A Clean, Well—

Lighted Place
By: Ernest Hemingway
 The Presenters
Saputra Dwinanda Wedy Ferdiansyah
220222611016 220222603149
 Hemingway’s Biography
Born in Illinois on July 21, 1899, Ernest Hemingway passed
away in Idaho on July 2, 1961. He was a short story and
novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1954. His writing has had a significant impact on
20th-century literature in both the United States and Great
Britain.
 Character and Characterization
The Old Man
A deaf man who likes to drink at the café late into the night. The old man likes the shadows of the leaves
on the well-lit café terrace. Rumor has it that he tried to hang himself, he was once married, he has a lot
of money, and his niece takes care of him. He often gets drunk at the café and leaves without paying.

The Older Waiter

The compassionate who man understands why the old man may want to stay late at the cafe. The old
waiter enjoys staying late at the cafe as well. He thinks it’s very important for a café to be clean and well
lit, and he sees the café as a refuge from despair. Rather than admit that he is lonely, he tells himself that
he has insomnia.

The Younger Waiter

An impatient young man who cares only about getting home to his wife. The younger waiter is usually
irritated with the old man because he must stay late and serve him drinks. He does not seem to care why
the old man stays so long. His only concern is leaving as quickly as possible.
 The Plot
Late at night, there was a deaf old man who likes to sit on the dusty cover
by the shadow leaves of the tree. It was a cafe. Two waiters—a young
waiter and an old waiter— were working by that time pouring brandy for
the deaf old man. The old man committed suicide but he failed because
his niece cut him off. He spent almost all night sitting down in the same
place. When the old man finally went home, so too did the younger
waiter, the old waiter was thinking of why the old man committed
suicide when he has a lot of money. He also thinks about why someone
likes to stay late at the cafe.
QUESTIO
N
1. What does the title A Clean, Well-Lighted Place mean? (Sunia Billqis, 12)
2. What does the writer mean by "A clean, well-lighted place" is it an idiom or it has a
figurative meaning? (Neysa, 5)
3. What does it mean by "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" as the title of this story? (Ulya, 1)
4. What is the meaning of "A Clean Well-Lighted Place"? (Shalsha, 9)
5. Is that the title "A clean, well-lighted place" an idiom? (Nawal, 4)

In my opinion, yes. The title means is, whatever which lighted, beautiful, and clean, if we
feel nothingness and lonely, the word “light” it might represent the opposite of
nothingness. The “dark” represent on nothingness and loneliness.
The title represent the old deaf man who feel nothing and lonely although the old deaf
man had plenty of money.
In your opinion, why the writer chose to make the characters nameless? (Qanita, 1)

In my opinion, the writer do not gave name for the characters, because this story tell
about nothingness, therefore the writer don’t gave name for the characters.
1. Where is the setting place for this story? (Sunia Billqis, 12)
2. Where is the setting of place in this story? (Raisya,10)

Cafe, outside of cafe near the tree, the street.

1. What is the hidden meaning of the word "The shadow of the leaves of the tree"? (Tiwi, 7)
2. What do you think, why did the writer picture a lonely "old man who sat in the shadow
the leaves of the tree"? (Neysa, 5)

In my opinion, there is no hidden meaning of this sentence. It just the place setting where
the old man sat on the cafe. But, it might show that the shadow itself describe the
lonelines and nothingness of the deaf old man.
1. What does the cafe symbolize in a clean well lighted place? (Rere, 7)
2. The café represents the opposite of nothingness. What does that mean? (Febby, 13)

The café represents the opposite of nothingness: its cleanliness and good lighting suggest
order and clarity, whereas nothingness is chaotic, confusing, and dark.
On page 133, lines 7–8, it says, "The old man liked to sit late because he was deaf, and
now at night it was quiet, and he felt the difference." How can the old man feel the
difference, even though he is deaf? (Yolandita, 12)

The old man was deaf, not blind.

The other opinion, He is not physically deaf, but his deafness is due to his refusal to
follow the Spanish Catholic law against committing suicide. Catholics were not allowed
to kill themselves, yet the elderly deaf man did.
Why does the old man prefer to stay late in the cafe? (Natasya, 4)

The deaf old man prefer to stay late in the cafe because he feel nothing and he feel lonely.
What physical disability does the old man have? (Dino, 11)

In my opinion the old man has physical disability which is deaf.

