A Clean Well Lighted Place Mood

In many cases old age brings a helpless and empty feeling, even to those who may have lived successful and fulfilling lives. In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” Hemingway depicts an old, lonely man, who recently attempted suicide. He sat drinking alone at a local cafe while two waiters watched him. Hemingway uses such depictions to create a somber and lonely mood throughout the short story. He highlights this feeling by describing a lonely setting in the cafe, using repetition in his phrases to emphasize this mood, and displaying the characters and their personalities in a certain light through their conversations with one another. Throughout the story, readers can picture the bar’s setting using Hemingway’s vivid descriptions. Readers can note the bar’s lonesome feeling when the narrator explains how “It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except the old man who sat in the shadow of the leaves the tree made against the electric light” (Hemingway 1). By describing the shadow of the leaves, Hemingway leads the reader to believe the man is in a dark place in his life, despite being in a clean, well-lighted place. This adds to the somber mood because the dark shadows leave the reader feeling gloomy, similar to the man at the bar. Additionally, Hemingway reinforces
The younger waiter does not care for the old barman’s well-being, and goes over and tells him, “You should have killed yourself last week” (2). His disregard for the man’s feelings makes readers understand how the old drunk man feels and where he comes from. The young waiter goes on to ask “How much money has he got” (2). He does not understand that money cannot bring complete happiness into one’s life if another vital part feels empty. Hemingway’s portrayal of the young waiter causes readers to feel pity and empathy towards the old man, which adds to the somber mood of the