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THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE OF BINH DUONG PROVINCE

THUDAUMOT UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Literary Analysis Paper

Title:
The setting of
“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”
by Earnest Hemingway

Student: Nguyễn Thị Ngân Giang Code: 2022202010129

Class: D20NNAN07
Lecturer: Nguyễn Hoàng Minh Đức
Course: British and American literatures_NGNG.CQ.03

--- Bình Dương, 2023---

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ASSESSMENT

Score Examiner’s Signature 1 Examiner’s Signature 2

In figures In words

Criteria for assessment

- Thesis/Claim (10pt):
..........................................................................................................................
- Organization (15pt):
..........................................................................................................................
- Evidence and Reasoning/Analysis (15pt):
..........................................................................................................................
- Writing Convention (15pt):
..........................................................................................................................
- Resources (15pt):
..........................................................................................................................
- Presentation skill (30pt):

Total:................................................................................................................

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Tiêu chí Tốt Khá Trung bình Kém Điểm số

100% 75% 50% 0%

GK1 GK2

Bài viết hoàn

Luận điểm Luận điểm Luận điểm mơ hồ
toàn lạc đề, hoặc
mạnh mẽ, rõ ràng, có nêu được chủ đề và hoặc không rõ
bị thiếu câu chủ
lập trường có lập trường ràng.
Chủ đề đề.
nhưng chưa vững.

1 điểm 0,75 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

Tổ chức tốt; sắp xếp Có tổ chức, nhưng Một số phần lan Tổ chức kém;
hợp lý, phát triển phát triển chưa man; bắt đầu và kết không tiến triển
logic; bố cục rõ ràng logic, cảm giác chỉ thúc không rõ ràng logic; bắt đầu và
Bố cục có phần bắt đầu và kết thúc mơ hồ
kết thúc

1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

Dẫn chứng hỗ trợ Dẫn chứng yếu. Dẫn chứng

Bằng Dẫn chứng được lựa
luận điểm. Lập luận Lý luận không rõ không thuyết
chứng và chọn tốt và mạnh mẽ
rõ ràng ràng phục hoặc lạc đề.
hỗ trợ luận điểm.
Lý luận / và logic hoặc không đầy đủ Lý luận không đủ
Phân hoặc phi logic.
tích
1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

Câu lặp đi lặp lại

Hầu như không có Một số lỗi, nhưng trong kết cấu bài.
lỗi. Câu được xây không tác động đến Một số câu gây khó Nhiều lỗi ảnh
dựng tốt và đa dạng. nội dung toàn bài. hiểu, nhưng hầu hết hưởng đến nội
Các câu kết nối các ý Các câu kết nối các rõ ràng. dung bài viết.
Quy ước tưởng rõ ràng, chứng ý tưởng rõ ràng. Thể hiện người viết Câu văn không
viết tỏ một kiến thức Thể hiện người viết chú ý đến văn rõ ràng.
vững vàng về văn có kiến thức về văn phong học thuật,
phong học thuật. phong học thuật. nhưng cần một số
chỉnh sửa.

1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

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Trích dẫn và trình Trích dẫn và trình Trích dẫn và trình Trích dẫn và
Trích bày tài liệu tham bày tài liệu tham bày tài liệu tham trình bày tài liệu
dẫn và khảo rõ ràng và đúng khảo đúng quy định khảo đúng quy tham khảo không
trình quy định nhưng một số chỗ định nhưng chưa rõ đúng quy định,
bày chưa rõ ràng. ràng không rõ ràng.
TLTK
1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

Ky Sử dụng thành thạo Không sử dụng

năng và hiệu quả công cụ Sử dụng thành thạo Có sử dụng công công cụ trình
trình chiếu công cụ trình chiếu cụ trình chiếu chiếu
thuyết
(powerpoint). (powerpoint). (powerpoint). (powerpoint).
trình
(powerp
oint) 1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

Ky Trình bày chậm rãi Trình bày ngập

năng Trình bày lưu loát, nhưng tương đối ngừng quá lâu, âm
thuyết tự tin. Âm phát ra trôi chảy, âm phát phát ra không rõ
trình chính xác, rõ ràng. ra tương đối chính ràng, không chính Không trình bày
Không có dầu hiệu xác Không gây khó xác Có dấu hiệu nội dung bài báo
(speech)
đọc slides hiểu. đọc slides rõ ràng cáo.

