Hemingway vs. Frost

In Hemingway¡¯s short story there are three characters, two waiters ¨C one young and one old ¨C and an old man customer. The setting is in a caf¨¦ at night. As the customer sits alone drinking his brandy, the two waiters discuss his attempted suicide of the past week. The young waiter doesn¡¯t understand why a man with money would be depressed enough to commit suicide. The old waiter seems to understand the customer¡¯s state of mind and even states that he is similar to those who like to stay late in the caf¨¦. The old waiter tells the young waiter that he

Frost uses light to symbolize different things and in line twenty Frost uses the sun as a symbol for heaven. The whole image of the poem so far has been one of darkness, faint light and nighttime, so when Robert Frost adds full, bright and blinding sun, he is alluding to heaven as this is the biggest, brightest light there is. ¡°As better than the sun in any case¡­¡± means that the old man would rather be in solitude than going to heaven. Line twenty-one and twenty-two show that the man still has things to do, ¡°For such a charge, his snow upon the roof, his icicles along the wall to keep;¡­¡± The old man needs to keep up the farm, perhaps for the children or grandchildren.

old man stays near the warmth and light. He is comfortable alone, since he can sleep, and he wants to live.

Lines twenty-three through twenty-five bring a vision of the old man sleeping next to the stove, keeping the warmth of the fire and the light near him. Again this shows how resolved the man is to live. Death is cold and dark, and the

¡°What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze was the lamp tilted near¡­¡± in this line, Frost uses light to symbolize life. By keeping the light close, the old man is showing his fear of the darkness, and his resolve to stay alive. Lines six through eight deal with the old man¡¯s loss. Habit brought him into the room, perhaps a room that used to be filled with life and love. And there he stood, ¡°at a loss.¡± Frost is showing the reader that the man spent many years in the arms of a family and now the old man is alone. The room is creaky and full of barrels. Are the barrels full, symbolizing a full life for the old man? Or are the barrels empty, symbolizing an unfulfilled life?

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