谈如何理解海明威一个干净明亮的地方

　　Abstract
　　ErnestHemingwayisoneoftheoutstandingAmericanshortstorywritersinthetwentiethcentury。Hisworksaresonotedforprofoundideasandabundantconnotationsthattheyarepopularwithreaders。HeisarepresentativeoftheLostGeneration。Hisworksarebasedonhisownspecialexperiences，theenvironmentandtheagehelivedin。Almostallofhisworksreflectthepessimisticnihilism。TheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlacewasoneofHemingway’searlyworks。Itisaclassicalshortstorywithnihilism，assumingtypicalHemingway’sstyle，thatis，takingNothingnessasthethemeandemployingabundantsimplesentences。Inthework，Hemingway，basedonthestorybetweentheoldmanandthetwowaiters，pointedoutthatNadacommonlyexistsinhuman’slife，itisactuallytheexperienceofone’sownexistence，andtheonlywaytoresistNadaistokeepacleanandwelllightedplaceinthemind。
　　Inordertounderstandtheworkandtheauthor’sideascompletelyandthoroughly，thisthesismakesananalysisofthenovelfromdifferentangles，includingHemingway’sbiography，thewritingbackgroundofthenovel，themaincharactersinthenovelandthethemeofNada。Throughtheanalysis，thethesisencodestheoriginandtheessenceofNada。
　　KeyWords
　　Hemingway；LostGeneration；acleanandwelllightedplace；Nada（Nothingness）
　　摘要
　　海明威是二十世纪美国著名短篇小说家，其作品思想深刻，内容丰富，脍炙人口。海明威是迷惘的一代的代表人物，其作品的创作思想大多来源于他的个人经历以及他生活的环境和时代，作品大都反映了悲观的虚无思想。短篇小说《一个干净明亮的地方》是海明威的早期作品，是一部典型的虚无主义小说，具有典型的海明威风格：文章以虚无思想为主题并大量使用简洁句。在这篇小说中，海明威通过老人和两位服务员的故事阐明虚无是普遍存在的，虚无是对存在的体验，人类只有在内心保持一片干净明亮的地方才能抵御虚无。
　　为了正确理解该篇小说以及作者的思想，本文从不同角度分析了作家和作品，包括对海明威生平的研究，小说的写作背景、主要人物和虚无主题的分析，阐明了小说虚无思想的起源和本质。
　　关键词
　　海明威；迷惘的一代；干净明亮的地方；虚无思想
　　Introduction
　　ErnestHemingwayisawellknownAmericanwriterinthetwentiethcentury。Hisworkshaveuniquecharacteristicsbothinthemeandwritingstyle。Somecriticsthinkthathisworksarebasedonhisownexperiencesandthetimewhenhelived。Actually，Hemingway’slifewasfullofromance。Heexperiencedmanywarsinhislife。BecausehisworksreflectthehurtthatthewarbringstohumanbeinganddescribethelossofthebeliefsofthegenerationaftertheWorldWarI，heisregardedasthespokesmanoftheLostGeneration。
　　Hemingway’sshortstoryACleanandWellLightedPlacewaswritteninhisearlytime，andisoneofclassicalworksofHemingway’sstyleaswell。Inthisshortstory，hemostlyusedshortandsimplesentences。Thethemeofnothingnessisacontroversialandpopulartopicinmodernliterature。Inordertounderstandthenovelandtheauthor’sminds，thisthesismakesananalysisofthenovelfromdifferentangles，includingthegeneralbiographyofHemingway，thewritingbackgroundofthenovel，thecharactersinthenovel，thewritingstyleoftheshortstory，andthethemeofnada。
　　Inthepast，somepeoplethoughtHemingway’smindswerepessimistic，andACleanandWellLightedPlacewasaclassicnovelofnihilism。Intheauthor’sopinion，ACleanandWellLightedPlacemakesthereaderstoponderoverthemeaningoflifeandisworthyofreadingandstudying。
　　I。TheBackgroundoftheAuthorandtheNovel
