"He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing." (Hemingway 151)
These sentences are important because they show that the older waiter really empathized with the old deaf man. Earlier in the story, the younger waiter mentioned that there were bodegas open all night long when the older waiter talked about people needing the cafe. I feel like these sentences, especially since they come at the end of the story, create kind of a "reveal" as to just why the older waiter wasn't too quick to kick the old deaf man out of the cafe. He saw, in the old man, a kindred spirit.
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Seth~
ReplyDeleteI agree that the older waiter definitely had a soft spot for the old deaf guy. I didn't think of it as a "kindred spirit" type connection, but I was impressed with your insight in that regard. The older waiter realized the importance of keeping the cafe open for ALL of the lonely people who might share the deaf guy's predicament, I suppose. It was as if he felt it was his responsibility somehow to provide a "clean, well-lighted place" for fellow loners or "kindred spirits," as you put it.
Thanks for your post. You have good insight and interpretation regarding emotional issues.
~Lisa