A Clean, Well-

Lighted Place
Study Guide by Course Hero

ABOUT THE TITLE

What's Inside The title, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," refers to the setting of
the story, the café. The character of the older waiter describes
the café as clean and well-lighted. He believes it is important
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 for people to have a place like this to go.

d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1

a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 3

d In Context
h Characters .................................................................................................. 4

k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 7

Modernism
c Plot Analysis ............................................................................................... 8
As a literary genre, modernism emerged in large part as a
g Quotes ......................................................................................................... 12
response and reaction to the prevailing style of realism in the
l Symbols ...................................................................................................... 14 early 20th century. Its influence touched a wide variety of
artistic disciplines, from painting to music. Modernists were
m Themes ........................................................................................................ 15 interested in investigating how reality is portrayed,
experimenting with styles such as stream-of-consciousness
(character's thoughts and reactions portrayed as a continuous
flow) and fragmentation (reflection of chaos without thematic
j Book Basics meaning), as well as exploring themes such as ambiguity and
alienation. Although scholars disagree as to whether Ernest
AUTHOR Hemingway was a strict modernist, he was interested in
Ernest Hemingway depicting reality by following his own rule called the "iceberg
principle." The iceberg principle dictated that in his writing,
YEAR PUBLISHED "seven-eighths of it [is] underwater for every part it shows."
1933 For Hemingway, reality did not necessarily mean showing
every character's thoughts and emotions. Rather his writing
GENRE
reflects the idea that often people utilize only their
Fiction
observations of others and their environment to draw
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR conclusions.
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is narrated from the third-person
Hemingway picked up many of his skills as a modernist writer,
omniscient perspective of someone observing a café in Spain.
such as experimenting with structure and diction, from
TENSE observing and emulating his peers. In the vast majority of
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is narrated in past tense by an writing during the previous Victorian era (1819–1901), writing
observer who mostly follows the thoughts of an older waiter in followed similar formulas and themes. The modernists were
a cafe. defined by experimentation and the call to "make it new."
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide In Context 2

Modernism was greatly influenced by the political, social, and

cultural upheavals taking place in the world, from the advent of World War I and the Lost
World War I (1914–18) to the rise of industrialization. Many
writers and artists felt the old way of making art no longer Generation
reflected the realities of the world. They strove to find a way to
articulate the newfound sadness and disillusionment they felt The way wars were fought prior to the 20th century differed

in the aftermath of World War I—a war that brought unmatched greatly from the way World War I was fought. The technology

death and devastation upon the world. of war underwent an overhaul one could hardly have dreamed
of a century earlier. With these advancements in technology
came an even greater capacity for death and destruction due

Existential Nihilism to the invention of machine guns, poisonous gases, tanks, and
airplanes. The psychological toll the war took on soldiers and
civilians mirrored the magnitude of the physical toll it took, and
Existential nihilism is an analysis of existence based on the
the generation that survived the war came to be known as the
theory that life is meaningless and the world does not
"Lost Generation." They were described as such not only
necessarily have a moral order. As a branch of philosophy,
because of the large number of young men who perished but
existential nihilism began in the 20th century as a way to
because those who survived faced a sense of alienation and
explore how humanity experiences and understands the
disillusionment little described by previous generations.
condition of being human. It examines issues such as how free
will and personal choice affect one's sense of meaning in life. Hemingway worked as an ambulance driver in France during
Many literary critics view "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" as a World War I, and he saw first-hand the devastating effects of
story that illustrates existential nihilism, as voiced by the two war technology. A number of Americans stayed in Paris after
waiters who argue about whether the old man's life has the war ended, including Hemingway and other writers and
meaning or whether he should have succeeded in killing artists who would become highly influential as modernists as
himself. The characters of the old man and the older waiter they established their literary and artistic reputations. This
seem to be contending with a kind of existential nihilistic group was also dubbed the "Lost Generation" by American
depression, staved off by the brightness and orderliness of the writer Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) and included members such
café, but hovering around the edges of the night. The older as short story writer and novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald
waiter must contend with it once again when he goes home, (1896–1940) and poet Ezra Pound (1885–1972). In
where he cannot sleep. Hemingway's 1954 book A Moveable Feast, he details how
Stein heard the term used by a garage owner in France who
French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–80) believed that
referred to the younger generation as "Une Génération Perdue"
since life is ultimately meaningless, one can only strive for
while scolding an employee, a World War I veteran, who hadn't
dignity as a means for creating a sense of order. Such dignity
fixed Stein's car properly. These writers, and many of their
can act as a salve for the despair that comes with viewing the
characters, share certain characteristics: pleasure-seeking,
world as meaningless. The character of the older waiter does
rejection of traditional morality, search for meaning through
not seem to believe there is anything governing him or the
creativity, and transformation as a result of the war.
universe. Instead, he sees much of living (and dying) as
"nothing," or "nada" in Spanish. Because the older waiter and
the old man accept that both life and death are meaningless,
they conclude that all one can do is establish comfort and The Great Depression
dignity where one finds it. The older waiter attempts to define
whether he feels fear or dread over this condition, but he "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" takes place during the Great

