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Priyank Varshney
Mrs. Mann
AP Literature 2nd Block
10 October 2014
Open Q Essay: A Clean Well-Lighted Place
For decades, various scholars and individuals have pondered the meaning of life.
One common conclusion usually reached is that we desire our lives to be filled with
happiness and positive relationships with family and friends. In Ernest Hemingways
short story, A Clean Well-Lighted Place, he relays the message that ultimately a life,
standing alone, has no meaning, and that in some instances, it can be necessary to seek
refuge in a place where life can have some potential for meaningrepresented by the
clean well-lit caf.
In his short story, Hemingway relays his message to the reader through the
symbol of the cafe. The caf works as a place of refuge for the people whose lives carry
no meaning, similar to the life of the deaf old man in the story. The reason the caf
carries such symbolic meaning is because it contains two important representative
components humans strive for in life: light and cleanliness. Light represents happiness
and relationships in life, and cleanliness embodies the optimism of gaining these
necessities. For example, in the story, characters who are present in the light are the old
waiter and the young waiter. The young waiter has a family and wife to tend to; in
contrast to the lonely old man who sits outside in the dark shadows of the cafs light,
which represents the life and happiness he yearns for. Another scene where light
symbolizes happiness is when a girl and a soldier walk by and the street light [shines] on

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the brass number on his collar. The light shining upon them represents that this couple is
full of youth and joy, and we can infer that they will potentially go on to a married life,
build a family, and be embraced by the world and people around themeverything the
old man in the shadows lacks in his own life. The title of Hemingways work is A Clean
Well-Lighted Place, adding significance to the aspect of cleanliness. For example, in the
story the old waiter claims that, It was the light of course, but it is necessary that the
place be clean and pleasant. To elaborate on what the old waiter is saying, cleanliness
represents the optimism that life will have meaning, and it represents the potential for the
elements of the light to shine in. In contrast, in a place where there is light, but no
cleanliness, there is no ability to sustain the ideas that provide life with meaning. This
becomes apparent when the old waiter visits the bodega and tells the barman that, The
light is very bright and present but the bar is unpolished. He is ultimately commenting
that even though the bodega is able to put up a faade of bright lights, its inability to be
clean will take away the refuge factor that a clean and well-lit caf symbolizes.
Ultimately, the symbol of the caf holds the archetypal factors, light and cleanliness, with
light representing everything that makes life worth living, and cleanliness providing a
sense of optimism that the things we strive for in life have a potential to come with time.
Hemingways use of the trait of light sends the message that a life full of
loneliness has no meaning. A life in the shadows or darkness will be crowded with
depression, and even thoughts of death. The old man had tried to commit suicide by
hanging himself. To further illustrate, in the story the old waiter in the cafe is very similar
to the man in the shadows. It is stated that the old waiter doesnt have a wife, and that he
lacks everything but work. A part of his job isnt just to serve people drinks, rather it is

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also to keep the caf well-lit and clean, so that people in need of the light and cleanliness
can have a place to go, whether or not they realize they go there for that reason. The old
waiter states, I am of those who like to stay late at the caf. With all those who do not
want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night. The old waiter is
making a direct comparison to how similar he is to the old man, and how they both want
to stay up late to absorb that light, a symbol of youth, happiness, and belonging. The
young waiter on the other hand constantly states that I want to go home and into bed
because he has something to go home to. He doesnt live a lonely life that the drunk old
man and the old waiter live. The old waiter acknowledges he and the young waiter are
of two different kinds, asserting that the younger waiter has youth and confidence,
which he lacks. Without these traits, what is the meaning of life? According to the story,
It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. Life ultimately has no meaning, for if
you take the lights and cleanliness away, you are left with nada. Even if thought about
in a literal way, an unpolished room with no light is all dust and darkness, and dust and
darkness represents the nothingness, that according to Hemingway, is what life is.
Overall, through his symbol of the caf, Hemingway is able to show that without lifes
essentials, represented by the cafs components of light and cleanliness, life has no
meaning.
Ernest Hemingways short story, A Clean Well-Lighted Place, says a lot about
what life is. The light and cleanliness mentioned in his story are an exemplification of
lifes joyous moments, bonds, and hopefulness, which are vulnerable to loss. The old
man lives a life in the shadows, a life full of loneliness, and a life full of nothingness.
Ultimately, this all shows that in order to have a life full of meaning, in comparison to a

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life full of nothing, one should seek the caf around them and strive to make their lives
full of something more than nada.