1,5 điểm 1 điểm 0,5 điểm 0 điểm

ĐIỂM TỔNG CÁ NHÂN

ĐIỂM THỐNG NHẤT

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Table of Contents
Chapter I: Introduction ......................................................................................................6
Chapter II: Content ............................................................................................................ 6
2.1 The appearance of the man sitting alone, drinking late at night in a café. ............ 6
2.2 The late-night talk in the café between the old waiter and the new waiter ........... 7
2.3 The conversation in the old waiter's soul .............................................................. 8
Chapter 3: Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 10
References .......................................................................................................................... 11
-

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Chapter I: Introduction
American novelist and short-story writer Ernest Hemingway, whose full name is
Ernest Miller Hemingway. He was born on July 21, 1899, in Cicero, Illinois, and passed
away on July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho. In 1954, he received the Nobel Prize in
Literature for his creative and innovative writings. Ernest Hemingway wrote a short story
titled A Clean and Well-Lighted Place, which was originally published in Scribner's
Magazine in March 1933. Later that year, it was included in the collection Winner Take
Nothing. This short story is an exploration of the meaning of life. The goal of the essay is
to analyze the setting of the narrative. The story is about an old man who sits in a well-
lighted cafe every night drinking brandy to drown his terrible grief, two waiters start
talking to one another. While the older waiter is patient, and sympathy, and
understanding of the loneliness of the old man, in contrast, the younger one is haughty
with the customer and he just wants to go home early with his wife. The older waiter
starts to have his existential crisis when the café shuts for the evening and the customer is
sent home. He finally finds a sense of meaning and purpose in his existence while
navigating the long, dark hours of the night in a world that appears to be "full of
nothing." Additionally, the paper will aim to have a deep understanding of the different
stages of life from the young waiter to the old waiter and lastly the old man to see the
contrast between the two generations.

Chapter II: Content

2.1 The appearance of the man sitting alone, drinking late at night in a café.
First, the appearance of the man sitting alone, drinking late at night in a café,
clearly demonstrates his loneliness. It was very late, and everyone had left the cafe except
an old man, who sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree made against the electric light
(1). This short story has several settings, one of which is a café that is described as being
a nice, clean, and very well-lit place. The cafe is described as a clean place, though this
does not mean that the café is regularly cleaned. It is described as a clean place since the

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old man who is a regular visitor is a clean man (Benert, 1974). The cafe is a "clean, well-
lighted place," a haven from the night's darkness outside. Darkness represents man's
loneliness, sadness, death, and nothingness. The light represents comfort, tranquility,
pleasantness, and being in the company of people.
On the other hand, the term "a clean, well-lighted place" is indicative of a man's
aspiration for peace, safety, and comfort. Moreover, the bar, which is another setting in
this short story, is the opposite of this. There are rumors that this bar has bright lights
throughout. But unlike the cafe, the bar is not a cozy place. "He disliked bars and bodegas.
"A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing" (5). While there is light and
darkness, there is also "shadow," which is caused by light but, unlike light, only provides
short relief from the pains of darkness, which the elderly man is attempting to avoid by
sitting in the shadow cast by the leaves against the light. In conclusion, older individuals
may suffer from loneliness, a lack of meaning in life, and depression, just like the elderly
man who seeks a bright place to feel optimism about the future.

2.2 The late-night talk in the café between the old waiter and the new waiter

Second, the late-night talk in the café between the old waiter and the new waiter
reveals the old waiter's sympathy for the lonely old man. The waiters got into a small
disagreement after the old man left because the older waiter wanted to keep the café open
longer while the younger waiter wanted to close it, and this continued until they finally
closed it. I am of those who like to stay late at the café," the older waiter said. "With all
those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night." (l16).
Another piece of evidence is, "It is not only a question of youth and confidence although
those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may
be someone who needs the cafe." (l25). In contrast to the old waiter, the young man just
wants to go home with his wife and is unable to understand the old man, demonstrating
the selfishness and materialism of the young generation. The author might develop the
lessons for each character by the way they act using only a few simple details. The way
Hemingway depicts the story appears to be just a reflection of a part of ordinary life.

