Nothingness is a condition man is faced with when his life has no meaning, when there is no reason to exist. It is the hollowness or emptiness man experiences when he feels that his life has no significant meaning. If there is nothing to believe in, then life is nothing. The older waiter in the story recognizes the existence of nothing: "Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y pues nada y pues nada" (2

Nothingness is a feeling that man, no matter what his beliefs, is faced with from time to time. However a man of religious faith can fall back on the belief that his life is in the hands of his creator. It is comforting to know that there is a higher power that has a master plan to life. An existentialist must rely upon himself for a reason for living. However, as Hemingway’s story suggests, it is hard to find a personal truth to believe in strongly. Existentialists are more prone to face and succumb to the nothingness that comes with the emptiness of a life without religious faith.

The Gentleman’s personal heaven is shown through the young waiter. The young waiter is tired of waiting until 3:00a.m. when his shift is over to go home and see his wife. Actually, this is the Gentleman talking because he is conflicting internally with his inner demons (the waiters). The Gentleman wants to go home to his wife, but as we know he does not have one because she has passed away. The Gentleman has been wanting all along for the feeling of youth, confidence, and a job. The thing is, the Gentleman cannot have this and all of his conflicts arise again and start the conflicting circle.

The old man in the story represents the final stage in the ill-fated belief of existentialism. It is suggested that at one time the old man had a valid existence that he created for himself and did very well: "He has plenty of money" (199), "He had a wife once too" (200). Now, however, he has no wife, has no job and has even lost his hearing. From an existentialist point of view he has no reason to exist. Nor does it seem that he has any potential to have a reason to exist. Faced with the ultimate nothingness, the old man tries to kill himself: " ‘Last week he tried to commit suicide’, one waiter said" (199). Ironically, the old man is saved by his religious niece for "Fear for his soul" (200). The old man sits "in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light" (199). The man sitting in the shadow of the tree represents living in the nothingness. He lives inside of the nothingness surrounded by the artificial light, or artificial truth that he has created for himself. The only relief he has is to numb the sting of the emptiness he feels inside with brandy.

The "nada" speech reinforces that the Gentleman has given up. We see this through the old waiter. The old waiter is telling the young waiter about life, which is the Gentleman’s inner conflict. The old waiter gives two prayers, one being the Lords prayer, which says,

The Gentleman experiences purgatory, in a spiritual sense, on Earth through the waiters. The waiters – young and old – represent a part of the Gentleman. The young waiter represents the Gentleman in his youth by having confidence and inexperience. The old waiter is just coming out of middle age and even though the old waiter is poor he still understands that the money doesn’t matter. Also, the Gentleman can relate to the old waiter because he doesn’t believe money is significant either. So, the more the old man drinks the more these images of his inner self come out. Every night the Gentleman thinks what it would be like to be able to go home to his wife he had once been with and how the clean and pleasant café is a waste of his time. The younger waiter shows this when he says, "I want to go home to bed" and "He (the Gentleman) can buy a bottle and drink at home." Also, the two waiters go back and forth discussing money. The young waiter thinks that if the Gentleman has plenty!

RESPONSE TO "A CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED PLACE"

Some topics in this essay:
Ernest Hemingway, Hail Marys, Clean Well-Lighted, Gentleman Gentleman, , Actually Gentleman, Heaven Hell, Hail Mary, Roman Catholic, CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED, nada nada, waiter waiter, pues nada, nada pues, nada pues nada, nada nada nada, life waiter, gentleman’s personal heaven, personal heaven, gentleman’s personal, waiter gentleman, home wife, reason living, nada nadas nada, gentleman tried commit,