Response To A Clean WellLighted Place Essay

Response To A Clean Well-Lighted Place Essay, Research Paper

RESPONSE TO A CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED PLACE

The old man, who we will call the Gentleman, — to keep the confusion minimal between the old man and the old waiter — in A Clean Well-Lighted Place cannot be happy without his wife. The two waiters represent the Gentleman s battle of his inner consciousness. The waiters portray the demons of the Gentleman s personal heaven and hell. We recognize this by Hemingway s use of characterization. Hemingway never identifies a particular part to the extended dialogue, because ultimately it is one stream of consciousness (the Gentleman s). This reveals everything is nothing to the old man; though he has money now (everything) he has lost his wife (nothing).

The Gentleman experiences purgatory, in a spiritual sense, on Earth through the waiters. The waiters young and old represent a part of the Gentleman. The young waiter represents the Gentleman in his youth by having confidence and inexperience. The old waiter is just coming out of middle age and even though the old waiter is poor he still understands that the money doesn t matter. Also, the Gentleman can relate to the old waiter because he doesn t believe money is significant either. So, the more the old man drinks the more these images of his inner self come out. Every night the Gentleman thinks what it would be like to be able to go home to his wife he had once been with and how the clean and pleasant caf is a waste of his time. The younger waiter shows this when he says, I want to go home to bed and He (the Gentleman) can buy a bottle and drink at home. Also, the two waiters go back and forth discussing money. The young waiter thinks that if the Gentleman has plenty of money he shouldn t have any problems. On the other hand, the old waiter understands that either way, if you have money or if you don t, you still are lonely. Then the young waiter says that the caf is a waste of time and how he hates to stay out until 3:00a.m. The old waiter says that the caf is a place to come and ease your pain. The two waiters conflict shows that the Gentleman goes through pain and torture (purgatory) while at the caf every night drinking.

Purgatory is a place or state of temporary suffering or a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God’s grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven, according to Miriam-Webster Dictionary. When you start to bring in the spirituality of the matter (Heaven and Hell) then you can understand the Gentleman s position and some of the actions he takes. Only Catholicism deals with purgatory. We start to see this matter unravel when the Gentleman s personal heaven establishes itself.

The Gentleman s personal heaven is shown through the young waiter. The young waiter is tired of waiting until 3:00a.m. when his shift is over to go home and see his wife. Actually, this is the Gentleman talking because he is conflicting internally with his inner demons (the waiters). The Gentleman wants to go home to his wife, but as we know he does not have one because she has passed away. The Gentleman has been wanting all along for the feeling of youth, confidence, and a job. The thing is, the Gentleman cannot have this and all of his conflicts arise again and start the conflicting circle.

The Gentleman s hell is shown through the old waiter. The old waiter would rather go to the bodegas, which is hell, than go home. The old waiter is the inner side of the Gentleman that the Gentleman doesn t want, but accepts the position he is in. So, we start to see where the Gentleman is leaning towards. The old waiter would rather go to the bodegas because he has no wife or significant reason to go home and the Gentlemen agreed. Also, it was stated in the text the Gentleman tried to commit suicide by hanging himself . He was tired of suffering, because of not having his wife. Then we see the Nada speech that includes two prayers. One was the Lords prayer and when putting nada in the text tells us that the Gentleman had nothing to feel good about. The other was Hail Mary, which is only seen in Catholicism and all religions have a Lords prayer but Catholicism. He also feels that there is nothing to feel bad about. Basically, there is nothing left in life but death. So, if the Gentleman tried to commit suicide and talks of Hail Marys meaning nothing to him then we come to believe the Gentleman is looking for a way out even if it is the easy one, hell. We know he will go to hell because of the Catholic slurs.

Now, towards the end of the story the old waiter talks about being at the bodegas (hell) and ironically is giving the nada speech that is striking down upon religion. As interpreted, represents death in life. The old waiter (Gentleman s favored side) is he type who likes to stay out past 3:00 a.m. and go to the bodegas. This Gentleman is determined that he will end up in the bodegas, because he just can t take the suffering anymore.

The nada speech reinforces that the Gentleman has given up. We see this through the old waiter. The old waiter is telling the young waiter about life, which is the Gentleman s inner conflict. The old waiter gives two prayers, one being the Lords prayer, which says,

Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in na