Maybe the most interesting and most popular writer of his time, Ernest Hemingway was an incredible figure in history. I find Hemingway to be an amazing writer due to the way he expresses himself through his writing. In his short story, "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" Hemingway wrote about an old man basically struggling to understand the true meaning of life and what it represented. I believe that Hemingway was describing not only the old man that played the main character in his story but himself as well. Hemingway's story to me described his everyday life. To me Hemingway grew up being a negative person and always down. He never expected much and seemed to enjoy being miserable. In his story I do believe that he described and introduced his character as rude and almost selfish to express his feelings at the time. Hemingway's biggest downfall I believe was when going into the army and getting injured which sent him into a spiraling depression. He met a nice young lady at the time but she didnt want to leave everything behind for someone she just help cure and he was heart broken. I believe losing the love of his life really triggered Hemingway's depression and constant hate on the world. Alcohol was an everyday thing to him and it only seemed that in time he was going to commit suicide as he did later on."Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said. "Why?" "He was in despair." "What about?" "Nothing." "How do you know it was nothing?" "He has plenty of money." (Hemingway). This quote from his short story really made me think about his reflection towards life itself. We all experience bad times in life but we fight and battle to overcome the demons dragging us down. To me it almost seemed like Hemingway sided with the demons inside of him and channeled his anger into words. As in the quote, Hemingway wasnt in any debt or trouble that would make him come to a conclusion that suicide was the last option. Its clear that Hemingway was simply a miserable person that couldnt find the light at the end of the tunnel. His life experiences deffinatly influenced him into creating this short story. I believed he also used his life experiences to create a fictional character such like himself and express his thoughts and feelings. "Another," said the old man. "No. Finished." The waiter wiped the edge of the table with a towel and shook his head. The old man stood up, slowly counted the saucers, took a leathercoin purse from his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving half a peseta tip. The waiter watched him go down the street, a very oldman walking unsteadily but with dignity (Hemingway). This quote I believe put Hemingway to peace in the story. He expressed his cut off to not only drinking in the story, but cut off to life. In his story the old man didnt argue or express any hatred towards the waiter basically telling him to pick up and leave. The ending of the quote spoke to me and told me Hemingway was at his end. Walking away unsteady from being drunk in the story but in Hemingway's own reality he was unsteady because he was at his final stages in life. He expressed not only in his story but in reality as well that even though he was walking away losing the battle, he still walked away with his head held high and his dignity.
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