　　ErnestHemingway（18991961）isawellknownAmericannovelistandshortstorywriterinmoderntimes，andoneofthemostcelebratedandinfluentialauthorsinthetwentiethcentury。HewasawardedtheNobelPrizein1954forhisshortstoryTheOldManandtheSea。Moreover，whenreferringtoHemingway，heisalwaysrelatedwiththeLostGeneration。ItiscertainthatHemingway’slifeisfullofromance。Hisspecialexperiencemakeshisworksrepresentageneration，andstillhasagreatinfluenceonmodernliterature。IfHemingway’snovelisstudied，itisdefinitetomakearesearchonErnestHemingwayhimselfatfirst。
　　A。TheGeneralBiographyofHemingway
　　ErnestHemingwaywasborninadoctorfamilyinChicagoin1899。Whenhewasachild，helikedfishingandhunting。Heoftenspenthissummeroutdoorswithhisfather。Thisexperiencemadehimadapttotheoutdoorlife。
　　In1917，afterbeinggraduatedfromtheMiddleSchool，HemingwaybecameajournalistoftheStarTime，wherehereceivedstrictprofessionaltrainingasajournalist。
　　DuringtheFirstWorldWar，becauseoftheeyeillness，Hemingwaycannotjointhearmyinthefront。HefinallyvolunteeredtojointheRedCrossofAmericaandbecameadriverintheambulancecorps。Inonemissionofrescuingthewounded，Hemingwaywasseriouslywoundedandthenwentbacktohishometown。Hequicklybecameaheroatthattime。Later，hewenttoParisandexpatriatedthereasajournalistoftheStarTimeofCanada。Sincethen，Hemingwaystartedhislifeofliteratureproduction。
　　Mostoftheseworkstakethewarasbackground，describingthepainsthewarbringstohumanbeing，andreflectingayoungergeneration’saimlessnessafterthewar。Atthattime，theseworksimmediatelywontheresponsesfrommanypeoplewhosurvivedthewarphysicallybutwereafterwardsspirituallyandmorallyadrift。Then，HemingwaybecamethespokesmanforwhattheGertrudeSteinhadcalledTheLostGeneration。
　　Hemingwayisfamousforhisliterarystyle：simple，understated，anddirect。Hewasathisbestdescribingphysicalactivity。HisshortstoryACleanandWellLightedPlacewaswritteninhisearlytime，whichhasatypicalHemingway’sstyle。
　　Hemingwaysuccessfullycreatedaseriesofcharacters，whosufferedalotbutstillkeptdignity。Unfortunately，hefinallychosetocommitsuicidetoendhislife。Asithasbeenmentionedabove，Hemingwayexperiencedmanywarsinallhislife。Inthemiddleof1930s，hewenttoSpan，becomingthereporterofbattlefieldaboutSpanishCivilWar。DuringtheWorldWarII，hewasasoldieragainstthefascist。Thewarhadleftendlesspainsbothonhisbodyandspirit。Likethecharactershecreated，hepreferredtochoosedignity。
　　B。TheLostGeneration
　　LostGenerationisaliteratureschooloriginalinAmericaninthetwentiethcentury。LostGenerationreferstothegenerationaftertheWorldWarI。Meanwhile，italsoreferstotheyoungwriterswholivedasexpatriatesinWesternEuropeforashorttime。BesidesHemingway，thereisLewisMumford，EzraPound，T。S。Eliot，Matthew，SherwoodAnderson，andmanyothernovelists。TheLostGenerationisalsocalledtheSadYoungManbyF。ScottFitzgeraldinhisbookwhichdescribesthedisillusionedyoungergenerationaftertheFirstWorldWar。
　　TheLostGeneration’swritersheldmanycommonpoints。Atfirst，allofthemwerewearyoftheimperialisticwarsbutcannotfindthewayout。Expatriationwasanothercommonpoint。ManyyoungwritershadanexperiencelivingintheEuropeancountries，especiallyinParis。Althoughthegovernmentpronouncedrecoveringtheatmospherebeforethewar，warhadleftdeephurtinpeople’sheart。Therefore，thewriters’selfexilebecamethewayescapingfromthereality。
