A Clean Well-Lighted Place By Ernest Hemingway

In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway begins with the two waiters working late at night and watching an old man from afar drinking his brandy. One waiter, who was young, was waiting anxiously for the old man to leave so he can go home and sleep. Whereas, the older waiter who also works there, was being patient and did not seem to mind that the old man was sitting alone in the Cafe late at night. As the waiters were watching the old man , one of the waiters said that the old man tried to commit suicide, but mentions that the suicide did not succeed. The other waiter then seems to be confused on why the old man would try to kill himself if he has everything. So, is there a cure for emptiness or loneliness?

As we read, they are
some comparing and contrasting within these characters. For example, the younger waiter was trying to get the old person to leave the cafe by saying how he had too many to drink, and also mentioning about his suicide. “He’ll stay all night”, he said to his colleague. “I’m sleepy now. I never get into bed before three o’clock. He should have killed himself by now”(169). We see here that we have a young waiter probably in his mid twenties complaining about being awake at three in the morning. In our society today, people in their mid twenties are living life and partying up until three in the morning. But, in this situation we understand that the young waiter had a long night at work and he just wants to be home with his wife. This proves that there is a contrast between the young waiter and the old man, because the old man stays in the cafe late at night drinking his life away whereas, the young waiter who wants to leave work and go to sleep. The young waiter’s colleague, the older waiter, can relate why the old man is at the cafe and stays up until three o’clock in the morning. “I am one of those who like to stay late at the cafe,” 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”(171). The older waiter relates to the older man because you feel like you have nothing else left in your life, so you go to a cafe and drink it off and you begin to reflect and question what is life? When you lose something or something bad happens to you, you just believe your life is completely over.

This comparison of the two waiters with the old man in the cafe leads up to the theme in the story. The theme is there is no cure for emptiness. A lot of people can argue and say that there is a cure for emptiness. According to Psychology Today, Heidi Grant Halvorson P.h. D, mentions that “Not surprisingly, psychologists have created dozens of interventions designed to try to tackle this epidemic of loneliness. The approaches taken are varied, but can be broken up, roughly speaking, into four different categories”(Halvorson). Those four categories that Heidi includes are improving social skills, enhancing social support, increasing opportunities for social interaction, and changing maladaptive thinking. These four interventions can help these people who feel empty or even feel lonely according to psychologists. Many can disagree with this argument, because it depends on the situation. Many people can feel lonely if they lose someone special in their life. For example, in the short story the old man in the cafe is struggling with the loss of his wife, and is slowly going deaf. He felt like every part of him was meaningless and he saw no point in living anymore so, he tried to commit suicide. In the article of Industry Psychiatry Journal, Archana Singh and Nishi Misra, conducted a research on loneliness and how it affects on old people. “Adjusting to the changes that accompany old age requires that an individual is flexible and develops new coping skills to adapt to the changes that are common to this time in their lives” (Warnick, 1995). This is why the old man is always at the cafe at three in the morning because it is somewhere to cope with his new lifestyle. The alcohol that the old man drinks changes his state of mind because the more drunk he gets , the more numb his feelings will get and the alcohol can temporarily heal his emptiness, but there will never be a cure.
One level that “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is clearly associated with is Psychological Criticism most specifically with existentialism.
Existentialism, means that humans define their own life and how they would want to live in it. We don't really much see that in this story because the author is trying to have us really think what is going on in the old man’s head when he tried commiting suicide and how he is dealing with his emptiness, but we don’t see anything in his mind. We see that he only lives off his life by is going to the cafe at three in the morning and drink Brandy. That is what keeps the old man alive and away from his problems is by being out. Also, with the older waiter we don't see why he is feeling lonely, we read that he tends to go to a bodega when he wants to forget his problems as well. Most people tend to stay home to deal with their problems, but in reality it is unhealthy. That is why people mean when they say “You should go out more, and forget your problems”. Everyone should continue living their life , even if their significant other is not present. The author wants us to think that the old man and the older waiter has nothing in life, and how it is also painful for them to live a life with nothing. In the end, the author shows that there is an only way to forget about that feeling and that is being in a well lighted
place.

In conclusion, we question ourselves after reading this short story is there a cure for emptiness? The evidence from Psychology Today and from the research of loneliness vs old age shows that being lonely or feeling empty can be cured , but only temporary. Which, it relates to “A Clean, Well- Lighted Place” because the cafe and the alcohol is the old man's temporary cure for dealing with his loss of his wife and everything that has happened to him in the past.