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According to Maliha “Hemingway is the founder of the new writing style called the
Iceberg Theory which is also known as the theory of omission”. Hemingway thought his
style of writing was often suggestive and not that direct, leading to the reader using his or
her imagination in order not to lose the subtle parts of Hemingway's intentions (Tyler 22).
About Hemingway's theory a linguist named Leech stated that "The important
information in Hemingway's text lies in the implied, but unstated parts. He wanted the
reader to feel something beyond their understanding" (Leech & Short 183).

2.3 The conversation in the old waiter's soul

Finally, the conversation in the old waiter's soul knows that life is meaningless and
that we all need a bright and pleasant place to sit to avoid thinking about the dark devil of
death. The old man and the old waiter symbolize loneliness, and they always seek out a
well-lit place to find a light of hope in their lives. It was only that light was all it needed
and a certain cleanness and order (l12). The old man also had a conversation with himself
to discover what life was like, and when he got home, he had insomnia, which is a
terrible reality of the life of the elderly. Turning off the electric light he continued the
conversation with himself, It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be
clean and pleasant (l6).
A clean, well-lit atmosphere is a short narrative that teaches us the importance of
having a meaningful existence for each individual, such as when the story begins in a
clean, well-lit café and concludes with a statement about insomnia, which symbolizes the
terrible reality of life for the elderly. Moreover, the word nada also repeat many times by
the old waiter. It is apparent, as Carlos Baker has indicated (Hemingway, p. 124), that the
older waiter uses the word nada in a special sense. For him the term represents, not a
mere negativity, the absence of something, but a real constituent of the universe the
essence of life and of each life: "It was all a nothing and a man was nothing too.""
(Gabriel, 1961). This may be observed in the characters and settings of the short stories,
which represent a middle- or lower-class society. Meanwhile, in the story, the café is
characterized as a clean and well-lit environment that offers protection and life

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inspiration to the people. Furthermore, experts believe that the story represents
nothingness, loneliness, and the significance of women in a man's existence. But I believe
the story is actually about modern American society and its impact on people, particularly
the youth. The young generation's feelings and morality are affected by social change,
which is why they are unable to understand the emotions of others. People become so
materialistic that they assume that only money can provide happiness, which is false
because money is not everything.

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Chapter 3: Conclusion
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is one of the best stories of Hemingway’s talent
and also of his Iceberg Theory, in which he represents what it means to be alive in
different stages of life, from the young to the middle-aged to the old. The story is started
in a clean, well-lit café and ends with Hemingway's talent and also his Iceberg Theory, in
which he represents what it means to be alive in different stages of life, from the young to
the middle-aged to the old. The story is started in a clean, well-lit café and ends with
insomnia, which represents something that usually happens in elders' daily lives.
According to scholars, the story is a representation of nothingness and the meaning of life.
Therefore, I believe that the story is also about the different points of view from young to
middle-aged to old. At every stage, we also have different goals to accomplish, like the
young waiter who has youth, a wife, a job, and is full of confidence. But in contrast, the
old waiter also has a job, but he feels nothing in life, just like the old man who drinks
brandy to forget the sadness in the present.

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References
Ernest Hemingway Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest-
Hemingway
Gabriel, J. F. (1961). The Logic of Confusion in: Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-
Lighted Place.” College English, 22(8), 539-546. https://doi.org/10.2307/373494
Leech, Geoffrey and Short, Michael. Style in fiction: A Linguistic introduction to
English Fictional Prose. London: Longman, 1981/1992
Maliha, H. A. American Modern Society and Young Generation with Reference to" A
Clean, Well-Lighted Place.
PURNAMA, A. H. (2016). Loneliness in Hemingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.
Tyler, Lisa. Student Companion to Ernest Hemingway. London: Greenwood Press,
2001

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