1. Why does the old man want to commit suicide when he has a lot of money and a
niece who cares a lot for him? (Talita, 8)
2. Why does the man attempt suicide in a clean well lighted place? (Shalsha, 9)

In my opinion, he commit suicide while he has a lot of money and he has a care-
niece life with him, it is becuse he was 80 years old. Old enough to life.
I think it is the reason why he commit suicide beacuse he think that nothing would
make him happy in this age.
On the first page, there is a conversation between the waiters that says
"He was in despair". What does the word "despair" mean? (Saddam, 11)

Based on Cambridge dictionary, despair is the feeling that there is no hope and that you can
do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation
When the young waiter asked why the old man attempted suicide, the older waiter said it
was nothing. In your own interpretation, what is the older waiter trying to say? (Reiner, 2)

In my opinion, the older waiter want to convey that the old deaf man was the nothingness
and loneliness man, therefore the old deaf man want to suicide because he feel lonely and
feel nothing.
Why do you think the young waiter seem to have some degree of animosity towards the old deaf
man? (Reiner, 2)

The younger waiter has some degree of animosity towards the old deaf man because the deaf old
man always stay late on the cafe which it was the time for the “young” waiter to go home. It was
late night.
1. What different attitudes do the two waiters express about the old man? (Rere, 7)
2. What different attitudes did the two waiters express about the old man?
(ula, 5)
3. We can clearly see differences between the old waiter and the young waiter — especially
in their antithetical attitudes toward the old man. What is that? (Febby, 13)

In my opinion, the difference between the young and the waiter is because the young
waiter have nothing to feel loneliness, he has a wife and did not feel lonely. The old
waiter was the opposite of the younger waiter because he experienced the same situation
like the deaf old man.

The difference is the young waiter was impolite and insensitive. The older waiter was
sensitive and he understood the situation of the deaf old man.
In which part is the conflict of the story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"? (Nurrizka, 8)

The conflict begin when the younger waiter want the old man leave the cafe, but the old
deaf man insist to stay at the cafe.
What does the sentence "Fear for his soul" mean? (Yolandita, 12)

In my opinion the niece was afraid when the old man try to suicide, because on they
religion that they belevie can't commit suicide.
If the old man's niece were the one who was taking care of him, was his niece's family
taking care of him as well? (Caca, 3)

I don’t know about niece’s family, but i think the niece try to save the old man because
she fear for his
 1. In your opinion, why did the younger waiter say that "An old man is a nasty
thing"? (Ula, 5)
2. In page 135 line 26, "I wouldn't want to be that old. An old man is nasty thing."
what is your opinion about that? (Raisya,10)

In my opinion, “an old man is a nasty thing” is refer to the young waiter thought that he
do not want to be an old man. It refers to “an old man” in general.
On page 135, there's a dialog between the older waiter and the younger waiter. It seems that
the older waiter always defends the old man whenever the younger waiter has somehow a bad
opinion about the old man. Do you think the older waiter also feels lonely, like the old man?
(Yasintya, 3)

In my opinion, the old waiter has the same situation or feeling with the deaf old man because
the old man strugling with his nothingness and loneliness, the old waiter too. That is why on
the last paragraph the old waiter stay late on tha cafe like the deaf old man.

36
1. Why does the young waiter think that an hour is more valuable for him that it is for the
old man? (Ridhwan, 2)
2. The younger waiter said that an hour is more to him than to the old man. Why did he
think that time is so precious? (Rossa, 13)

in my opinion because the younger waiter has a wife in his house, maybe the younger
waiter want to spend more time with his wife, and the younger waiter feel that he had
responsibility to protected his wife and provided comfort to his wife.
1. What argument that the two waitresses had before closing the cafe?
(Nashwa, 10)
2. In the page 5, line 4, there is conversation that says "You have everythin I have".
What does "everything" mean by the young waiter?. (Saddam, 11)

They have argument of—everything—what the younger have and the old waiter do
not have, such as a wife, youth, confidence, and a job.
Why did the barman call the older waiter a lunatic? (Caca, 3)

Lunatic mean: a mentally ill person.

