Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

This is a thought-provoking short story that primarily involves a discussion between two waiters working in a cafe in what is presumably Spain. They discussed an deaf old man who apparently sat at the cafe getting drunk until very late at night. The background and most of the story itself are told completely in dialogue, with little narrative action. The only narrated parts are sensory details and imagery. The characters in this story all remain completely nameless, from "the old man" to "the unhurried waiter", the story gives them names by using relevant descriptions of their prominent traits. The story seems to imply that the older people get, the more depressed and lonely they get; with the older waiter having insomnia and the old man being suicidal. It is not overtly clear or presented what the meaning of the "well-lighted place" is. Perhaps the light provides a place of respite for the disenchanted.

2 comments:

Nhart said...

Hey!

I like your comment on the story. I thought the story was more about drinking, depression and the outlook of each character of life. But who knows it was an odd story.
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http://mycocblog.blogspot.com/

Woody said...

I like your analysis on the story. I agree if we got more background on the characters we would have a better understanding on them and why they do what they do.