Happier Than Hemingway

Authors Note: This is an essay comparing Ernest Hemingway to three people in one of his short stories. I am trying to work on text analyses from him to his story.

Ernest Hemingway has had quite the life for himself. As an author with a strange life, he writes some of the most bizarre novels. As in the story "A Clean Well-Lighted Place", three characters in the short story are in a café with three completely different lives. One bartender is anxious about his family other than their café. However, the older bartender however has a point of view similar to the old man. As if he is soon going to be in the old man’s place in a café drinking late nights by himself. And the old man is at an age where he is old and alone. Hemingway used the different ages of the characters to show life as a person. You may go from a social, pleasurable guy, to an old lonely man who may have nothing in life to look forward to.  Sadly that may be how life goes but it’s the true. And that’s what I think Hemingway was really trying to get to. But if Hemingway was one of the three characters, who might he be? With how his life he may be any of them, so who do you think he is?

As the younger bartender who is very social and active, Hemingway might not be him. Hemingway was a focused individual unlike Fitzgerald who was another famous author at their time. They were both great authors but Hemingway was one who was more “In the zone” with his work. The bartender was still in his prime time working at the café with more important things to do then wait until a man was done with his last drink. So maybe in Hemingway’s early years he was like this but when it came to the older bartenders age, he had more similar traits within each other.

However, the older bartender had other similar traits towards Hemingway. The older bartender is very relaxed yet focused when it comes to work. He actually didn't really mind if the old man stayed for a few more drinks or not. Hemingway was the same way. He was very focused and didn't have to much fun in his life, just work. Though they both liked their job, their partner was the opposite. Fitzgerald was a very energetic, partying kind of guy whose writing was the secondary to his life. And because of this, both the older bartender and Hemingway were very good at their jobs.

The old man has quite different traits like Hemingway compared to the other bartenders. To me, I think the old man is used as if it was Hemingway’s older ages of his life. The old man tried committing  suicide just like Hemingway. And even though the old Man tried  failed trying to commit it, Hemingway had not. It seems like Hemingway was using the old man to symbolize his last years of his life, lonely, and sad. He uses him to symbolize many people’s older years in their lives.

Hemingway was a very interesting writer compared to Fitzgerald. He was very committed and focused towards his work. And in this story, he uses the characters to play out his life. You go from a fun, active friend, to a lonely old man that’s depressed. Sadly that’s how life goes but the way Hemingway did it in this short story was remarkable.  His life may have ended in a tragedy but not everyone’s has to. If you look at things positive in your entire life you won’t end up like Hemingway. Instead you may be completely different, like Fitzgerald. Hopefully you stay as  happy as him your entire life.