A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1926

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Summary

Background

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

The younger waiter suggests that time is more valuable to him than it is to the old man when he says the hour is “[m]ore to me than to him,” while the older waiter suggests that time is of the same value to each: “An hour is the same.” Does the author indicate that one values time more than the other? Explain with evidence from the text.

What is the significance of the soldier and the girl walking by on the street? How does this short aside contribute to the story’s themes?

Why is it significant that the old man is deaf? How does this add to the meaning of the text?