concludes his feeling is uneasiness or anxiety. Depression (1929–39). It was the longest economic depression
ever to take place in the Western world, resulting in high
unemployment rates and economic deflation. The causes of
the Great Depression had to do with financial panic—beginning
with the American stock market crash of 1929—and the
government's response to it. Even though Hemingway lived in

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Author Biography 3

Europe and the characters in the story are European, the writers commented on the insecurities and lack of direction in
effects of the Great Depression rippled outward, causing a a world that seemed to have lost all meaning after the brutality
generation to question the value of hard work and money. of the war. Stein famously referred to this group as the "Lost
Generation" after the disillusionment felt as a result of the
Hemingway began writing "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" in atrocities of World War I. Hemingway was often included in this
1926 before the Great Depression had begun. The story was so-called generation, but he remained fiercely independent of
finally published in 1933. Therefore, the discussion of money it. In 1923 when the Hemingways learned Hadley was pregnant,
and work in the story seem weighted toward the question of they moved temporarily to Toronto, Canada (believing the
their value—the old man attempts suicide despite having hospitals were better there). Already employed by the Toronto
money, which the younger waiter finds unfathomable. Star, Hemingway continued his work as a foreign
correspondent.

a Author Biography
Midcareer: World Travel and
Beginnings: Journalism and Rise to Fame
World War I Soon after the 1927 publication of The Sun Also Rises, a novel
heavily drawn on what Hemingway learned about bullfighting
during frequent trips to Spain, he and Richardson divorced. He
Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 21,
married Pauline Pfeiffer later that year and returned to the
1899. In his career as a journalist he often covered wartime
United States to live in Key West, Florida. In 1928 their son
battlefronts. As a novelist he is acclaimed for works such as
Patrick was born, followed by another son, Gregory, in 1931.
The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), For
During this marriage Hemingway published A Farewell to Arms,
Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea
a novel about World War I.
(1952—for which he received the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction). A year later he won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. In the 1930s Hemingway engaged in adventurous outdoor
activities such as hunting in Africa, bullfighting in Spain, and
While still a teenager, Hemingway began his writing career as a
deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Always drawn to the
reporter for The Kansas City Star. Rather than go to college, he
sea, Hemingway bought a boat, the Pilar, in 1934. He equipped
volunteered for the American Red Cross in 1918 as an
it to catch big fish and traveled extensively around the
ambulance driver during World War I (1914–18). After being
Caribbean, gathering the experiences he would later use in his
severely injured in Italy in a noncombat role, he returned to the
novella The Old Man and the Sea.
United States and stayed at his family's home in Michigan to
recover and plan a return to his life as a writer.

Late Career: War

Early Career: The Paris Years Correspondence and Literary
Hemingway married his first wife, Hadley Richardson, in 1921,
and within months the couple moved to Paris. While in Paris
Prizes
Hemingway joined the expatriate artistic community of
In 1937 he covered the Spanish Civil War as a foreign
American writer Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), who hosted a
correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance.
salon where writers and artists frequently met. Hemingway
While in Spain he met fellow journalist Martha Gellhorn. In 1939
socialized with well-known cultural icons such as American
he took the Pilar to Cuba, where Gellhorn joined him. Pfeiffer
writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940), Spanish artist Pablo
then left him, and Hemingway and Gellhorn married in 1940,
Picasso (1881–1973), Irish writer James Joyce (1882–1941), and
settling on a farm near Havana, Cuba.
American poet Ezra Pound (1885–1972). These modernist

