A Clean Well-Lighted Place And The Wall

The stories “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” and “The Wall” clearly describe the dark side of alienation. As one reads these works one gets a true feeling for the plights endured by the old man in, “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” and Pablo in, “The Wall”. This essay will discuss and compare the theme of loneliness among these characters. In “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” we are introduced to a deaf old man who visits a café frequently in the evenings. It becomes clear rather quickly that this old man is quite lonely. We see this in the fact that he never has any company sitting with him and also in the way the two waiters in the story talk about him. An example of the waiters view is seen in the dialogue between them whereas the younger waiter has no tolerance for the old man’s isolatory manner. When they are discussing the fact that the old man has not left the café and it is late, the older waiter defends him by saying, “he stays up because he likes it” while the younger waiter
Suddenly finding oneself in prison, one does not have the luxury to choose loneliness. In contrast, it is possible that the old man has chosen the path of loneliness. However, what makes these characters similar is the theme of distraction and isolation. Both characters tried hard to get their minds off of their lack of social connections. At one point Pablo tries to distract himself by reflecting on his past. We see this in the quote, “A crowd of memories came back to me pell-mell.” At this point he reflects on things such as his uncle’s face, the time when he was unemployed, and a time when he went without eating during a three day period. Concerning the old man, distraction comes into play through his drinking and also in his desire to be in an environment that had light and people even if he was there as a detached