A Clean, Well- Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway

In "A Clean, Well- Lighted Place," Ernest Hemingway clearly illustrates the importance of fellowship and compassion through the use of expressive language, heartfelt dialogue and a simple yet emotional plot. As one of America's most beloved writers Hemingway is well known for writing stories about the human condition. "A Clean, Well- Lighted Place" is a perfect example of this. The story contains only three main characters and is comprised mostly of dialogue. Below is a segment of dialogue that is very important to what Hemingway had intended to say with this short story:

"Why didn't you let him stay and drink?" the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. "It is not half-past two."

"I want to go home to bed."

"What is an hour?"

"More to me than to him."

"An hour is the same."

"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home."

"It's not the same."

"No, It's not," agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry.

"And you? You have no fear of going home before your usual hour?"

"Are you trying to insult me?"

"No, hombre, only make a joke."

"No," the waiter who was in a hurry said, rising from pulling down the metal shutters. "I have confidence. I am all confidence."

"You have youth, confidence, and a job," the older waiter said. "You have everything."

"And what do you lack?"

"Everything but work."

"You have everything I have."

"No. I have never had confidence and I am not young."

"Come one. Stop talking nonsense and lock up."

"I am those who like to stay late at the café," the older waiter said. "With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night."

"I want to go home and go into bed."

"We are two different kinds," the older waiter said. He was dressed now to go home. "It is not only a question of youth and confidence,

although those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café."

"Hombre, there are bodegas open all night long."

"You do not understand. This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well lighted. The light is very good and also, now, there are shadows of the leaves."(p.108-109, para.52-74)

The two characters speaking are waiters waiting to close the café at which they work. One is younger and in a hurry while the other is older. The younger waiter has just asked an elderly, supposedly suicidal man to leave. The older waiter, who is much more patient, does not understand why the man could not stay and have another drink. The younger waiter proceeds to inform the older waiter that since he is younger than the man who was drinking, time is more important to him. Time and how fleeting it can be is one of the story's themes and the older waiter comments that time is the same, no matter what age you are.

The younger waiter then comments that the old man could easily drink at home with out having to inconvenience them. The older waiter, being wiser, comments that it is not the same thing. Both waiters agree on this. That passage introduces a thought that returns at the end of the quote, the importance of being there for one another.

The waiters then talk about themselves and the qualities of life they find important. The youthful waiter does not hesitate to state that he has "confidence." He is very arrogant about it, further illustrating his youth and naïveté. The older waiter, unlike the other, has only his job to brag about. He values the café for more than just the income it brings him. He is in no hurry to go bed.

The last five lines of the passage are most important to the message Hemingway had intended for the reader to grasp. The older waiter is in no hurry to leave out of fear that another patron may arrive. He is not concerned with the money that person may have but with the companionship they may need. Unlike "bodegas," the café is a haven for those afraid of sleep. The darkness and sleep could easily be interpreted as the hardships of the world and difficulties we face throughout the course of our lives.

The youthful waiter is a perfect example of societies tendency to forget those in need and focuses too much energy on the future. He is in a hurry and even though he suspects the older man may be suicidal and in need of a friend, he does not care. He doesn't take into account the consequences of his actions and doesn't want to waste time talking about them when he could be sleeping.

The older waiter clearly represents a wiser, more understanding geography of society because he is patient, quiet and humble. He admits his failures to the younger waiter, like never having confidence, and is completely unashamed. He admires the younger waiter's youth and self-assurance but is still,"reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café." There is little in his life that he puts faith in but he is proud to help his fellow man.

Finally, the elderly gentleman represents those in need, who struggle with life and simply ask for a place to rest, solace and understanding. The old man does not hear well and does not speak often, much like those in need who do not have a voice. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem but when left with few other options, desperate times call for desperate measures. Offering an ear and a warm place to rest are the least that could be done for someone in his position.

Hemingway's characters are always complex and multi-layered. A few lessons can be learned from reading "A Clean, Well- Lighted Place." The first of these lessons is that time is fleeting and much can be learned from those that have gone before us all well as those who will be taking our place. The younger waiter wants to quickly close and go home while the other simply asks, "What is an hour?" The older waiter's age is more than a number and if his colleague were more patient he'd learn from his senior.

Another of these lessons is for certain, the importance of society and comradeship. Hemingway felt that in a world as cold as ours we must be vigilante in our watch for those in need and keep a "well lighted" shelter to help them. The older waiter is a selfless servant who sees himself in others and understands their needs, wanting nothing more than to be compassionate. Hemingway meant for him to be an example of what we should all aspire to be, keeper's of our own well-lighted places.

Works Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. "A Clean, Well- Lighted Place." Literature The Human Experience. 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 107-110