A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Author's Note: I wrote this as a response to the question, Write a brief analysis of the two waiters.  What do they represent about life? What does the café symbolize, about the short story, "A Clean, Well-litted Place," by Earnest Hemingway. 

 The younger waiter is very impatient and talks about how he just wants to go home and sleep but this old man is still there drinking. Throughout the story he gets more and more mad and impatient, he is saying rude things to and about this old man who is making him stay there as he drinks the night away. While this young waiter is growing more and more impatient the older waiter doesn’t seem to mind that the old man is just sitting there drinking while their waiting on him. It seems as though the old waiter wants the old man to stay as long as he pleases and doesn’t mind being up so late. The young waiter represents impatience and rudeness, because of his attitude towards the old man. The older waiter represents understanding and wisdom, because of how he seems to be more understanding about waiting and how he is standing up for the old man when the younger waiter is being rude. Lastly the café symbolizes a safe place, it seems the older waiter and the old man both use it as a well lit place of peace and an escape. For the old man and the older waiter it is an escape, from insomnia.