The "Nada" in "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway
In Ernest Hemingway 's short story, "A Clean Well-Lighted Place", the concept of
nada is the central and most important theme. As described by Carlos Baker, Nada is "a
Something called Nothing which is so huge, terrible, overbearing, inevitable, and
omnipresent that, once experienced, it can never be forgotten" (Baker 124). It is a
metaphysical state that symbolizes the chaos in everyone 's lives. Some people have it
more than others and some deal with this idea differently that others. Either way, nada is
an uncontrollable force that should never be forgotten.
Steven Hoffman, believes that "the only way to approach the Void is to develop a
very special mode of being, the concrete manifestation of which is the clean, well-lighted
place" (Hoffman 176). This cafe is a warrior against this nothingness. The place is clean,
pleasant, and orderly. There is no music. It is a plain and simple refuge against the lonely,
dark world that awaits outside (Hemingway 256). However, this cafe must close at some
time or another thus proving that the cafe isn 't enough to combat the nada. It is not even
a place but an artificial, man-made building that tries to fight against this real idea of nada.
If one has the internal qualities, cleanliness and inner vision, they can cope with the
nothingness even outside of the cafe. The old waiter is a prime example. At times the old
man lacks these qualities thus not being able to cope with the darkness. On the other
hand, the young waiter has no concept of this idea thus making him not even realize how
powerful it can be.
The old waiter is the most important character in "A Clean Well-Lighted Place."
The old waiter has completely grasped the concept of nada and is able to deal with it.
Hemingway says," What did he fear? It was not fear or dread. It was a nothing that he
knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too...Some lived in it and
never felt it
nada is the central and most important theme. As described by Carlos Baker, Nada is "a
Something called Nothing which is so huge, terrible, overbearing, inevitable, and
omnipresent that, once experienced, it can never be forgotten" (Baker 124). It is a
metaphysical state that symbolizes the chaos in everyone 's lives. Some people have it
more than others and some deal with this idea differently that others. Either way, nada is
an uncontrollable force that should never be forgotten.
Steven Hoffman, believes that "the only way to approach the Void is to develop a
very special mode of being, the concrete manifestation of which is the clean, well-lighted
place" (Hoffman 176). This cafe is a warrior against this nothingness. The place is clean,
pleasant, and orderly. There is no music. It is a plain and simple refuge against the lonely,
dark world that awaits outside (Hemingway 256). However, this cafe must close at some
time or another thus proving that the cafe isn 't enough to combat the nada. It is not even
a place but an artificial, man-made building that tries to fight against this real idea of nada.
If one has the internal qualities, cleanliness and inner vision, they can cope with the
nothingness even outside of the cafe. The old waiter is a prime example. At times the old
man lacks these qualities thus not being able to cope with the darkness. On the other
hand, the young waiter has no concept of this idea thus making him not even realize how
powerful it can be.
The old waiter is the most important character in "A Clean Well-Lighted Place."
The old waiter has completely grasped the concept of nada and is able to deal with it.
Hemingway says," What did he fear? It was not fear or dread. It was a nothing that he
knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too...Some lived in it and
never felt it
Cited: Baker, Carlos. Hemingway...the Writer as Artist. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972. 123-124. Burgess, Anthony. Ernest Hemingway and His World. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 1978. Hemingway, Ernest. "A Clean Well-Lighted Place." Literature: Reading, Writing, Reacting. Ed. Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers., 1997. 256-259. Hoffman, Steven K. " 'Nada ' and the Clean Well-Lighted Place: The Unity of Hemingway 's Short Fiction." Ernest Hemingway. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985. 173-192.