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Characters 4

Hemingway served as a war correspondent in Europe during

World War II. He met his fourth wife, Mary Welsh, a Time h Characters
magazine correspondent, while living in London from 1944 to
1945. Always aiming to be at the center of events, Hemingway
witnessed the Normandy landing at Omaha Beach on June 6,
1944; the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944; and the Battle
Older waiter
of the Bulge in December 1944. In 1946, following a divorce
The older waiter distinguishes himself from the younger waiter
from Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway and Welsh married in Cuba.
through his response to the old man—he is sympathetic and
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway's novel about the Spanish understanding of the old man's loneliness and his need to
Civil War, had been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1941, but it frequent a place like the café late at night. He is in no rush to
did not win. However, in 1953 Hemingway won the prestigious close the café and reveals his problem with insomnia at the
award for The Old Man and the Sea. Appearing in 1952, the end of the story. Because he is older, he has had time to think
novella is the last complete work published before his death. about the meaning, or meaninglessness, of life. He
An immediate commercial and critical success, it became an understands the old man because of this sense there is
international best seller—making its author a celebrity after nothing or "nada" to provide comfort against loneliness and
almost 10 years of virtual literary silence. The novella's critical aging. He emphasizes the importance of a "clean, well-lit" café
acclaim helped cement Hemingway's reputation as a literary to provide some kind of order to lives like his own and the old
giant, and in 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. man's.

Younger waiter
Death and Enduring Legacy The younger waiter shows little interest in the old man's life or
struggles. He pays little attention or respect to the older
Hemingway sustained many injuries (automobile, hunting,
waiter's argument as to the necessity of keeping their café
airplane, and household accidents) throughout his lifetime of
open late for those who need it. He seems unable to
adventures. He was a heavy drinker who suffered from
understand the concept of loneliness that the older waiter
depression and several chronic ailments, among them liver
describes. He is preoccupied with his own interests and
disease and hypertension (high blood pressure). When
concerns—chiefly, going home to his wife. The younger waiter
Hemingway and his fourth wife moved to Ketchum, Idaho, after
can't quite grasp that he, too, will be older and lonelier
buying a house in 1959, his mental health continued to
someday, and therefore dismisses the older waiter's argument.
deteriorate. On July 2, 1961, Hemingway committed suicide, like
He reveals himself to be insensitive when he claims the old
his father, sister, and brother before him.
man would have been better off killing himself. He also shows
this insensitivity when he shudders at the idea of being that old
A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's fictionalized memoir of his
and when he describes being an older man to his older
early years in Paris, was published in 1964 and is considered a
coworker as "a nasty thing." He doesn't recognize the luck
valuable addition to the Hemingway canon. His simple,
bestowed on him by his youth.
rhythmic prose style in it and many other works is one of the
20th century's most widely imitated styles by writers who
followed. Many critics and readers in the United States and
abroad consider him among the century's best authors. Old man
The old man comes to the café at night to sit in the shadow of
the trees made by the electric lights. Being deaf, he enjoys
sitting like this because he finds the quiet of the night relaxing.
Most of what the reader learns about the old man is through
the dialogue between the two waiters. A week earlier, the old

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Characters 5

man attempted suicide, but he was saved by his niece who "cut
him down." Because the old man has "plenty of money," the
older waiter believes the suicide attempt was over "nothing." In
other words, the older waiter blames the incident on the old
man's despair about the meaninglessness or nothingness of
life. he drinks with the purpose of getting drunk, the older
waiter points out the dignified manner in which the old man
does so. He "drinks without spilling," and when he departs the
café his steps may be unsteady, but he walks down the street
with dignity.

Barman
The barman is annoyed by the older waiter and does not
engage in conversation.

