Most researches study Hemingway’s nihilism in this short story。 Hemingway is regarded as one typical representative of the “Lost Generation”; many of his works criticize the trauma brought by the First World War。 “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” reflects Hemingway’s post-war concern about the spiritual crisis and the lack of beliefs, and gives people some suggestions how to deal with spiritual crisis。   

In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, the three characters represent that the people hold three different attitudes to nothingness。 Young waiter represents the people who live in nothingness society and also are completely unaware of the emptiness and loneliness in life, while the older waiter represents the people who are brave to face with nothing。 Although the nihilistic ideas reflected in this work is passive, it does not mean Hemingway would yield to the cruel reality。 People still need to look for the light even though everything becomes nothing and meaningless。

This thesis will analyze nihilism from the viewpoint of existentialism。 In “A Clean and Well-lighted Place” people is confused with the existence and the loss of faith, which is also an extremely important issue in philosophy: how to face the spiritual crisis in life and find the courage to survive。 So an interpretation of nihilism in “A Clean, Well-Lighted place” from the viewpoint of Existentialism can make Hemingway’s “A Clean and Well-lighted Place” become more significant and meaningful。

3。 A Brief Introduction to Existentialism and Nihilism

3。1 Existentialism

Existentialism is a term which has been applied to the work of a number of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human inpidual and his or her conditions of existence。 Philosophies emphasize the uniqueness and isolation of the inpidual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts。 (Yang New 12)文献综述

Although there are major differences and disagreements among existentialist thinkers, there are some common tendencies among them: existentialism showed the deep concern of human existence, and existentialism is people-centric, respects for human personality and freedom, confirms existence precedes essence, and illustrates man’s spiritual freedom and free choice in the situation of despair and absurdity。 Existentialism thinks that man is living in a meaningless universe and human existence itself is meaningless, but people can create itself on the basis of existence and live a wonderful life。 Critic Sean Orff Klein believes that the theme of Hemingway’s works is “human nature and its eternal invariable tragic”。 (Tang 26)

 After the First World War, Hemingway began to pay attention to the general situation of human existence, that is, how human beings respond to the absurd world and the difficulties of life, frustration, failure and pain。 “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” reflects that after the First World War people is confused with the existence and the loss of faith, and discusses an extremely important issue in philosophy: how to face the spiritual crisis in life and find the courage to survive。

3。2 Nihilism

The term nihilism was first used by Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (1743–1819)。 With the popularizing of the word nihilism by Ivan Turgenev, a new Russian political movement called the Nihilist movement adopted the term。 They supposedly called themselves nihilists because nothing “that then existed found favor in their eyes”。 (Harper 2009)

Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, nothing) is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the lack of belief in one or more reputedly meaningful aspects of life。 It can be understood in several different levels, such as political nihilism, ethical nihilism, and existential nihilism。 What is commonly used and understood of nihilism today is the sense of existential nihilism, which argues that life is meaningless, without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value。 Under such circumstances, existence itself, like actions, sufferings and feelings, is senseless and empty。 Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value。