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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (1933) / Ernest Hemingway. It was very late and everyone had left the café except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night ...
Late at night, a deaf old man is the sole patron in a cafe. Nearby, two waiters, one young, the other older, talk about him. When the old man orders another brandy, the young waiter purposely overfills his glass. The waiters speculate about the old man's recent suicide attempt. The young waiter wants the patron to go home, and complains that he ...
- United States
- 1933
- English
- Short story
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is a short story by Ernest Hemingway about a young waiter who mistreats an old drunk man in a café. The story explores themes of life, death, meaning, and generational gap through the characters' actions and dialogue. Themes include the old man's suicide, the young waiter's hurry, the old waiter's empathy, and the soldier's presence.
A short story about an old man who frequents a Spanish café at night and the two waiters who discuss his motives and the meaning of life. The story explores themes of nihilism, light and dark, and the value of a clean, well-lighted place. Read the plot summary, analysis, and key words from the story.
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, much-anthologized short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner’s Magazine in March 1933 and later that year in the collection Winner Take Nothing. Late one night two waiters in a café wait for their last customer, an old man who has recently attempted suicide, to leave.
- Ernest Hemingway
- 1933
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is a short story by Ernest Hemingway about the meaning of life and the inevitability of death. The story follows three characters in a Spanish café: a younger waiter, an older waiter, and an elderly deaf man. The story explores the human need for a sense of purpose and the despair that can result from its absence.
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A short story by Ernest Hemingway about an old man who sits alone in a café and drinks brandy. The story explores themes of existentialism, despair, and the meaning of life through the perspectives of two waiters and the old man.
