The feeling of depression and loneliness is a universal emotion among many people. In “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway tells a short story about an old man who stays late in bars as a way to deal with depression. To do this, Hemingway effectively uses short sentences of dialogue between the waiters, a well-lit environment, and religious references to emphasize the struggle of dealing with loneliness and desperation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While the old man drinks alone at night in a bar, the reader learns about the old man who lives alone with a granddaughter and tried to commit suicide through the dialogue between the older waiter and the younger one. Through the exchange, the former waiter, like the old man, enjoys staying late at the bar and understands more deeply why they are reluctant to go home at night. However, the younger waiter, being insensitive and rude, cannot see anything beyond himself and is anxious to close up and go home to his “wife waiting in bed”. The younger waiter wants to go home to his wife and insults the old man, who is deaf, saying, "You should have killed yourself last week." The older waiter defends the old man from the younger waiter's criticism by pointing out that "This old man is clean... He drinks without spilling." As the younger waiter tries to leave, Hemingway gives the older waiter the line "You have youth, confidence, and a job... You have everything" to say to the younger waiter to reveal the difference between the older waiter (along with the older male waiter) and the younger waiter. The younger waiter has a reason to live (his wife) and his whole life ahead of him when the older waiter says “He has everything”. The younger waiter cannot understand how lucky he is nor does he understand the older waiter and the old man who are alone and looking for a meaning to live. As the waiters converse, the reason behind the old man and the older waiter's reluctance to return home becomes more coherent: both are alone and suffer from the feeling of nothingness: an anguish about their place in the universe and uncertainty about meaning of life. Furthermore, Hemingway's use of the well-lit setting provides the old man and older waiter a place to face their despair. The older waiter explains that “this is a clean and pleasant cafe. It is well lit. The light is very good." The cafe itself represents the opposite of the theme (loneliness and depression) thanks to its cleanliness and good lighting which symbolizes order and peace. The cafe serves as a common place where many people can take refuge out of desperation, which makes the older waiter reluctant to close since “there might be someone who needs coffee.” light for the night”, the bar can be symbolized as a night light that gives a sense of security to children at night and leads them to see the next day. Later in the story, the older waiter describes the nothingness that is there life by saying, “It was just that and all it needed was light and some cleanliness and order.” The “it” in the sentence presupposes that although life has no meaning, light, cleanliness and order they can keep despair under control. That's why, as long as the cafe stays open late at night, people can escape from the darkness of despair. Furthermore, Hemingway uses religious references to.