NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Dark Against Light in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place The main character in A Clean, Well- Lighted Place, written by Ernest Hemingway, is the old man. The old man, who remains nameless throughout the short story, comes to the caf for the light it provides him against the dark night. He stays late into the night, and sits In the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. The old man is deaf and finds comfort in the difference he feels inside the quiet caf.
The old man struggles with old age and the feeling of nothingness which is representative of the darkness outside of the caf. The well-lit caf represents order and cleanliness. Outside in the dark, a young soldier and a girl hurry along the streets. Apparently, the couple intend to go off alone. They symbolize the excitement that can go on in the night between two people.
The old man is around eighty years old, and does not have a wife. He doesnt experience this type of relationship in the dark. Rather, he finds company in the clean, well-lighted caf. Although the only other two people in the caf at the late hour are the two waiters, the old man finds it content. The two waiters comment that although he is A good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying. The younger of the two waiters wants to go home.
He has a wife and claims he never gets into bed before three oclock. He treats the deaf old man as if he were dumb. He speaks to him with that omission of syntax stupid people employ when talking to drunken people or foreigners. The young waiter knows that the old man tried to commit suicide last week, but feels no remorse for him. He is too preoccupied with closing the caf to get home. It is not important to the young waiter that the old man has a clean place to stay.
Unlike the old man, the young waiter says he has confidence. You have youth, confidence, and a job, the older waiter said. You have everything. He has no reason to hide from the dark. He like the soldier and girl, can find excitement in the dark. He is not lonely like the old man.
The young waiter resents the old man because he does not want to sit in the caf all night as he watches him get drunker and drunker. When the older waiter questions what the matter of one hour is to the younger waiter, the younger waiter responds that an hour is More to me than him. The young waiter says to the older waiter that the old man can Buy a bottle and drink at home. But then later agrees with the older waiter that it is not the same. The older waiter, on the other hand, feels sympathetic towards the deaf old man.
He is not as old as the old man, but can comprehend with the aging process. He is not youthful like the younger waiter. He knows that the old man is lonely. That his wife has died and his niece looks after him. The older waiter understands that even though the old man has plenty of money he is alone in the world. He realizes that it is important to keep a clean, well-lit caf open for people like the old man who can not sleep.
The older waiter recognizes the difference in his caf and that of a dark bar or bodega. He knows that Light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. He is reluctant to close up because there may be someone who needs the caf. The reader finds out at the end of the story that the waiter is like the old man in need of light and cleanness, when he goes to a bar after closing and comments that although The light is very bright and pleasant but the bar is unpolished. The waiter blames it on insomnia, but he like the old man is alone. In a way, the company of the old man is good for him just as it is to the old man.
He admits to the younger waiter I am of those who like to stay late at the caf, ... With all those who need a light for the night. He also, tells the younger waiter that he lacks everything but work. Similar to the old man, he One characteristic that neither the old man nor the older waiter lack is dignity. Even though the old man is drunk when he leaves the caf, he still walks down the street in a distinguished manner.
Likewise, the older waiter comments that you can not stand before a bar with dignity even though that is all that is provided for these hours. For both the old man and the older waiter life held nothing, nada. The light, the pleasantness, and cleanliness of a late night caf is the only sense of being for the two men. They are both alone. And although at night they find themselves alone, it also brings a peacefulness and consolation from the busy day. The light that they find in the night brings them a strong sense of relief from what they are missing in the dark.
Both of the men are older and know the reality of darkness. The youthful young waiter lacks experience which does not intimidate him from the dark. The order of the light keeps the two others up, and away from the loneliness. The dark holds nothingness, while the light is Regardless of the old mans pursuit of light, he sits in the shadows created by the leaves. Almost as if he is an outsider or onlooker of the light. In this aspect, he is slightly similar to the younger waiter who awaits the darkness of his wife and their bed.
It is as if the old man is stuck in the middle: he longs for the brightness of the electric light, but he can not completely pull himself from the darkness of the shadow. The shadow stands for a shelter from the complete light or darkness. It is a middle ground for him to be guarded in. At the end of the short story, the older waiter blames it all on insomnia. He claims Many must have it. Like the old man, the older waiter and many others who have experienced the nothingness of darkness, long for the light and cleanness of a caf open late at night.
Maybe it is insomnia. Whatever the case, it is like an illness which the victim suffers from the fear of nothingness and of being alone that comes with old age. Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: younger waiter, older waiter, clean well lighted, young waiter, electric light
Research essay sample on Dark Vs Light In A Clean Place
