Last night I ran across one of my favorite short stories (A Clean Well-Lighted Place) and it was one of the finer points in my evening. Reading, I came to a realzation/thought that is also found by a character in the story.
Hemingway shows the contrast between young and old, and how when we are young, our confidence and material things mean so much, we think our time is so important. However, as you get older all you may need is a clean well-lighted place because this, "place" does not close, and does not keep the, "time". We also see a relation to nothingness in the story, or what hemingway calls, "nada." An older character in the story sees the nothingness in life and he becomes painfully real with himself that certain things just are not a big deal.
I enjoy the difference in the views of young and old in this story. We all think our time is so important, when in reality, time, is as Hemingway says, "nada." With time contraints we do things obviously with more speed, but I think this effects relationships and life severely. For example many people, myself included have rushed to get a girl friend, rushed to get a job, or rushed to get a degree at some time in your life, only to later realize that the rush was not all worth it and the degree, job, or girl were really not what you wanted.
Rather it was when you didn't rush for your own interests, for your own satisfaction, you probably had the best time and met the best people. Basically when you didn't use time as your life compass, but instead your passion for life.
1 comment:
This is by far one of my favorite short stories. There is like you sad a contrast between young and old. My favorite part about this story is Hemingway ability to bring in a third person, The middle aged bar tender. I enjoy how this person is in between the two others in age. He reflects in the story how he understands both people in the passage. The young bar tender is so ready for his working day to be over so he can "Rush" home to his family and his "real" life. The old bar tender simply is content with letting the old man stay and enjoy his clean well lighted place. It seems interesting to me that at the end of the story all the middle aged man wants to do is find a clean well lighted place to have a few drinks. If we are all like the young bar tender and rush through our lives we may miss a great portion of it. It may only be a conversation, job, or maybe finding a new friend. Either way I think its always important to stop and smell the roses.
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