A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. What function does the old man serve in the story?
  2. Do you think the younger waiter and the older waiter are indeed "of two different kinds"?
  3. What is the significance of "insomnia" at the end of the story? Why might the older waiter dismiss his dissatisfaction as such?
  4. Hemingway wrote this story when he was a young man. Does this information affect your reading of the story? Why or why not?