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Characters 6

Character Map

Younger waiter
Impatient, insensitive man;
wants to get home

Coworkers

Older waiter
Sympathetic man;
fears meaninglessness

Waiter

Patron

Old man Barman

Deaf, despairing man; Spanish worker; too
drinks often tired for conversation

Main Character

Other Major Character

Minor Character

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Plot Summary 7

killed himself last week, a sentiment he repeats to the deaf old

Full Character List man when he pours his brandy, since the old man cannot hear
him.
Character Description

The older waiter, the protagonist, is one Youth and Age

of the two waiters in the café waiting to
Older waiter close for the night. He believes comfort
Back inside, the waiters resume their discussion of the old
and dignity should be the first priority in
a life he views as meaningless. man's suicide attempt, with the younger waiter continuing to
question why the old man would want to kill himself. The older
As the antagonist, the younger waiter is waiter informs him that the old man's niece found him hung by
impatient, impulsive, and insensitive. He a rope and cut him down. When the younger waiter asks why
Younger
has little sympathy or concern for the she cut him down, the older waiter replies, "fear for his soul."
waiter
old man's plight and argues with the
older waiter. They say they would like to go home. Even if the old man is
lonely, the younger waiter has a wife waiting in bed for him—he
is not lonely, so he shouldn't have to stay up this late. They
The old man, who is also deaf, is a
regular at the café. If he drinks too consider the fact that the old man had a wife once, too, and the
Old man
much, he forgets to pay, and so the younger waiter says he would not want to be that old because
waiters keep an eye on him.
"an old man is a nasty thing." The older waiter disagrees,
pointing out the old man is clean and drinks without spilling.
The barman offers the older waiter a
Barman The younger waiter dismisses him, as he would just rather go
drink at the bar.
home than contemplate the old man.

The old man asks for another brandy, and the younger waiter,

k Plot Summary who is in a hurry to go home, tells him they are closed. The old
man pays for his drinks and leaves. The older unhurried waiter
asks why the younger waiter does not let him stay and drink,
since they are not actually closed yet. The younger hurried
A Deaf Old Man waiter says it is because he wants to go home to bed. They
argue about the difference an hour makes for themselves
It is late at night, and the only customer left at the café is a versus the old man. The older waiter argues that the younger
deaf old man who sits outside. He likes to stay late because it waiter has "youth, confidence, and a job,"—in essence, he has
is quiet and he can feel the difference in sound. The two "everything." The younger waiter asks the older waiter what it
waiters inside keep a close eye on him, for if he drinks too is he lacks, and he responds, "Everything but work," since he is
much, he will forget to pay. The older waiter informs the other not confident and young like the other waiter. He says he likes
that last week the old man tried to commit suicide because he to stay late at the café, "with all those who need a light for the
"was in despair." When the younger waiter asks about the night." He believes he and the younger waiter are "of two
cause of the old man's despair, the older waiter says it was different kinds." It is not necessarily about youth or confidence
over nothing, which he has deduced because the old man has but about the fact that every night he is "reluctant to close up
plenty of money. because there may be someone who needs the café." The
younger waiter points out "there are bodegas open all night
The two waiters sit at a table near the door and observe a girl long," but the older waiter argues that their café is clean,
and a soldier walk down the street. The older waiter notes "the pleasant, and well-lighted.
guard will pick [the soldier] up," and he had better get off the
street. The old man taps his glass and asks for more brandy.
The younger waiter warns the old man that he will be drunk,
but obliges. He tells the older waiter the old man should have

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Plot Analysis 8

older waiter, "nothing" is an idea he repeats often throughout

Light, Cleanness, and Order the story, suggesting a larger sense of meaninglessness and
futility in the face of impending age and death. The other
The two waiters bid each other good night, and the older waiter seems too young to grasp this concept. Therefore, their
waiter continues the conversation with himself about the dialogue reveals the gulf between the two waiters due to their
café—it is necessary to have a clean, pleasant, well-lit place stations in life.
with no music. He ponders what it is that makes him anxious
and decides it is not "fear or dread" but "a nothing that he
knew too well." The antidote, he believes, is light, cleanliness,
and order. He says the Lord's Prayer in his head but replaces
Repetition and Stream of
the nouns with the word nada, which means "nothing" in
Spanish.
Consciousness
The older waiter goes to a bar and orders a drink. He tells the Hemingway makes much use of repetition throughout the

barman "the light is very bright and pleasant but the bar is story, repeating images such as "the shadows on the leaves"

unpolished." The barman does not respond but offers another and the words clean, pleasant, and well-lit. The older waiter

drink, which the waiter declines because he dislikes bars and most frequently utters these descriptions, and they seem to be

bodegas. He prefers a clean, well-lighted café. He decides to an antidote for the darkness of the night, which he equates

go home and imagines falling asleep with the daylight, with a kind of despair and anxiety over an existential nihilistic

pondering whether his anxiety is only insomnia, a thing many nothingness.

people must have.

