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Post by Dr. Nemmers on May 30, 2024 15:09:16 GMT
In this story, it seems that we get three different ages of men: a young waiter, an older waiter, and the old patron. Not coincidentally, the former is most eager to take action, the middle wishes to linger and delay a bit, and the latter would sit at the cafe all night if they would let him.
What else do you notice about the differences between these three men? Why do you think Hemingway chose to feature each of these three stages of life? And what may he be trying to tell us or show about age...?
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Post by dcomeaux on May 31, 2024 21:58:45 GMT
While I was reading this story I found the young waiter to be self-centered. He was not concerned about his fellow worker or the elderly patron in the cafe. He was only concerned about himself and his time. He was very dismissive of the patron when he was trying to close up early, shooing him away as well as his coworker.
The older waiter was more sympathetic and understanding to the elderly patron because he too sought after a "well-lighted place" to feel comfortable in. He is patient and kind and willing to keep the cafe open for the elderly gentleman to give him his safe haven.
I think the elderly patron would likely represent the end stages of life, maybe. He is alone with no real purpose. He would stay at the cafe all day and night if given the opportunity.
Overall, I think the story is showing us the different stages of age and life. You have youth in the young waiter where you might not think of those around you and are excited to live your life for you. You do not want to wait around for things; you want instant gratification. Then you have the older waiter. You have lived some life and had life experiences. You have learned to be sympathetic and patient with those around you. And then the elderly patron. As stated previously, who is at the end stages of life.
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Post by meagangcurrie on Jun 1, 2024 0:47:54 GMT
The age difference between the waiters can tell a lot about how they live. The younger waiter is anxious, self-centered, and perhaps "flighty", in a sense, while the older waiter is calmer and more compassionate. In this story, age, experience, and perspective are relevant factors. I want to take note of the patron as in the story specifically, he is deaf, literally and metaphorically. The patron, as Dusti suggests, is alone and has no real purpose. Even though the patron has money, he still feels empty, and maybe the only thing he can do is drink his emptiness away.
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Post by jarelyrebollar on Jun 2, 2024 13:54:51 GMT
The stark differences between each man are very telling from my perspective. The younger waiter seems more self-centered and concerned about time and money. This could perhaps be a commentary on how younger people might view the world more selfishly. The younger man sees money as the ultimate way of life, from how he comments on the older patron's attempted suicide and how he has a wife to return home to so he is not truly alone (which can explain the lack of understanding of how the old patron can feel alone when he has a niece taking care of him).
The older waiter and the old patron seem to be close in similarities, however, the old patron is told by the readers to be much older. The older waiter is becoming what the old patron is already, lonely and with nothing. The old patron is an elderly man who sees his life as meaningless and is trying to find comfort in drinking with some company (even though the company is waiters); meanwhile, the older waiter is starting to enter a point in his life where he is also beginning to feel lonely and seeking comfort by not rushing to close the cafe and going to drink at a bar. The part of the story where the prayer replaces words with "nada" also shows that he views life as nothing.
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Renee Luedders (Post 5)
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Post by Renee Luedders (Post 5) on Jun 5, 2024 0:29:22 GMT
This story is very sad to me. I feel that Hemingway was also saying to readers that there's a lot that we can learn from generations before us, But also that we need to be more patient and accepting, because that WILL be us one day. The older waiter understood that, or maybe he was TAUGHT to understand that. The young one was not, obviously. I feel like that sometimes when I step into my high school classroom with my students. Some want to learn about my past experiences & life, others could care less. But, I think we could all stand to slow down & learn a little more from the people that came before us.
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