A Clean Well-Lighted Place

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Earnest Hemingway is a striking short story about an old man trying drink away his feelings in the back of a café and two waiters preparing for the end of the evening. He was sorrowful, and deaf; therefore the waiters complained about him while he was present. The feeble man bothered one of the waiters; he had stayed late every night that week and they wanted to go home. When one of them said they were closing up before the usual time, the other was very upset because that old man had the right to a clean, well-lighted place to drink. At the beginning of the story, Hemingway introduces the old man without giving any physical descriptions. Instead of boring us with an exact narration of who this man was and why he was depressed, Hemingway tells us the more important, attention grabbing detail. The waiters are not given names, one is simply called older and the other younger. I was hooked when the younger waiter said that the man had tried to commit suicide just a week before. The waiter explains that the man had nothing to be in despair about because he had plenty of money. The older waiter is more sympathetic and accepting of other people, which is made very clear in the story. It is not clear which of the waiters is the main character, but they both express their opinions that differentiate from each other. A Clean Well-Lighted Place develops when the younger waiter decides to kick the old man out so he can get home to his family. The older waiter is the antagonist because he is opposed to the younger waiters pitiful ethics and struggles to not feel sorry for the old man. The conflict isn’t very clear at the beginning of the story, but it is made apparent when the waiters begin to argue about closing up the café. After reading the story, I agree with the older waiter because he is more patient and caring to those around him. He recognizes that some people need a clean, well-lighted place, and that a bar does not suffice. At the end of the story you learn why the older waiter felt so strongly about closing time, and the whole story is quite satisfying. The story has a genuine theme that stands out from any other short story I’ve read. Although it doesn’t have any action or drama, it expresses true feelings that people can relate to from both waiters’ perspectives. This story sets itself apart from others because of its ability to be understood and related to after almost a century. I have read some stories that lose their meaning and importance after that much time, but Hemingway’s writing is timeless. When I first read this, I thought of John Updike’s story “A&P”. The story is also about staff members quarreling about their customers right to be in the establishment. Readers will enjoy the conflict between the two waiters, and hopefully find as much meaning as I did.