The words "nothing" and "nada" are also repeated throughout
the story, which leaves readers with nothing but absence to
help them make connections regarding the theme of the story.
c Plot Analysis With this repetition, Hemingway instills the same uneasy sense
of nothingness in the reader that the characters of the old man
and the older waiter feel. In this way, readers may also find

Hemingway's Minimalism respite in the "clean, well-lighted" café.

Hemingway also deploys the technique of stream-of-

Hemingway is famous for his "iceberg principle" of writing, in consciousness to convey the older waiter's internal thoughts,
which he aims to reveal the least amount of detail possible. He which stands in contrast to the minimal style of the rest of the
believes that only 1/8 of the story should show, and what lies story. After the two waiters say good night to each other, the
underneath is open to the reader's interpretation. In "A Clean, narrator shifts from the dialogue between the two men to the
Well-Lighted Place," the reader must look for clues to meaning thoughts of the older waiter. The narrator makes this shift by
in the dialogue and the narrator's description of the setting. stating, "Turning off the electric light he continued the
Even Hemingway's choice of words by the narrator and conversation with himself. It was the light of course but it is
characters is simple, with short, concise sentences that don't necessary that the place be clean and pleasant." The shift is
rely on figurative language. There is no dramatic climax to the abrupt and marks a distinct transition that shows the older
story, but rather Hemingway presents a pared-down waiter turning inward toward himself after engaging in debate
description of nameless characters and the setting they with the younger waiter. This shift sets the older waiter apart
inhabit. from the other characters as a focus. The narration shows how
his thoughts leap from one thing to another as he traces a path
Minimalism also extends to the dialogue in Hemingway's story,
through the "nothing" he feels and is trying to distract himself
in which the two waiters converse without always
from.
understanding one another. The younger waiter cannot
understand what the older waiter means when he tells him the
old man tried to commit suicide over "nothing"—they seem to
have different ideas regarding the meaning of nothing. For the

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Plot Analysis 9

Narrative Intent
The story is narrated by a third person omniscient narrator,
who merely reports the setting, dialogue, and inner thoughts of
the characters without emotion or judgment. It is within the
thoughts of the older waiter where the theme of the story
unfolds. Outwardly, he appears to be a middle-aged waiter
amused at the impatience of his younger coworker. But
internally he reveals the existential nihilistic dread he feels at
the "nothingness" of the night and at his own mortality, a dread
only alleviated by a "clean, well-lighted" place like the café. The
narration also reveals the older waiter's attempts to convince
himself that perhaps this pervasive dread is simply insomnia,
an affliction "many must have." The narration of the story is
less concerned with depicting a traditional plot structure than
with allowing readers to glimpse nameless characters in a
nameless café. By neglecting anything overly personal or
characteristic, the story is stripped down to its philosophical
questions.

The narrator also takes great care to describe the setting of

the story, which functions as much as a character as the
humans. The "clean, well-lighted" café provides a pleasant
atmosphere for the old man, despite his deafness—the setting
still allows him to enjoy sensory details such as the leaves and
the shadows the light makes. At the same time, the café
provides the older waiter with respite from the thoughts of
meaninglessness that plague his consciousness. In a sense,
the café is an antidote to aging and the questions of life's
meaning that come with it. The clean, well-lit café presents a
sense of order not found in real life.

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Plot Analysis 10

Plot Diagram

Climax

Rising Action 4 Falling Action

6
3

2 7
1
Resolution
Introduction

Falling Action
Introduction
6. The older waiter goes to a well-lit, but dirty bar.
1. An old man drinks at a table in front of a café at night.

Resolution
Rising Action
7. Going home, the older waiter tries to sleep.
2. The older waiter reveals the old man attempted suicide.

