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Emptiness

These three characters represent Hemingway's perception of himself past, present and future as well as others who share a similar conscience with him. The younger waiter is nave and inconsiderate and has not yet suffered any hardships, the elder waiter is experienced in life and is on the verge of giving up his search for meaning, and the old man has abandoned any hope of finding meaning in life and has convinced himself of his own worthlessness.
             Of the three characters, the young waiter is most easily understood and identifiable. He personifies a youthful generation that is ambitious of all the pleasures that life has to offer while remaining oblivious to all its evils. Happiness to him is as simple as money, and a family and the belief that it can be sustained by both. For the time-being he has both and is content in the monotony of going to work everyday and returning home to his family each night. Even though the story takes place during or near wartime as indicated by a soldier passing by on the street, the young man is indifferent to it as it does not affect him directly. Despite his hopeful and positive attitude for himself he demonstrates complete thoughtlessness and ignorance towards the old man and presumably others as well. Even though "he was a good client-(957) and had tried to commit suicide only a week earlier the young waiter's only concern is to go home early for a change as he selfishly says, "He'll stay all night.He should have killed himself last week-(958). The narrator later condones his actions and further emphasizes the waiter's ignorance by writing, "He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry-(959). In this passage Hemingway himself may be expressing guilt as he acknowledges that he too was once of the same state of mind as the young waiter. The waiter has no intent to be insensitive, uncompassionate or apathetic towards the old man but through his ignorance he is doing just that and will continue on like this until some unforeseen tragedy befalls him and forces him to rethink his outlook on life.


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