A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
http://www.mrbauld.com/hemclean.html

Having read many of Ernest Hemingway's short stories over the past week and a half, I have become quite intrigued by his life, stories, style of writing, and the analyses that accompany his 'iceberg-style writing'. I decided to read and discuss another one of his short stories titled "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", which I have linked for those interested in reading, above.

To sum it up, this story is about a deaf, old man who spends his night drinking alone into the late hours of the night. Two waiters, one young and one old, discuss his attempted suicide, taking guesses about what made him do it, and what happened after. The young waiter is anxious to get home to his bed and his wife while the older one wants to let the old man be, and sees himself in the old man admitting that, he too, will one day want a clean, well-lit place to drink alone.

When speculating why the old man attempted suicide, the older waiter asks why he attempted it. The younger one says he was "in despair" about "nothing" because "he has plenty of money." This exemplifies the naivety and youth of the young waiter; thinking that money is the only source of despair. Clearly, the young waiter lacks the life experience required to understand the sort of life the old man might have lived thus far. Young people typically think of themselves as invincible, and often, have not yet been exposed to many of the hardships and trials in life. I know this is certainly true for myself. I certainly see the world through rose-colored glasses! Call me optimistic, naïve, or just young, I like to point out the good in all people, to see the silver lining in all situations, and to ignore the looming hand of death, and violence, and fear, and loneliness that can engulf your psyche, if you let it.

The brief discussion of the girl and the soldier just further juxtaposes the young from the old. "The street light shone on the brass number on [the soldier's] collar", while the "old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree". Why is it that Hemingway had the young couple walking in light and the old man in the dark? I believe this is simply illustrating the hopefulness of the young and the gloominess of the old. An interesting, and saddening, description. This description also draws back to the "well-lit" setting of the bar. The older waiter argues with the younger waiter; "You do not understand. 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 entirety of the story is focused on this concept of light; light representing youth, and the shadows sheltering the old. The old are able to come to a bar such as this, well-lit and clean, because perhaps it brings them back to their youth, but also, allows them to hide in their shadow and go unnoticed. Perhaps the light allows the old to reflect on the days they once stood in the light, growing pensive about their youth.

Is the man really deaf? I, personally, do not think so. It seems to me that the old man simply has nothing left to say. The better years of his life have been lived and he might feel as if, even if he spoke, his life and demeanor differ so greatly from those he speaks to. Perhaps he feels too useless or depressed to acknowledge others, especially others as disrespectful and naïve as the young waiter.

I find Hemingway's short stories to be fascinating. They are so short and sweet, but contain so much depth and uncertainty. It is interesting and challenging to analyze the deeper, underlying meaning of these stories (which contain a majority of simple dialogue),and creates good discussion. Based on what I have read and heard of Hemingway's life and personality, it seems that this story is a good reflection of Hemingway's views on the young and the old. Hemingway wrote this story when he was 28 years old, yet he writes as if he sides with the views of the old. Hemingway has a dark, curious demeanor and, to me, I see a lot of Hemingway's internal thoughts and feelings revealed in this short story.

Where is the Water?

Far too often, we forget that the water that so easily flows from our faucets into our sinks, hands, buckets, and cups is a commodity that we pay for and that isn't always going to be available (much to our dismay). This past week, I was suffering from an allergy attack, and shivering in a house not used to insulating the cooler temperatures we've been experiencing. All I wanted was a nice warm shower to help clear my sinuses and warm me up. Little did I realize, the water lines were being work on. I went to turn on the faucet.... AND NOTHING! This was annoying and disheartening, leaving me to shiver and continue to suffer from my allergy season ambush. I couldn't even get a glass of water to quench my thirst or water to wash my hands!

It's times like these when water's value and power over life is realized. Water's availability to me is so expected that I often forget that it has such influence over my actions and can hinder what I want to do. For some reason, a power outage, while equally as annoying and frustrating, doesn't seem to surprise me nearly as much as when the water goes off. I should be able to shower, wash my hands, get a cup of water, flush the toilet, and use the hose whenever I want, right?... Guess not!

This got me thinking about how precious the water I take for granted is, so I looked into some facts on The City of Fort Worth's water conservation site.

• "Studies show that leaking faucets and toilets account for as much as 14% of indoor water use, wasting up to 170 gallons of water each day."

I repeat... 170 gallons each day!!! That means that not only is a dripping faucet you let run annoying, but is adding to this unreasonable and astounding wasted water count.

The website also listed some interesting facts and tips about water usage in the bathroom.
"About 75% of indoor water use is in the bathroom. We all know we can save about 2 gallons of water by turning off the water while brushing our teeth, but check out some other water wise tips that include retrofitting.

• Take a 10 minute shower instead of a bath to save water.
• Toilets manufactured before 1992 use between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. A displacement device can save up to 20% of water used.
• Use the sink stopper when shaving, instead of letting the water run.
• Install faucet aerators to cut water consumption."

We were lucky to have the water off for only a short period of time, but this was an eye-opening reminder to foster water-conserving habits, and to remember just how precious water is in every moment of life.