A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” written by Ernest Hemingway, is about an old waiter and a young waiter working in a café. Also there is a deaf old man who is getting drunk in the bar. The younger waiter is aggravated that the old man will not leave the café so. The young waiter wants to get home before 3:00a.m. The old waiter would leave the café open for the old man because he reminds him of himself, who is lonely. The old waiter says, “I am of those who like to stay late at the café. With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night” (447). The story takes place in Spain around the time of World War II. The day before the old man tried to kill himself because he was in “despair” (445). The old waiter wanted to know what the old man was in despair about because he to was in despair the young waiter told him “nothing”(445) The old waiter then asked “How do you know it was nothing” and the young waiter said, “he has plenty of money”(445). The old waiter feels that just because you have money doesn’t mean that your life is complete money doesn’t buy everything. He feels that you can’t buy love or just because you have money doesn’t mean that you can
The two waiters close up the café and the young waiter goes home to his wife and the old waiter goes to a bar. As the old waiter was closing he was saying the Lord’s Prayer but was using the word “nada”, which means nothing. He says the prayer like this maybe because he was angry that he was alone, angry because the café was closing, or angry because he was in despair. The old waiter has a cup of coffee and makes a comment to the bartender, “the light is very bright and pleasant but the bar is unpolished” (448). After he drank his cup he went home and was in bed and when the sunlight came he went to sleep.
The old waiter feels that the café is a pleasant place to be. He is like the old man and feels despair and that he feels like nothing. The old waiter needs the café like many others do and that the café is different from a bar. He says, “This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well-lighted”. (448) He relates to the old man because they are both lonely and they both need places like the café. The café helps the old waiter pass time and being the waiter is his life. Being at the well-lighted and pleasant café gives him hope and the feeling that he is not alone. Also being a waiter at the café makes him more aware of t
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