3. The younger waiter tells the old man to go home.

4. The waiters argue about closing early.

Climax

5. The older waiter thinks about his nightly fears.

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Plot Analysis 11

Timeline of Events

Late at night

A deaf old man drinks at a table outside a café.

1:30 a.m.

The younger waiter decides to close the café one hour

early.

Immediately after

The two waiters argue about the difference of an hour,

youth, and confidence.

Afterward

The younger waiter leaves the café, and the older waiter
turns off the electric light.

Soon after

The older waiter leaves the café, conversing with himself

about the meaning of life as "nothing."

Soon after

The older waiter goes to a bar and orders a drink.

Immediately after

The older waiter feels the bar is well-lit, but not clean,
and decides to leave.

Later

The older waiter lies awake in his bed, blaming insomnia.

Daylight

The older waiter finally falls asleep.

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Quotes 12

impatient because he has a wife at home—he does not have to

g Quotes face the dark and seemingly endless night alone.

"He was in despair." "With all those who need a light for
— Older waiter
the night."

— Older waiter
Here the older waiter answers the younger waiter's question
as to why the old man tries to commit suicide. He goes on to
say the old man's despair is about "nothing," since the old man Here the older waiter distinguishes himself further from the
has plenty of money. The ideas of despair and nothingness younger waiter and aligns himself with people like the old
occur throughout the story, and here the older waiter's man—people who need a light for the night in order to stave off
response shows that he feels he understands why the old man despair and loneliness. For the older waiter, the café and other
would try to commit suicide over "nothing"—it is nothingness places like it represent order and safety during the questioning
that causes despair. night. His work there brings him a sense of purpose that
distracts him from thoughts about the kind of "nothing" that
brings the old man such despair.

"I wouldn't want to be that old. An

old man is a nasty thing." "You should have killed yourself
— Younger waiter
last week."

— Younger waiter
Hemingway does not distinguish between the ages of the
waiters until later in the story, and their conversation about the
old man allows the reader to locate the source of friction The younger waiter utters this sentiment to the deaf old man,
between the two of them. When the younger waiter acts who cannot hear him. Regardless, it shows how little
dismissively and cruelly toward the old man, he reveals he compassion and understanding the younger waiter has for the
cannot understand the old man's plight of "nothing" that old man, whose despair is alleviated by having a place like the
brought him such despair because of his own youth. He does café to go to at night. Instead, he is impatient and annoyed
not realize that someday, he will be an old man, too. because the old man will not leave.

"You have youth, confidence, and "He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a
a job ... You have everything." wife waiting in bed for me."

— Older waiter — Younger waiter

The older waiter says this in response to the younger waiter's The younger waiter understands the old man is lonely—the
claim that he is "all confidence." The older waiter points out older waiter points out that the old man probably had a wife
that youth and confidence may go hand in hand, and that once, too. Yet the younger waiter seemingly has no
confidence may be the quality that allows the younger waiter compassion for the old man, only caring about his own life and
to ignore or reject the "nothing" that the older waiter and the worries rather than a lonely old man who tried to commit
old man sense is waiting for them. The younger waiter is suicide. Here Ernest Hemingway points out the invincibility of

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Quotes 13

youth—until one suddenly finds himself old and fending off the Here the older waiter attempts to tell the younger waiter why
"nothing." they differ on wanting to leave early or keep the café open late.
The older waiter seems to understand people like the old man
who need the café in the way he is attempting to describe. The
"He did not wish to be unjust. He younger waiter can't grasp the concept of someone needing a
place like the café at night. But the older waiter understands
was only in a hurry." the café is a refuge for some against the feelings of dread and
despair that come at night.
— Narrator

The narrator offers a rare glimpse into the younger waiter's "You do not understand. This is a
mind, who comes off as uncaring and brash in the way he clean and pleasant café. It is well
treats the old man. Yet the younger waiter isn't trying to be
intentionally cruel or unjust, he just wants to put his own lighted."
concerns first—namely, closing the café so he can get home to
his wife. Since the waiter is young and hasn't yet experienced — Older waiter
the loneliness or "nada" that comes with getting older, he can't
understand the older waiter's or the old man's perspective on
The younger waiter points out that the café is not necessary at
life. If anything, he is repulsed by it and rejects it.
night because there are bodegas open all night long. The older
waiter argues that the younger waiter does not understand
that the café is not like bodegas since it is clean, pleasant, and
"We are of two different kinds." well-lit. A bodega or a bar is dark and loud, but a café provides
a bright light to counteract the darkness that is both literal and
— Older waiter metaphorical, such as the darkness the old man feels that
drives him to attempt suicide.

