The Loneliness of Age
The Loneliness of Age It is not uncommon to find young people in society who are disgusted and scared of old people. The elderly get sent off to nursing homes and are sometimes left alone because their young children and grandchildren are uncomfortable visiting them. This discomfort stems largely from fear and denial. As a young person, one does not want to acknowledge that they may someday be elderly and need to be cared for. The central theme in Ernest Hemingway’s short story “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” is the futility and loneliness that is experienced in old age. The fact that the old man is deaf is a powerful image used in the story. "...the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he could feel the difference." Deafness disconnects the old man from the rest of the world.