Spiritual Emptiness in Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

968 Words2 Pages

Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," first published in 1933, is written in his characteristic terse, unembellished style. The definition of "Style" is "the characteristics of language in a particular story and . . . the same characteristics in a writer's complete works" (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). Short words and a curt tone are so characteristic of Hemingway's style that writers frequently parody them in "International Imitation Hemingway" contests (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). But Hemingway could only his express this story's theme -- that there is nothing beyond the here and now of daily existence, no God to embellish our lives -- in an unembellished style of writing. The somewhat empty style of this short story is not "Imitation Hemingway"; it's consistent with the story's theme of spiritual emptiness.

Almost thirty lines of "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" are pure dialogue with few clues, other than what is said, about who is speaking. In the rest of the story, the percentage of words with more than two syllables is very low. Some biographers point out that Hemingway learned his rules of writing working for the Kansas City Star, whose style-book admonished reporters to "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English, not forgetting to strive for smoothness" (qtd. in Desnoyers 2). Was the curt style of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" caused only by Hemingway's having learned writing from a newspaper style-book? He later said about those newspaper rules, "Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I've never forgotten them. No man with any talent, who feels and writes truly about the thing he is trying to say, can fail to write wel...

... middle of paper ...

.... "One True Sentence." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction.

Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 375-376.

Desnoyers, Megan Floyd. "Ernest Hemingway: A Storyteller's Legacy." The Ernest

Hemingway Collection. 12 December 2002. John F. Kennedy Library and

Museum. 20 August 2003. .

Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Ernest Hemingway." The Longman Masters of Short

Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 370-372.

Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Style." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds.

Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 861-862.

The Hemingway Resource Center. "Ernest Hemmingway Biography>Key West." The

Hemingway Resource Center. LostGeneration.com. 20 August 2003.

< http://www.lostgeneration.com/keywest.htm>.

Show More
Related

  • A Clean, Well-Lighted Place and The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall

    445 Words  | 1 Pages

    The main focus of A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is on the pain of old age suffered by a man that we meet in a cafe late one night. Hemingway contrasts light and dark to show the difference between this man and the young people around him, and uses his deafness as an image of his separation from the rest of the world.

    Read More

  • Mrs.Mallards character (The story of an hour)

    2257 Words  | 5 Pages

    Because of the above, it is helpful to have some understanding of his theory. In Death in the afternoon, Hemingway (1932,191) points out that no matter how good a phrase or a simile a writer may have, he is spoiling his work out of egotism if he puts it in where it is not absolutely necessary. The form of a work, according to Hemingway, should be created out of experience, and no intruding elements should be allowed to falsify that form and betray that experience. As a result, all that can be dispensed with should be pruned off: convention, embellishment, rhetoric. It is this tendency of writing that has brought Hemingway admiration as well as criticism, but it is clear that the author knew what he was doing when he himself commented on his aim:

    Read More

  • Search for Innocence in American Modernism

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume II. Edited by Paul Lauter et al. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991: 1208-1209. Hemingway, Ernest. A.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    When a writer picks up their pen and paper, begins one of the most personal and cathartic experiences in their lives, and forms this creation, this seemingly incoherent sets of words and phrases that, read without any critical thinking, any form of analysis or reflexion, can be easily misconstrued as worthless or empty. When one reads an author’s work, in any shape or form, what floats off of the ink of the paper and implants itself in our minds is the author’s personality, their style. Reading any of the greats, many would be able to spot the minute details that separates each author from another; whether it be their use of dialogue, their complex descriptions, their syntax, or their tone. When reading an excerpt of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast one could easily dissect the work, pick apart each significant moment from Hemingway’s life and analyze it in order to form their own idea of the author’s voice, of his identity. Ernest Hemingway’s writing immediately comes across as rather familiar in one sense. His vocabulary is not all that complicated, his layout is rather straightforward, and it is presented in a simplistic form. While he may meander into seemingly unnecessary detail, his work can be easily read. It is when one looks deeper into the work, examines the techniques Hemingway uses to create this comfortable aura surrounding his body of work, that one begins to lift much more complex thoughts and ideas. Hemingway’s tone is stark, unsympathetic, his details are precise and explored in depth, and he organizes his thoughts with clarity and focus. All of this is presented in A Moveable Feast with expertise every writer dreams to achieve. While Hemingway’s style may seem simplistic on the surface, what lies below is a layered...

