Of course, we know that Hemingway never made it to the age of the old man in the story. It’s possible that, like
the young waiter, he didn’t want to be an old man. And, like the older waiter, didn’t want to go home to nothing.
With three failed marriages already in his life, he may not have had much faith in his fourth marriage lasting
through his old age. Like the old man in the story, he stayed drunk most of the time, which, no doubt contributed
to his demise (Schafer 1). Whatever it was that finally drove him to take his own life, no one will ever know for
sure. Just like the old man in the story, people were left wondering and talking about “why” he did it. It’s no
accident that the old man in the story is viewed through the eyes of two younger men. Hemmingway once said,
“The writer’s job is to tell the truth,” (Schafer 2) and because he couldn’t relate to being an old, old man, he
couldn’t give him a voice in the story.
References
Hemingway, Ernest. "A Clean Well-lighted Place." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. J. Beaty.
7th Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1998. 445-448.
Schafer, Nancy. "Ernest Hemingway - An Overview of the Life and Works of…" EmpireZine August Edition.
Http://www.spydersempire.com/empirezine/spotlight/published/august/hem1.htm. (29 Sept. 1998).
