A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway
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What is important about the title?
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It tells about a place of comfort with bright lights. The outside world is a dark, lonely and unhappy place.
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What is the setting?
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A cafe in Spain that sells Brandy and is well lit, a comfortable and friendly place.
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What are the conflicts in "A Clean Well Lighted Place"?
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The young waiter wants the old man to leave so he can go home to his wife. The old waiter and the old man don't want to go home because they would be lonely there. Their conflict is emotional.
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Discuss the main conflict in the story. Is it internal, external, or both?
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The external conflict is between the young waiter and the old man and the old waiter. The young waiter wants the old man to leave so he can close the cafe and go home to his wife. The internal conflict is that the older waiter believes in nothing. He does not believe in God.
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How does Ernest Hemingway reveal character in "A Clean Well Lighted Place."?
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He's comparing the old man and old waiter's loneliness to the young waiter's confidence in himself and his life.
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What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
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One of the themes is Life is dark, there's no meaning to life. The older man and the old waiter wanted to escape their life by going to the clean, well-lighted place where it was safe and comfortable.
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Are the waiters consistent in their actions?
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NO. The younger waiter wanted to go home to his wife, the older waiter wants to keep the cafe open for other lonely people.
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Are the waiters "flat" (not fully developed) or round (fully developed) characters?
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The older waiter is a more developed character than the younger character. We learned about the older waiter's feelings.
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Which character is a flat character?
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The young waiter is a flat character. All we really know about him is that he wants to go home and see his wife.
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Which character is a round character?
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The old waiter is a round character because we know the most about him. He feels lonely, he feels sorry for lonely people. He's sympathetic and compassionate. He sees himself in the old man. He believes in "nothing."
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How much do we learn about the old man?
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We learned about the older man's feelings and his living situation. He has money, a niece who takes care of himself. He is depressed and tried to kill himself.
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Do you find the characters likeable? Are they people you would like to meet?
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The younger waiter doesn't care about anyone else but himself. I like the older waiter because he stuck up for the old man. I would feel sorry for the older characters.
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Discuss some of the symbols in "A Clean Well Lighted Place".
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1. A clean well lighted cafe represents comfort. 2. Home represents loneliness 3. Nada represents a belief in nothing.
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Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?
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No. The story should end when the old man and old waiter both die from lonliness.
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What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
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The story demonstrates that life has no meaning and there is no hope in life. Life is depressing and lonely. People do not believe in anything.
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How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
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The setting takes place in a cafe where brandy is served and people feel comfortable. The story could not take place in another setting.
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Are there any women in the text? What is the role of the woman.
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The niece is the woman who takes care of the old deaf man. The younger waiter has a wife he wants to go home to and enjoy her company. The role of women is to comfort men and take care of them, and prevent loneliness.
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Would you recommend this story to a friend?
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No, because it's depressing. It's not a happy story.
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Several themes/topics in this short story have inspired controversy. Do you think this story should be banned?
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I think the story is depressing, but it shouldn't be banned. It shows how some people feel about life and how they deal with lonliness.
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Suicide, alcoholism, death, depression and loneliness-- are these appropriate discussion for a literature classroom?
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Yes, because it is about what many people experience in life.
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Does Ernest Hemingway appear to draw on personal experience in the way he captures these controversial themes in "A Clean Well Lighted Place."?
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Ernest Hemingway suffered from alcoholism, depression and loneliness. He searched for the meaning of life during a time when the world was changing quickly after World War I.
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What symbolizes the opposite of "nothingness?" Explain.
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The opposite of nothingness is a clean, well-lighted cafe where people are friendly and it's comfortable. Where there is no loneliness.
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What is the theme of this piece? Connect with reality.
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Life has no meaning and people are lonely. Older people are often lonely because their children do not live with them anymore.
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Which character says, "You should have killed yourself last week?" Why? What does this reveal about this character?
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The young waiter said "You should have killed yourself last week" to the old man. He said it because he wanted the old man to go home. The young waiter is NOT VERY COMPASSIONATE.
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Who says, "You have everything...?" Explain the meaning behind this quote.
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The old waiter said it to the young waiter because the younger waiter had youth, confidence, and a job. He also has a wife at home. The old waiter doesn't have a wife, confidence, or youth.
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When the older waiter begins to pray "nada"-what is the literary device? Explain the meaning behind these words.
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1. the literary device used is ALLUSION: he is referring to something BIBLICAL, historical or mythological. 2. Nada means "nothing." The old waiter believes in nothing. He doesn't believe in God.
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What literary device is used for most of this story?
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He uses a journalistic, no nonsense style of writing. He does not use adjectives or lengthy descriptions.
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Define EXISTENTIALISM and connect to this story.
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The individual is responsible for his or her environment. The older waiter is more sympathetic (feels sorry) to the old man because he sees himself in the old man.
