A Clean, Well Lighted Place

684 Words3 Pages
‘A clean, well-lighted place’ by Ernest Hemingway, is a story about an old man waiting for death, an old waiter afraid of death and a young waiter indifferent to it. The author uses rhetorical techniques; such as imagery, setting and mood to illuminate the theme of death, and one’s fear of death in his story. “It was 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.” The author uses this imagery of the lonely old man because when reading it, we get the feeling that he is waiting for something. In this case the old man is waiting for death. He tried to kill himself before, but his niece saved him. “This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well lighted. The light is very good and also, now, there are shadows of the leaves.” The old waiter says this to the young waiter because the young waiter doesn’t understand that for some people, the café is a place where they can go without being afraid of death. It’s a haven. “A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him.” The young couple aren’t afraid of being caught. They are living in the moment, with the little time they have together. They are similar to the young waiter; not worrying about death. The use of setting is very important in this short story. The different settings contribute to the change in mood as well as change in imagery. The clean, well-lighted café is a haven where the old waiter and the old man can escape the feeling of death. During the night at home, the old waiter waits until it is light to go to sleep, because he is afraid of the feeling of death. The old man at home is lonely. The young waiter is anxious to go home, “He’s lonely. I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me.” The bar is not a
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