A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway is a story that emphasizes three age groups who each have a different view of life. By analyzing the three different points of view, we see Hemingway's perspective as an old man. The short story is about an old man who occasionally sits in a very clean bar, drinks at two in the morning and is the last to leave. There are three waiters: one is young, one is an older gentleman and the last one is a very old man. All waiters see it differently based on their age. The young waiter was in a hurry to close the bar an hour early because only the lonely old man was inside. It was two in the morning and the bar was supposed to close at three. This young man throws the old man out of the bar just so he can sleep with his wife. The young man has absolutely no respect for the older man who is deaf. He yelled at the old man saying, “You should have killed yourself last week.” The waiter treats him like an obstacle, as if he is slowing down his life. The second waiter introduced is a middle-aged man. He doesn't say much, but it seems like it's because he doesn't want to argue with the younger waiter. All he does is ask the young waiter questions, as if the middle-aged waiter is stuck in socket twenty-two. The middle-aged man felt sorry for the old man but could not express his feelings to the younger waiter. Finally there is the old waiter. He is about the same age as the old man who sat at the table. He definitely feels sympathy for the man sitting at the table because he knows what it's like to be old and alone. The waiter says: "I'm one of those who likes to stay late at the bar, with everyone who doesn't want to go to bed. With everyone who needs a light at night." The waiter knows that the bar/cafe is a very nice place for night people, especially old people, because it is clean and well lit. He says: “Every night I'm reluctant to close because there might be someone who needs the bar;.