　　Actually，theyoungpeople’srebellionwasinevitable。ItmustberememberedthattherevoltwasnotconfinedwithintheUnitedStates，butaffectedtheentireWesternworldastheresultoftheaftermathofthefirstseriouswarinacentury。Althoughthegovernmentwasreluctanttoadmit，theUnitedStateswasnotisolatedfromtheoutsideworldanymore。TheOctoberRevolutionquicklysweptacrossallovertheworld，andexposedtheinherentcontradictionofcapitalism。Theboomingoftheindustrymadethetraditionalvalueoutofworkatthattime。
　　Thewaractedasadirectblastingfuse。Theyoungpeople’srevoltstartedwiththeWorldWarI。Atthebeginningofthewar，peoplewerestillidealistictowardsthewarwiththetypicalAmericanadventurousness。BythestrenuousjingoismTheodoreRoosevelt’senhancement，theyoungmenbegantoenlistunderforeignflags。Atthesametime，allthemediasuchasradios，televisionsandnewspaperspropagatedtheoptimismatthefront。Moreover，thegovernmenttrieditsbesttopersuadetheyouthtojointhegloriouswarunderthesloganofdemocracythroughwhichtheycouldrealizetheirpersonalvalue。ThustheyoungmenofcollegeagewhoknewlittleaboutmodernwarfaretookpartintheEuropeanconflictswiththeidealisticdreamagainstwarandtheexcitementofthemilitaryadventure。However，afterwitnessingthemassacreofhumanbeingandtastingthecrueltyofmodernwarfare，theyoungmenbegantorealizethatthewarwasnottheonetheythoughtbefore。Theyfeltcheatedbythegovernment。Thisturningofmindmadethemangry。
　　Afterbeingfedupwiththepainsofthewar，alotofsoldiersreturnedhome。However，itwasdespairedtoreturntoahometowntotallyuntouchedbythewarsandtheyfoundtheiroldjobshadbeentakenbythosewhodidnotjoininthewar。Becauseoftherecessionofeconomy，theycouldnotfindanewjob。Atthesametime，thesmallvillagestheylivedinwereuncomfortabletothem。Theyfoundthatthecitizensstilltalkedaboutthewarbombastically，whichmadethemguiltyfortwoorthreeyears。
　　TheLostGenerationwasneverlostactually。InthebookBackgroundsofAmericanLiteratureThought，itwaswrittenthatIt（TheLostGeneration）wasshocked，uprootedforatime，bittercritical，rebellious，iconoclastic，experimental，oftenabsurd，moreoftenmisdirectedbutnever‘lost’。（ZhangHanxi，P165，1995）Theachievementinliteraturecanprovethispointofview。AlotofgreatworkswasproducedbytheLostGeneration。Generallyspeaking，theLostGenerationwasagroupofpeoplewhoweresoberedupbytheWar。
　　II。TheGeneralIntroductiontotheNovel
　　A。TheWritingStyleofACleanandWelllightedPlace
　　Asithasbeenmentionedabove，Hemingwayhelpedtoaccomplisharevolutioninliteraturestyleandlanguage。Hetriedtocutoutallthewordsthatwerenotnecessary。Hisstylewascharacterizedbyshortandsimplesentenceswithafewadjectivesandadverbs。InhisshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，Hemingwayusedalotofconversationstocomparethemiddleagedwaiterwiththeyoungwaiter。Intheshortstory，thesentenceshaveonlyoneorseveralwords。
　　Intheshortstory，Hemingwayalsousedmeaningfulsymbolstoconveydeepmeanings，whichisworthyofstudyingandthinkingover。
