A Clean Well Lighted Place

A detailed Summary of A Clean Well Lighted Place


In the short story, "A Clean Well Lighted Place", Hemingway explores his existential beliefs concerning the reasons for human existence. He sets the story during the Spanish civil war and employs three characters to communicate his views. In the story Hemingway espouses his belief that human beings should not deny their desires, arguing that true happiness lies in the individual's ability to live their life with a sense of personal dignity. He proposes that religion is a lie and offers human beings false hope.

He constructs three characters who are identified by their age and occupation. These three men are symbolic representations of human beings at different stages of their lives. The old man is retired and nearing the end of his life, the young waiter's career is only just beginning and the middle-aged waiter is represents the transitory phase between youth and senescence. Hemingway's representation of the three men draws, the reader's attention to these key aspects of age and profession. The old man has lived his life and although he is wealthy, he has realised that this world has nothing more to offer him and the next world doesn't exist. His wife has died and he is an inconvenience to the rest of his family:


"I wouldn't want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing ... You should have killed yourself last week." The younger waiter is desensitised and indifferent towards the old man and regards him as unimportant. He resents the old man's presence because it prevents him from returning home to his wife and family. In a capitalist society, the old are sometimes viewed by the young as being unproductive and an irritating burden to society. However, the old man's accumulated wealth empowers him and the younger waiter is forced to serve him. His resentment is highlighted by his actions: " ... the waiter took the brandy bottle and another saucer and ... marched out to the old man's table." The young waiter begrudgingly serves the old man and goes through the repetitive motions with little enthusiasm: the verb "marched" conveys a notion of obedience as the waiter must respond to the dictates of the old man. The waiter believes that his time is important because he has purpose in life: he has a job, a wife and home and his whole life in front of him.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Lighted Hemingway, Father Heaven, Prayer Hemingway, , interior monologue, narrated interior monologue, narrated interior, waiter believes, whereas waiter, third person, encourages reader, third person limited, man's presence, person limited, live life, nada thy, hemingway encourages reader,

Approximate Word count = 1075
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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