... is a Christian. For him to recite this prayer in such a way it shows that with each passing moment he becoming much like the drunken old deaf man his colleague threw out of the café. The old waiter's battle with insomnia shows that growing older and lonelier is something that has troubled ... can easily be applied to our world today with the increase in life expectancy. With an increase of long life, there is an increase of older people. If most people thought about it, they could recall seeing an older person in a restaurant or café sitting and dining alone. We sometimes pity them and...

• Word Count: 1075
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... as one of the main ways to draw attention to the ultimate futility of life. He uses the three main characters to represent the fact that as people age their purpose decreases. In the short story, the young waiter is the only character with a purpose in life. When talking about the old man, ... nothingness. The cafe acts as a distraction from the realization that life has no meaning and inevitably comes to an end. In the short story, both the deaf man and the older waiter favor being at the cafe. When talking about the cafe, the older waiter mentions that he is "with all those who need .....

• Word Count: 976
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... . Additionally, the tone of the story is created in three ways. First, he contrasts light and dark to show the difference between the difference between this man and the young people around him. Secondly, he uses the old man's deafness as an image of his separation from the rest of the world. Lastly, Hemingway uses the image of "nada- or nothing ... sounds of the world. The old man's deafness is also a powerful image that contributes to the tone of the story. " the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he could feel the difference-(256). Deafness...

• Word Count: 967
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... a cleanup man at the Cascade Lumber Company in Yakima, Washington. He is a short, wrinkly, baldheaded man with a mouth full of rotting teeth. He suffers from a personal handicap. He is not deaf, but he can't talk. He is only capable of communicating through body language. He carries tools that he will never use: a flashlight (he works days), screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, friction tape ... of bass to the pond. These bass are responsible for changing Dummy's entire life. He builds a fence around his pasture and an electric one around his pond. He never lets people go over to his house a...

• Word Count: 469
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... that a guard will get the old man for staying out on the street, the old man orders another brandy. The younger waiter, who wants to go home, grudgingly pours the deaf old fellow another glass, suggesting aloud that the man should have killed himself. He talks with the other waiter about how the old man tried to hang himself and was ... older man, he prefers to stay late at the café because someone may need to be there. The younger waiter argues that there are plenty of other places for people to go. But the older waiter points out how "clean" and "well-lighted" this café is. After th...

• Word Count: 460
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... very beginning to the end of the play. The scene that impacted me the most was the final scene, when we learned that the long awaited orator was, in fact, deaf and dumb. Indeed, the one man who the Old Man relied on to get his message across cannot physically communicate. The old man has committed suicide, so he has essentially ... with the world. This is a scene where irony is used most significantly. An interesting choice that Ionesco made in telling the story was by including imaginary characters to portray real people. Indeed, there are only two characters in the play, but through i...

• Word Count: 790
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School