　　B。TheCharactersoftheNovel
　　TheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlacetookplaceinaSpanishcaf。Theplotwasfocusedontheoldman，themiddleagedwaiterandtheyoungwaiter。
　　Theoldmanwasthemaincharacterintheshortstory。Lateatnight，everyonehadleftthecafexcepttheolddeafman，whowasalittledrunk。Thetwowaiterswereworriedthathemightleavewithoutpayingifhebecamedeeplydrunk。Thentheykeptwatchonhimandbegantheirconversationabouttheoldman。
　　Lastweekhetriedtocommitsuicide，onewaitersaid。
　　Why？
　　Hewasindespair。
　　Whatabout？
　　Nothing。
　　Howdoyouknowitwasnothing？
　　Atfirstglanceoftheshortstory，itseemeddifficulttounderstandwhytheoldmanwantedtocommitsuicidejustfornothing。However，throughthefollowingconversation，moreinformationcanbelearnedabouttheoldman。
　　He’sdrunknow，hesaid。
　　He’sdrunkeverynight。
　　Whatdidhewanttokillhimselffor？
　　HowshouldIknow？
　　Howdidhedoit？
　　Hehunghimselfwitharope。
　　Whocuthimdown？
　　Hisniece。
　　Whydidtheydoit？
　　Fearforhissoul。
　　Howmuchmoneyhashegot？
　　He’sgotplenty。
　　Hemustbeeightyyearsold。
　　AnywayIshouldsayhewaseighty
　　Iwishhewouldgohome。Inevergettobedbeforethreeo’clock。Whatkindofhouristhattogotobed？
　　Hestaysupbecausehelikesit。
　　Heislonely。I’mnotlonely。Ihaveawifewaitinginbedforme。
　　Hehadawifeoncetoo。
　　Awifewouldbenogoodtohimnow。
　　Youcan’ttell。Hemightbebetterwithawife。
　　Hisniecelooksafterhim。Yousaidshecuthimdown。
　　Iknow。
　　Iwouldn’twanttobethatold。Anoldmanisanastything。
　　Notalways。Thisoldmanisclean。Hedrinkswithoutspilling。Evennow，drunk。Lookathim。
　　Theoldman’scharacteriscomplex。Beingdepressedbutstillkeepingdignitywastheoldman’simagecreatedbyHemingway，whichfitstheimageofHemingwayHero。Ononehand，theoldmanwasweak，despairedandextremelyunhappy。Hehadalotofmoneybutlostbelief。Hestoppedbelievinginanythingthatmighthavebeensignificantinthepast。Forhim，Nothingnessmeanthopelessness，aimlessnessandmeaninglessnessofthelife。Theoldmantriedtocommitsuicidebutfailed。Thenhelikedtositlateinthecafacleanandwelllightedplacetobuydrunk。Specialattentionshouldbepaidtothattheoldman’sdeafnesswasanimagesymbolizinghisseparationfromtherestoftheworld。Theoldmanneededaplaceofrefugefromhisterribleawarenessofthathumanlivesweremeaningless。Ontheotherhand，thoughtheoldmanwasindespair，hestillkeptdignity。Intheshortstory，therearemanysentencesdescribingtheoldman’sdignity。Hemingwayoncesaidthatamancouldbedestroyedbutnotdefeated。Moreover，theoldmanwasdeafandlonely，buthewasnotdefeatedspiritually。
　　Theyoungwaiterwasselfishandimpatient。Hehadawifewaitingforhimtogohome，sohewantedtheolddeafmantoleaveassoonaspossible。Therefore，hebecameangryandimpolite。Heintentionallypouredthebrandyoutofthecup。Hisbadserviceformedastrongcontrastwiththeoldman’scleanness。Hedidnotsensethedignitytheoldmanhadabouthim。Furthermore，theyoungwaiterwasignorantandblindlyconfident。Hewassoconcernedwiththedailyroutinesanddesiresthathedidnotcareabouttheothers。Hecouldnotunderstandtheoldman。Hedidnotrealizewhathehad，suchasjob，wifeandconfidence，wasunreliablebecausehewasyoung。Hethoughtthatmoneyshouldkeepapersonbehappy。Hemeantthattheoldmanhadnoreasontokillhimselfbecausehewasrich。Poverty，inhisopinion，wouldbetheonlyexcuseforsuicide。
