to their lives i

Some common words found in the essay are:
Earnest Hemingway, Nada Otro, Nothingness Nothingness, it's feeling, pues nada, nada pues nada, nada pues, waiter drunk, feeling terrible, nada nada, drunk waiter,
Approximate Word count = 752
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)