In my opinion, the barman call the older waiter lunatic is because the older waiter has
depression, insomnia, and the older waiter also believed in nothingness.
What does insomnia symbolize at the end of A Clean, Well-Lighted Place? (Ola, 9)

Perhaps he has insomnia, but we know better: The older waiter cannot sleep because he is
afraid of the darkness, afraid of nothingness
In the last sentence, the waiter said, "Many must have it." Does it indicate the waiter has
depression? (Yasintya, 3)

He kind a feel depression because he had insomnia, and also he was afraid to sleep in the
night. That situation was the reason why he had insomnia.
Generally, there is music in a café or bar. Because it is not depicted in this story, I am
curious, is there music playing in this café in this story? (Talita, 8)

There was no music was played. In the sentence “now at night it was quiet..”
(Page 133) it describe that there was no music played. The others sentences also provided
that there was no music there “you do not want music”, “certainly you do not want
music”
Do you think the "direct and to the point" dialogue writing style actually effective or even
more difficult to understand since we're not sure who's talking? And why? (Qanita, 1)

Actually, we have the same struggle when we read this short story. It is new for us to read
this kind of the dialogue. it is too difficult to understand who is talking in the dialogue, in
the matter of effectiveness, it is. But, If we talk about the clearness of who speak this and
that, we might read it slowly.
It wasn't really clear which waiter said, "I want to go home and into bed." (Page 137, line
10) it's supposed to be the older waiter's turn to talk, but it sounded like something the
younger waiter would say. Who do you think said that line? (Ridhwan, 2)

In my opinion who had spoken is the younger waiters, because the younger waiter felt
annoyed by the deaf old man who like stay late. (page 136 line 1)
In your opinion, what is connection between the description of the old man who sat alone
in the cafe and the two waiters in this story? (Ulya, 1)

-In my opinion, The two waiters and the old man just coffee buyers and sellers, but one of
the waiters who is the old waiter has the same situation with the old deaf man that is
nothingness and loneliness.

-But, we also have an opinion that this three person–young waiter, older waiter, and old
man—draw the three stage of life. Youth, transition age, and old age.
Is the cafe open 24 hours a day? If it’s not, what time should the cafe open and what time
should it close? (Nashwa, 10)

Based on the text, the younger waiter mention that he has to go to bed before 3 a.m. So
that, we assume that the cafe might closed before 3 a.m, it can be 2 a.m or less.
And for the open time, we also assume that, if the cafe was closed late night (before 3) it
might opened at noon or more, it might be at 12 pm.
From what we know from the story, have you ever experienced something similar to the
older waiter? And how did you deal with the situation? (Nurrizka, 8)

This question was quiet personal.

I did. It is when I was in vocational school I experienced insomnia. And the way I deal
with this creature is I try to reschedule my sleeping time. But, do not do it directly. Try to
reduce the time an hour by an hour. For example if you always sleep at 1 am, try to sleep
at 12 am, so on and so on.
By reading the story, do you think it has impact for us readers especially when dealing with
mental sickness? (Ryan, 13)

In my opinion, this is more personal and subjective, for who has experienced things like
depression, insomnia, and so on.
What is the conclusion of A Clean, Well-Lighted Place? (Natasya, 4)

Everyone follows a different path. Different perspectives are the outcome of different
experiences. The elderly are different from young people. Elderly individuals may
experience loneliness, a lack of meaning in life, and depression.
1. What is the message of this story and What lessons can we learn from it? ( Tiwi, 7)
2. What is the story about? And what can we learn from the story? (Dino)
3. Are there any implied meaning about the story? What is the writer’s hidden
message(s)? (Ola, 9)
4. what is the moral value of this story? (Nawal, 4)

In my opinion, this story is about how we deal with nothingness and loneliness.
This story is about to teach/tell us that we must be polite to the older people or to
anyone, and, of course, we must respect the feelings of other people, but, also, on
the other side we also have to understand the rules of a place (the cafe).
Also, Hemingway implies that there is no purpose to life.
 Thanks!

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