28 pages • 56 minutes read
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
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Literary Devices
Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a writing technique that emerged in the Modernist literary movement. In response to traditional modes of writing that presented clean, linear thought processes in characters, Modernist writers sought to capture the confusion of their characters’ nonlinear thought processes.
The majority of this story does not go into the characters’ thoughts but relies on dialogue to reveal the characters’ ideas and values. The narration shifts at the end of the story and allows the reader a full glimpse into the older waiter’s mind at a pivotal moment. In this section, he attempts to make sense of the feeling of nothing washing over him. Vague thoughts are connected loosely by the idea of “nothing,” and the text shifts between the English “nothing” and Spanish “nada,” replicating the fluidity of language and thought. The waiter’s thoughts shift between the bar, fear, an undefined “it,” nothing, cleanliness, and prayer. By rendering this section impressionistically, Hemingway creates an overwhelming passage that evokes the characters’ feelings of despair.
Repetition
Repetition is the use of the same word or phrase to draw the reader’s attention to that phrase or word. In this story, several phrases are repeated throughout the text, emphasizing the importance of those key words and phrases to the story’s meaning. One such word is “nothing” or “nada.” The repetition of this word emphasizes the sense of nothing and nothingness that permeates the text.
Another key phrase that reoccurs is “youth and confidence” (290). This phrase is repeated by both the older and younger waiter, highlighting that these characteristics are a key difference between these opposing characters. The older waiter no longer has the naivety that the younger waiter has; he has lost the hope that is characteristic of youth. Additionally, he no longer has confidence in the social constructs that have let him down and created the sense of disillusionment that he now faces.
Pacing
Hemingway uses pacing to help create a sense of confusion in the narrative. Pacing is the rate at which the story occurs. Hemingway’s story moves quickly, though it spans the length of an evening into the early morning hours. One of the ways he moves the story along is by using dialogue. While the waiters’ back and forth seems quick-paced, it seems upon further inspection that much time has passed during the exchanges. For instance, the length of time between the old man’s drinks seems to be mere minutes because the dialogue is a quick round of questions and answers. In reality, it is most likely longer. This playing with time enhances the reader’s confusion, which mimics how the characters struggle to make sense of their world.
Strange pacing also occurs as the main protagonist closes the café and heads to the bar. The café is shut, then suddenly, the older waiter is standing in front of a bar ordering a drink. In between these two occurrences, the protagonist’s stream of consciousness struggles to define the era’s “nothing.” These thoughts could have taken place over a short walk next door or a slow walk of discovery through town. The sense of time and pace is again undefined, reflecting the protagonist’s struggle.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is the placement of two ideas or objects in close proximity to one another to evoke contrasts between them. In this story, Hemingway juxtaposes the young waiter with the old waiter to highlight the younger waiter’s traits of naivety and hope, which the older waiter no longer has. The young waiter’s cruelty toward the old man also emphasizes the older waiter’s compassion.
Hemingway also juxtaposes light and dark. While the old man is in a clean, well-lighted place, he still prefers to sit in the “shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light” (288). While the older waiter prefers the place’s light, the old man prefers the shadows, showing that he has come full circle and no longer struggles with his existential dilemma; in the wake of his suicide attempt, he has accepted it. The juxtaposition of light and dark also highlights a key moment for the protagonist. When he shuts off the café’s lights, he begins his stream-of-consciousness musings about “it” and “nothing” (291). His futile attempt to make sense of the senseless occurs, and darkness and nothingness take over.
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By Ernest Hemingway