The older waiter says this to the younger waiter in an attempt

to explain it is not just their ages that make them different. He
recognizes his coworker is young and full of confidence, but he "It was a nothing that he knew too
also sees their world views as different. To the younger waiter,
well."
the loneliness and search for meaning that can occur in old
age seem very far away, and so he is only concerned with his
immediate future. But because the older waiter is familiar with — Narrator

a kind of spiritual "nothingness," he finds kinship and

understanding with people like the old man—people who need Here the older waiter thinks to himself about what it is he
a place to go at night to distract them from this feeling of possibly fears about the night and comes to the conclusion the
"nada." feeling is not one of fear or dread, but of "a nothing that he
knew too well." The word nothing implies an emptiness or a
lack of meaning, and that seems to be what the older waiter
"Each night I am reluctant to close and the old man are both grappling with. They find solace in a
place like the café because the café provides a bright
up ... there may be someone who counterpoint to the nothing of the night.
needs the café."

— Older waiter "Some lived in it and never felt it

but he knew It all was nada y

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Symbols 14

offers a glimpse into why the night is harder for the older
pues."
waiter—he can't sleep and so must lie awake with his thoughts
until morning.
— Narrator

Here the older waiter ponders how other people consider the "After all, he said to himself, it's
"nothing" he speaks about, and he comes to the conclusion
that although some live inside this meaninglessness, they don't
probably only insomnia. Many
feel its full gravity or care to understand the root of the feeling. must have it."
The older waiter slips into Spanish when he thinks he knows it
is all "nada y pues," or "nothing and then [nothing]." The waiter
— Narrator
shows his own understanding of this lack of meaning and its
implications on his life.
The older waiter tries to tell himself that all his feelings of
nothingness and his inability to sleep must just be insomnia. He

"Our nada who art in nada, nada tries to reassure himself that many people must have the same
condition, so that he doesn't feel so alone. This connection to
be thy name thy kingdom nada thy humanity seems to give him some solace that other rationales
cannot provide.
will be nada."

— Narrator

l Symbols
The older waiter continues his stream of consciousness about
the "nothing" or "nada" he knows too well. Here he recites the
Lord's prayer, but he replaces every few words with the
Spanish word "nada." The effect of this replacement
The Café
demonstrates that the older waiter finds this sense of nothing
so pervasive, not even religion can provide solace or
distraction—it is just as meaningless as everything else. By The café represents something different to the old man, the
contrast, the older waiter finds the clean, well-lit café a refuge older waiter, and the younger waiter. For the old man and the
against this sense of nothingness. older waiter, the café represents order, refuge, and a place to
distract them from the emptiness of the night. For the younger
waiter, the café is a place to leave as quickly as possible after

"He would lie in the bed and finally, his work is done, and he seems to find the fact that the old
man and the older waiter find comfort in it repulsive. The older
with daylight, he would go to waiter tries in vain to explain why the existence of the café is
so important to people like himself and the old man—it
sleep."
provides a clean, well-lit place in opposition to the nothingness
of despair.
— Narrator
The title of the story refers to the café—it describes the
qualities the older waiter believes are essential to a place that
The older waiter goes to a bar after the café closes and
stays open at night, differentiating it from bars and bodegas.
complains to the barman that the bar is unpolished and gets no
The cleanliness and light represent an antidote to the dark
response. He remembers why he dislikes bars and bodegas
night, which is when the older waiter senses "nada" the
and why places like the café are so important. He decides to
strongest. For both the old man and the older waiter, the café
go home and knows he won't fall asleep until daylight. This

