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ThecharactersandArtFeaturesinHemingway’sAClean,Well-LightedPlaceAbstract:AClean,Well-LightedPlaceisoneofHemingway’stypicalshortstories,whosethemeisNihility.Andinordertoexhibitthistheme,thewriterusedthreedifferentcharactersandmanynarratetechniques.Thispaperwillanalysethemaincharactersandtheartfeaturesinthestory,inordertoresearchtheartstyleofHemingway’sworks.Keywords:Nihility;Characters;Symbolism;Brevity.I.AbriefintroductiontoAClean,Well-LightedPlaceThestoryissetinacafelateintheevening.Twowaitersarewaitingfortheirlastcustomertoleavesotheycanclosethecafe.Theyoungerofthetwoisimpatient,becausehewantstogethometohiswifeandwarmbed.Theolderonehasmorepatienceforhealsohasnothingtodointheeveningandheunderstandstheoldcustomerandfeelspityforhim.Theoldmanisdeaf.Heisdesperateinlifeandonceattemptssuicide.Finallytheyoungerwaiterrefusestosellbrandytotheoldmanandclosesthecafé.Theolderwaitergoestoabarunconsciouslywhilethinkingaboutthenihilityoflife.Andthatisallaboutthisstory.Althoughtheplotofthestoryisbriefandsimple,thethemeisdeepandprofound.II.AnalysisofthethreemaincharactersHemingwayhadchosenthreeverydifferentcharactersinthisshortstory.However,afteradeepanalysis,wecanseethesimilarproblemsintheirlives——theyarealllivingthroughthenihilityoflife.Firstly,let’sfocusontheoldman.Heisalwaystryingtoescapefromthenihilityoflife.Hehasplentyofmoneybutitdoesn’tgainhappiness.Heisdeaf,lonelyanddesperate.He’slifeseemsmeaninglessnowandheisnearlyisolatedfromotherpeople.Hetriesdifferentwaystoescapefromthenihilityandhopelessness.First,heattemptssuicidebutfailed.Thenhetrieshisbesttogetdrunkinthecafétoforgetaboutthereallife.Therearemanyfearfulthingsinhislifeandweknowheissuffering.Hisliferemindsusofthemysteryofthatgeneration.AftertheWordWarI,theoldvaluesysteminpeople’sheartcollapsed,andthenewvaluehadn’tbeenfoundedyet.Peoplewerehurtpsychologically.Theyweredisappointedforthecountryanddidn’tknowwhatlifeisfor.Thisbroughtthesadnessofthewholesocietyandmanypeople’slifeturnedintotragedy.However,thereisaverystrangephenomenon.Althoughtheoldmanfeelverydesperatedeepinhisheartandwantstoescapethenihilitynegatively,hestillremainshisdignity.Itissaidinthestorythatheisalwayscleananddrinkswithoutsplitting.WecanseethekindofcharacterthatHemingwayadmiresthroughthisoldman.InHemingway’seyes,amancanbynomeanslosehisdignity,nomatterhowhesuffersinhislife.Thecontrastbetweentheoldmanandtheyoungwaiterisveryobvious.Theoldmanholdsnohopeforlifewhiletheyoungwaiterisblandlyconfidenceaboutlife.Hehasnotrealizedthenihilityinlifeyet.Astheolderwaitersaid,hehasyouth,confidence,andajob.Hehaseverything.He’ssoshortsightedaboutlifethatheonlylooksforwardtohiswifeandbed.Whenaskedaboutwhytheoldmanwantstokillhimself,heonlysays“nothing”and“Hehasplentyofmoney.”Andheissoimpatienttoservetheoldmanthatheletsthebrandyrundowntheglasswhenpouringit.Heevensays”youshouldhavekilledyourselflastweek”totheolddeafman.Theseplotsshowhisinhospitalitytotheoldmanandhismisunderstandingaboutlife.Inhiseyes,onlymoneymatters.Moneyiseverything.Hecannotunderstandwhytheoldfeeldesperateandlonelywhilebeingsorich,nordoeshecareaboutit.Hislifeisveryself-centered.Hethinksothers’lifehasnothingtodowithhim.Hedoesnotseethatonedayinthefuturehislifewilljustliketheoldman’s.Hedoesnotseethatyouth,confidence,jobandlovewillquicklyleavehimwithtime.Hedoesnotseethatonedayhewilltoofacethedesperatenihilityinlife.Differentfromtheoldmanandtheyoungerwaiter,theolderwaiterismuchbraverandsoberer.Hehasalreadyunderstoodnihilityinlife.Atthelastpartofthestory,hesays“itwasallanothingandamanwasanothingtoo.”Andheimitatesaparagraphofprayerwordsfulloftheword“nada”.Fromthiswecanfigureoutthatherealizeshislifeisliketheoldman,beginningtoholdnomeaning.Heisverydepressedbecauseofthecruelreality.Hefeelspityfortheoldmanandhehimselffeelslonelyandsad,too.Hefindsithardtofallasleepafterworkandhealsoneedsaclean,well-lightedplacelikethecafétocomforthissoulandprovidehissoulfromthedarknessandsadness.However,heisn’tgoingtoescapefromthenihilityinlife.Hebravelyfacesitandtrieshisbesttolivewithit.Hehastheclearestunderstandingoftheemptylifeandprofoundexperiences.Attheendofthisstory,hesaystohimself,“Afterall,it'sprobablyonlyinsomnia.Manymusthaveit.”Itinfersthathehasalreadytakeninsomniaforgranted,andheclearlyknowsthathisinsomniaisnotacommonproblemofhimself,butadisillusionfromtheoldage’sfrustratingrealityofthewholesociety.Inconclusion,nihilityisoneofbiggestprobleminpeople’sheartsatthattime.Butdifferentpeopleholdthedifferentattitudetowardsit.Somearedesperateandpessimistic;someareblankandoptimistic;andsomearesoberandjustneutral.However,willbetterattitudehelppeopletofindawayoutofthisnihility?Thatisthequestion.III.Artfeaturesinthiswork1.Hemingway'sicebergtheoryinthisworkAsHemingwayhimselfsaid,“Thedignityofmovementofanicebergisduetoonlyone-eighthofitbeingabovewater.Agoodwriterdoesnotneedtorevealeverydetailofacharacteroraction.”InHemingway’swork,healwaysmadethecontentexternallybriefbutsignificationdeepandprofound.InAClean,Well-LightedPlace�healsodidn'tuseanexcessofwordsandlanguage.Thiscanbeproved