    Read More

  • A Conversation Hard to Understand: A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ryan, Ken. "THE CONTENTIOUS EMENDATION OF HEMINGWAY'S 'A CLEAN, WELL-LIGHTED PLACE'." The Hemingway Review 18.1 (1998): 78. Academic OneFile. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Progression of Love in Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Cambridge Companion to Ernest Hemingway; edited by Scott Donaldson; Cambridge U. P.; New York, NY; 1996

    Read More

  • Ernest Hemingway's Writing

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hemingway’s writing style is not the most complicated one in contrast to other authors of his time. He uses plain grammar and easily accessible vocabulary in his short stories; capturing more audience, especially an audience with less reading experience. “‘If you’d gone on that way we wouldn’t be here now,’ Bill said” (174). His characters speak very plain day to day language which many readers wouldn’t have a problem reading. “They spent the night of the day they were married in a Bostan Hotel” (8). Even in his third person omniscient point of view he uses a basic vocabulary which is common to the reader.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in "The Sun Also Rises"

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hemingway has a very simple and straightforward writing style however his story lacks emotion. He makes the reader figure out the characters’ feelings by using dialogue. “...

    Read More

  • Differing Perspectives of Life in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, By Hemingway

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" was written by Hemingway in 1933.  It details an evening's interaction between two waiters, and their differing perspectives of life.  Hemingway uses an old man as a patron to demonstrate the waiter's philosophies. Hemingway is also visible in the story as the old man, someone who society says should be content, but has a significant empty feeling inside. This essay will present a line-by-line analysis, with emphasis on the philosophies of the waiters.

    Read More

  • Modernism: Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... seemingly simplistic. Hemingway discovered a way to demonstrate the complexity of the human spirit and identity through simplistic diction, word choice, and sentence structure. The story is only a small part of the deeper inner complex of the narrative. The short story allows a fluidity of thoughts between the individual and the characters without ever actually describing their thoughts. With no ending the story is completely left to interpretation providing no satisfactory ending or message.

    Read More

  • Ernest Hemingway: A Life that Led to Naturalism

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    Writers of literature such as Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) often exemplify philosophical ideas through their works. Hemingway was a critically acclaimed American author who wrote short stories and multiple renowned novels. His self described “ice-berg” method of writing allowed his literature to appear straightforward on the surface, while still providing an extensive depth of connotative meaning underneath his seemingly simple style (Oliver 322). A few of Hemingway’s most popular works center around the theme of an inescapable cycle of life, as well as the harsh reality of the world. He lived an adventurous, unconventional life that was stained by alcoholism and depression; still, he had the unique ability to appeal to an entire generation. Hemingway’s writings of futile effort and the inevitable events of life are staples of the literary philosophy of naturalism; his hobbies, lifestyle, and tragic experiences throughout life molded his outlook on the world which he presented in his novel The Old Man and the Sea.

    Read More

  • A Light in the Darkness: Modernist Writing

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway's short story titled "A Clean Well-Lighted place" deals with the loneliness, isolation, and depression felt by many during the modernist period. The story takes place in a well lit caf&#233;, occupied by two waiters (one old, and one young) and an old deaf man. This story is the perfect example of the modernist form because it questions the meaning of life. Joseph Gabriel, in his essay titled "The Logic of Confusion in Hemingway's "A Clean well Lighted Place", believes that "the dominant visual image of the story is the radical contrast between the minute spot of light represented by the caf&#233; and the infinite surrounding darkness outside. " (Joseph Gabriel, The Logic of Confusion in: Hemingway's "A Clean well Lighted Place", Pg, 541) One can't help but compare the story to the image of moths attracted to a light bulb....

    Read More

  • The Rise and Fall of Existentialism

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hemingway, Ernest. "A Clean Well-Lighted Place." The Art of Modern Fiction. Ray B. West, ed. New York: Rholt, Rinehart & Winston, 1962.

    Read More

  • Reader Response to A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, By Hemingway

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1933, Ernest Hemmingway wrote A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. It's a story of two waiters working late one night in a cafe. Their last customer, a lonely old man getting drunk, is their last customer. The younger waiter wishes the customer would leave while the other waiter is indifferent because he isn't in so much of a hurry. I had a definite, differentiated response to this piece of literature because in my occupation I can relate to both cafe workers.

    Read More

  • Analysis of A Clean Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," first published in 1933, is written in his characteristic terse style. It is the story of two waiters having a conversation in a café, just before closing up and going home for the night. They cannot leave because they still have a customer. One is anxious to get home to his wife, while the other sympathizes with the old man sitting at the table. Without realizing it, they are discussing the meaning of life.

    Read More

More about Spiritual Emptiness in Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Open Document