A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
Henry Rodriguez
Mrs. Misti Brock
American Literature II
Summer 2015
The Iceberg and Hemingway
“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933) by Ernest Hemingway takes a view from having characters explain what is really being told within the story. Hemingway was notoriously known for having his own style of writing, and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” features his unadorned way of writing. Many contrasts towards the iceberg theory are found throughout this story, but Hemingway’s style of omission leaves readers with countless interpretations of this story. This story presents an opportunity to understand the iceberg theory and the story he wrote in 1933.
In order to better understand this story one must understand the iceberg theory. Hemingway was quoted by saying, “[he] always [tried] to write on the principle of the iceberg” (Hemingway2203). “Manuscript evidence alone reveals that Hemingway was a highly self-conscious writer who gradually developed the iceberg theory to explain, justify, and ground his revolutionary style. Yet while influences on Hemingway 's prose style have attracted sustained interest, little has been said about the origin of his iceberg theory” (Moreland). There have been many different interpretations on analyzing the iceberg theory and the relationship it has with Hemingway’s writing, but it all boils down to having the reader understand the entire context in which it was written.
Modernism is known for having ambiguity within its stories and it promotes readers to have an understanding within the unconscious minds of the characters that each story presents. Hemingway presented “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933) in an uninformative manner by choosing to use this iceberg principle, and it left this story open to each reader having a different conscious feeling towards the meaning behind it.
In the beginning of the story Hemingway illustrates the darkness that the old man brings to the story. The old man’s presence is a symbol of emotions
Mrs. Misti Brock
American Literature II
Summer 2015
The Iceberg and Hemingway
“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933) by Ernest Hemingway takes a view from having characters explain what is really being told within the story. Hemingway was notoriously known for having his own style of writing, and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” features his unadorned way of writing. Many contrasts towards the iceberg theory are found throughout this story, but Hemingway’s style of omission leaves readers with countless interpretations of this story. This story presents an opportunity to understand the iceberg theory and the story he wrote in 1933.
In order to better understand this story one must understand the iceberg theory. Hemingway was quoted by saying, “[he] always [tried] to write on the principle of the iceberg” (Hemingway2203). “Manuscript evidence alone reveals that Hemingway was a highly self-conscious writer who gradually developed the iceberg theory to explain, justify, and ground his revolutionary style. Yet while influences on Hemingway 's prose style have attracted sustained interest, little has been said about the origin of his iceberg theory” (Moreland). There have been many different interpretations on analyzing the iceberg theory and the relationship it has with Hemingway’s writing, but it all boils down to having the reader understand the entire context in which it was written.
Modernism is known for having ambiguity within its stories and it promotes readers to have an understanding within the unconscious minds of the characters that each story presents. Hemingway presented “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933) in an uninformative manner by choosing to use this iceberg principle, and it left this story open to each reader having a different conscious feeling towards the meaning behind it.
In the beginning of the story Hemingway illustrates the darkness that the old man brings to the story. The old man’s presence is a symbol of emotions
Cited: Gallego, Ferran. "Fascistization And Fascism: Spanish Dynamics In A Eeuropean Process." International Journal Of Iberian Studies 25.3 (2013): 159-181. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 July 2015. Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Blackboard Vernon College. Web. 20 July 2015. Hemingway. Ernest. “Ernest Hemingway.” 1899-1961 Introduction: An Anthology. Gen ed. Nina Baym. New York, NY: The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed., 2012. 2203-2204. Print. Kerner, David. "The Ambiguity Of `A Clean, Well-Lighted Place '." Studies In Short Fiction 29.4 (1992): 561. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 July 2015. Moreland, Kim. "Just The Tip Of The Iceberg Theory: Hemingway And Sherwood Anderson 's "Loneliness.." Hemingway Review 19.2 (2000): 47-56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 July 2015. Norton. “1914-1915.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume D. N.d. Web. 22 July 2015.