A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway Book Analysis
Life goes on, it doesn't stop for anybody. Some choose to sit and watch it go by, others live it to the fullest. In the process many die, leaving their remainders alone feeling empty. The loved ones left feel an urge to find a new meaning of life with a hole in the past. In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway, the central idea is how this place was the way to cope and escape the loneliness inside them.
To exhibit this central idea, the author uses symbolism to portray thoughts and feelings of the characters. An example of this would be how the cafe exemplifies the idea of comfort and togetherness. Both the old man and the old waiter get the concept that this place holds well in people's hearts because it makes them feel like they have a meaning in life. The old waiter has to explain this to the young inexperienced waiter; "With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night." The people who don't have anything to go home to may need a way to sleep at night. "We are of two different kinds," the older waiter said. He was now dressed to go home. "It is not only a question of youth and confidence although those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be someone who needs the cafe. Hombre, there are bodegas open all night long. You do not understand. This is a clean and pleasant cafe. It is well-lighted. The light is very good and also, now, there are shadows of the leaves." The old waiter had lived his life, and now understands what could be going on through the old man's mind. The old waiter now feels the earnestness of the place, and how it symbolizes solitude being lost. The author uses symbolism because it brings the reader a sense of understanding and to further explain the feeling that is received through the story. The old waiter feels for the old man in a way that the young waiter has yet to comprehend.
Another example of this is the idea of the cafe being a way to avoid the feeling of seclusion was the old waiter’s final analysis of the Clean-well lighted place, "No, thank you, '' said the waiter and went out. He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. Hewould lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it's probably only insomnia. Many must have it.” This demonstrates the final idea of loneliness and boredom outside of this place. The author's use of the word insomnia in the story exemplified the endless cycle of life and that everyone will be hit with the sense of loneliness to the point where they can't bring themselves to sleep at night. The clean, well-lighted place only keeps you sane for the amount of time you are in it, which is why the old waiter was ambivalent about closing in case there is someone who doesn't wanna feel alone for once. The author's perspective on this was to show the reader how different circumstances come with different effects on lives. It symbolized how the backstory shapes ways of life like the old man and old waiter. To reiterate, the central idea of the story was how the clean, well-lighted place made people feel wanted, and cozy by using symbolism.