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Themes 15

symbolizes a brief escape from the "nada" or nothingness the story, beginning when the younger waiter asks the older waiter
older waiter describes. why the old man attempts suicide. The older waiter says it was
over "nothing." The older waiter understands the old man's
despair over "nothing," in a way the younger waiter does not,
due to his own experience. The old man is alienated from
The Lord's Prayer others even as he continues to frequent the café. The older
waiter tries to explain to the younger waiter why a "clean, well-
lighted" place like the café is necessary to offset this
The older waiter recites the Lord's Prayer to himself, replacing loneliness. To him, this sense of order in the café is the only
various nouns and verbs with the Spanish word nada, which antidote to the crisis is existential nihilism. The only meaning
means "nothing." By reciting it in this way, he mocks the notion the old man has left is his dignity (he doesn't spill his drink,
that religion can provide meaning and comfort—instead, he even when drunk), and the older waiter only finds meaning by
finds this meaning and comfort in being able to frequent a working at the café, which provides those like himself with
"clean, well-lighted" place at night to stave off loneliness, respite from their anxieties. Therefore, both of them cling to
insomnia, and thoughts of his own morality. Because he the ritual and location as an anchor to the meaninglessness
believes there is "nothing," or no larger purpose to life, he may they feel.
as well take comfort where he can. In this way, he understands
why the old man continues to come to the café to drink at night
after his failed attempt at suicide. The recitation of the
modified Lord's Prayer reflects the upheaval in religious belief
Youth versus Age
that began around the end of the 19th century, when
philosophers began to scrutinize the influence of industrialism
and science on spiritual belief. By having the older waiter mock The reader is introduced to the theme of age with the
the Lord's Prayer, Hemingway criticizes the notion that religion character of the deaf, drunk, old man when it is revealed he
provides solace and comfort against feelings of dread and tried committing suicide. The two waiters, whose age
futility. difference is not revealed until later, discuss the old man's
suicide attempt, with the younger waiter asking why the old
man attempted suicide—pointing out the old man has "plenty of
money," and the older waiter saying it was over "nothing."
m Themes
The younger waiter's attitude reveals he can only make sense
of the old man's despair in monetary terms, while the older
waiter recognizes the larger issue at play, one he himself is
Meaninglessness and familiar with. He may not be as old as the old man, but he
recognizes the trajectory of loneliness. The fact that the older
Loneliness waiter recognizes something of himself in the old man and
demonstrates compassion suggests that age brings
wisdom—youth does not last forever and loneliness and the

The older waiter repeats the Spanish word nada meaning search for meaning are constant in old age once the things the

"nothing" while reciting the Lord's Prayer. This change reflects aged have relied on (religion, money, or marriage) have

the older waiter's thought that religious belief and prayers do disappeared.

not provide one with meaning or solace in life. By replacing

The young waiter is in a hurry to get home to his wife—he has a
words like God and heaven with the word nada, he implies
lot of life left to live and no interest in wasting his time worrying
neither exists. He repeats the word so many times that the
about the old man. Yet both the old man and the older waiter
prayer comes to express meaninglessness.
seem to exist in a state of waiting since the majority of their

The concern over meaninglessness is woven throughout the lives have passed them by. The younger waiter brags that he is

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Study Guide Themes 16

"all confidence," and the older waiter agrees he has

everything—confidence, youth, a job. He himself only has a job,
and therefore the clean, well-lit café gives him a sense of
purpose.

Every character in the story is dissatisfied, regardless of age:

the younger waiter is dissatisfied with having to stay late, the
old man is dissatisfied with his life and attempts suicide, and
the older waiter is dissatisfied with having to close up the café
and go home. Ernest Hemingway suggests that this sense of
dissatisfaction occurs regardless of one's age. Although the
story's conflicts appear to be among the characters, the
dialogue regarding youth, aging, and one's sense of mortality
reveal a larger conflict.

Futility of Modern Society

Despite indications the story takes place in affluent modern

society—the café is well-lit and the old man has money—the
characters struggle with futility and try to steel themselves
against it. The two waiters discuss the old man's failed attempt
at suicide, revealing the old man has money and once had a
wife. The younger waiter accepts the older waiter's claim that
the old man tried to kill himself over "nothing." This acceptance
suggests something has not gone according to the plan and
promise of modern society where materialism has replaced
religion as a purported means of comfort. Money and status do
not provide happiness and contentment. The older waiter and
the old man find more comfort in the existence of a clean, well-
lighted café to inhabit than in prayer recitation.

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