Analytical Essay : Dead Man 's Path By Chinua Achebe And A Clean, Well Lighted Place

In a “Clean, Well-lighted Place,” author Ernest Hemingway uses his direct, unadorned, detail oriented imagery and a minimalist style of writing to convey the philosophical idea of existentialism. Existentialism is a way of life that means one must create their own essence but, they have no predetermined purpose (Meyers 558). This notion of existentialism was very important during Hemingway 's time period. The war was shaping and shaking people 's belief of God, happiness and love (Meyers 558). This created the pathway to existentialism. In fact, in his short story readers are given an insight into the search for the meaning of life. Hemingway uses two of his main characters too show a current life of un-fulfillment, loneliness, despair and depression. However, both of these characters are on the search for the meaning of life.

Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," first published in 1933, is written in his characteristic terse style. It is the story of two waiters having a conversation in a café, just before closing up and going home for the night. They cannot leave because they still have a customer. One is anxious to get home to his wife, while the other sympathizes with the old man sitting at the table. Without realizing it, they are discussing the meaning of life.

On stressful evenings people often find themselves walking in circles hunting for an escape; as seen in Ernest Hemingway’s, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, which exemplifies the life of an old man and two waiters. The old man is doing exactly what most people do when they have reached rock bottom. He is hunting for peace in his life and has decided to find such solace drinking in a local café. The little café in the short story symbolizes a safe zone for people who feel unwanted, alone, and in despair. Hemingway uses the younger waiter as a foil for the older waiter to emphasize the opposing personalities and beliefs of the waiters. The ambiguity in the dialog between the two waiters evolved into a scandal relating to reproductions of the short story.

The old waiter tells the young waiter that they are two different kinds of people, and goes into detail about how “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” (6). He claims he is reluctant to close the café because there might be someone who needs it. He knows that the café is someone’s

The young waiter is fresh and the life is waiting for him. In comparison to the old men who are now old and reflect on their lives. They wished they could have done something different or had a better life. It is important to have something and people around to be happy. It is easy to look at others and judge that they do not belong.

Since time immemorial, humankind has gazed upwards at the canopy of the heavens and pondered humanity’s significance, questioning the meaning of life. Being but mere specks of dust on the canvas upon which the universe paints its portrait of all existence, do we even matter? Are our lives meaningless? Hemingway’s notably minimalistic short story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” offers an opinion on this rather heady subject matter, presenting its perspective in the guise of the story’s theme. However, Hemingway’s story divulges its conclusion slowly, taking the reader on a brief yet startlingly deep journey in the process. Indeed, despite measuring less than 1,500 words in length, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” covers significant philosophical

At the beginning of the story, the two waiters talk about the deaf man attempting to kill himself again. When the older waiter asks why the old man tried to commit suicide, the young waiter says, “He was in despair.” Then, when the old waiter asks why was the old man was in despair, the young waiter assumes the old man had nothing to be despaired about, that “he has plenty of money.” The old man comes to the café and gets drunk on a regular basis. The old man liked going to the café because it was clean, well-lighted place to stay. It was a way to get away from his home and away from “the darkness.” The old waiter understood what the old man was going through, for he was going through the same issues. The old waiter tries to explain the issues the old man is going through to the young waiter, but the young waiter has no sympathy for him whatsoever. The young waiter had “everything” a young person could have. After the young man ran off the old man, he told the old waiter “there are bodegas open all night long.” The old waiter went on to explain to the young waiter that a bodega is not the same as a café, because the café is “clean and pleasant.” The two old men felt that life was meaningless and nothing. The old waiter connects with old man on that level. Not only does the old waiter feel that life is full of

In the both short stories – “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, and “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway, we can find some similarities and differences as well. Even though their settings are different from one another, both stories’ settings really matter to the main motive of the stories. If they would have different settings, the stories’ themes wouldn’t be the same as they are now. The settings dramatically reinforce the isolation and solitude of the protagonists in the both stories.

In the short story “A Clean, Well-lighted place” the author, Ernest Hemingway, explores the effects of marriage on three of the male characters revealing their inability to function without their or a significant other.

Ernest Hemingway is a well known author of many short stories. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He was starting to be known as a good author when he first published his firsts stories. Hemingway even earned a Nobel Prize in Literature. Eventually, he committed suicide by shooting himself. His writing remains well-known. One story he wrote was called “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Hemingway wrote this story about an old man who stays late at a cafe where two waiters were working at. The old man would even stay late when no one else was in the cafe. The waiters, especially the younger one, were becoming impatient with the old man. The older waiter did not seem to mind much. As the story goes on, Hemingway gives the reader a good contrast between the waiters. There is also a sense of depression or abandonment in the story. This story can be seen as a reflection of the impact of age because of the contrast between the waiters, the loneliness of the old man, and the emphasis of the use of “nada.”

In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Ernest Hemingway uses light and dark imagery along with a young vs. old motif to demonstrate that life has no meaning. The story is about a deaf old man who sits in a cafe every night and gets drunk and the waiters that must serve him. One waiter is young and arrogant while the other is a little older and is more humble and understanding of others. Throughout the story the waiters converse back and forth about what should be done about this drunk old man as it gets later and later in the night. The cafe is used as a place for those seeking quiet and the light instead of the loud dark bars.

Mallory Cox Period 3 12/17/2015 Comp 1 Despair, Loneliness, and Nothingness In Ernest Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Place he uses the struggle of dealing with despair to show the hardships that the characters are facing. The old man that the waiter's guess is about 80 years old has attempted in many ways to deal with despair. He had a wife, but he does not anymore. He has money, but the money is enough to deal with what he is feeling.

Hemingway’s “A Clean Well Lighted Place” theme in his short story shows how to better understand the theme of “Story Of An Hour”. Both of the of these short stories have the concept of “ The emptiness of life.” For the old man and the older waiter, life is empty of meaning, purpose, and joy. Both try to fill the emptiness they have within themselves .The old man with alcohol and/or the cafe as well, and the waiter with the bright light of a clean cafe. Neither wants to go home, for home offers nothing or, as the waiter says in Spanish nada. In the short story the quote that best represents the emptiness of life is “It was nothing that he knew too well. It was all nothing and a man was nothing too.” In fact, everything is nada to him. Religion offers him no comfort, for he thinks religion is nada too.

     This story focuses on two waiters at a cafe in Madrid, and their differing outlooks upon life. Their views are shown as they talk about an old man in the cafe, and each contemplate their life.

"Dead Men 's Path" written by Chinua Achebe and "The Year of ‘Enormous Rage '" written by Niraj Chokshi share the common theme that society lacks the understanding of cultural differences. It is clear that society is influenced by higher authorities. In the short story the headmaster, Michael Orbi, is the only one making the decisions and in the newspaper article our politicians are to blame for America 's lack of a conscious. Humanity is narcissistic. Michael Orbi does not take into consideration the villager 's perception of the bridge and Americans do not attempt to understand anyone different from us. The unanswered question in both pieces is can there be a middle ground where everyone can coexist? The priest in the story suggests there is a place we can get to with perfect harmony but in the article, it is only hinted that things will get worst.