Binary Oppositions in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well Lighted Place” is a story that is full of binary oppositions. For instance, the young waiter who does not understand the predicament of modern men is the opposition to the older waiter portrayed in solitude because of his feeling of emptiness. As these binary opposites are representative figures, their names are not given. They reflect the difference between old and new values owing to the generation gap between them.

The young waiter tries to make the last customer leave early in an impolite manner but the older one understands why he drinks in a well-lighted cafe rather than at home. Although the younger waiter feels confident about such things as his job, marriage, and youth he has, these things are not permanent. He might get a divorce from his wife or lose his job and also, and aging is a natural process that he must face. For instance, due to the possibility of his wife’s infidelity, he does not want to go home late. Thus, his life depends on factors that he cannot control. This implies that the young waiter does not know the predicament of modern man and he is, in fact, vulnerable and might suffer.

The old customer is in despair. Therefore, he is metaphorically depicted in the shadow. He feels empty and sees life as meaningless. To ease his sorrow and to escape from darkness, which corresponds to his troubles and the predicament of modern man, the old man wants to sit in a well-lighted place. Unlike him, the young waiter is depicted as selfish, rude, and unempathetic. For instance, he deliberately spills the old customer’s drink to make him feel unwanted and says “[the old man] should have killed himself” upon learning about his suicide attempt from the older waiter. He fails to understand why the old customer does such a thing as from his perspective, he has no accurate reason to be suicidal.

Although he is drunk, the old man walks unsteadily but with dignity at the same time. He knows that one should not lose his nobleness and decency towards anyone even though life means nothing. Therefore, the old man is portrayed as clean, neat, and dignified thanks to the young waiter who is lack of understanding the suffering of other people. Moreover, the old man leaves a tip despite the younger waiter’s expectations. In this way, he shows grace under pressure even though the old customer is aware that “winners take nothing”.

As there is no generation gap between them, the old waiter shows empathy towards the old customer. Thus, he tries to make the young waiter understand that he can lose all of his possessions. While the young waiter wants to go home, the older waiter says that there can be someone who needs a well-lighted café, metaphorically. In this sense, he emphasizes that modern men have lost their belief in almost all values and might need to escape from emptiness and, symbolically, come to a well-lighted place. For this reason, the older waiter uses the word “nada” meaning nothingness. In this way, he makes a point about the predicament of modern men. Due to this nothingness and meaninglessness, he suffers from insomnia. However, at least, the old waiter understands that he is not alone in experiencing an existential crisis when he sees the old customer.