　　Themiddleagedwaiterwasmoresympathetic。Heknewtheimportanceofacleanandwelllightedplaceforthosewhoneedarefugetoescapefromthereality。Heknewtheoldman’ssufferingandwassympathizedwithhim。Therefore，hedidnotthinkitwasbadfortheoldmantostayinthecaflateintothenight。
　　Throughtheanalysisabove，itisknownthatHemingwaytookthetwowaitersasknowninformation，andtheoldmanasunknowninformation。Therewasasharpcontrastbetweentheyouthandoldness，betweentheoldandyoungwaiters。Infact，theoldman，themiddleagedwaiterandtheyoungwaiterrepresenttheyouth，themiddleageandtheoldageinthedifferentstagesoflife。Ineachstage，peoplehavedifferentattitudestowardslifeandtheyleaddifferentwaysoflife。Atthesametime，thethreetypicalcharactersalsoreflectthepeople’sspiritualstateaftertheWWIinAmericansociety。
　　C。TheThemeoftheNovel
　　TheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlacewasoneofHemingway’smostcompactstories。Ittalksaboutloneliness，whichHemingwayconsideredtobetheprincipaltragedyofmodernlife。Nada（Nothingness）wasanimportantthemeofthisstory。NearlyallthecharactersliveinNada。Fortheoldman，Nadameanshopelessness，aimlessnessandmeaninglessnessoflife，whichwastheexactreasonfortheoldman’ssuicide。Hetriedtokillhimself，bywhichhethoughthecouldmakehimselfgetridoftheearthlyaffairs。Themiddleagedwaiterwasawareofwhattheoldmansuffered。Heknewtheoldman’stodaywashistomorrow。Heknewtheimportanceofacleanandwelllightedplacetothosewhoneedarefugetoescapefromloneliness。However，hehadtoleavethecafattheendofthenovel。TheyoungwaiterlivedinNadaaswell，evenifhedidnotrealizeit。Hisignorancemakesastrongcontrastwiththeoldman’swisdom。Hewasunawareofwhathehad。Forhim，thelifewasanotherkindofmeaninglessness，becausehewasblindlyconfidentwiththeunreliableyouth。
　　ThethemeofNadaconsistsofthreeforms：theconsciousnessofdeath，theawarenessofbitternessandtheconsciousnessofabsurdity。Hemingwaywasgoodatdescribingdeath。Ifhisotherworksareread，itcanbefoundthattherearealotofworksinvolvedwiththetopicofdeath。IntheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，evenifthereisnobloodydescription，nosubjectaboutbullfighting，war，andviolenceandsoon，thedeathcanstillbefeltandtouched。Theawarenessofbitternesscanbefoundinthisshortstoryaswell。Thecharactersintheshortstoryweredespaired，depressedandaimless。
　　。EncodingtheThemeNada
　　AsNada（Nothingness）isthethemeoftheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，doesHemingwaylosehiswayinthepessimism？Thenovelinvolvesthethemeofdeathandfear，howtounderstandthethemeoftheshortstorycorrectly？Inordertoanswerthesequestions，atfirst，itisnecessarytomakeastudyoftheoriginandessenceofNada。
　　A。TheOriginofNada
　　SomescholarsthinkHemingway’sideaofNadacomesfromtheancientphilosophyofpessimism。FriedrichWilhelmNietzsche（18441900）wasoneoftheimportantphilosophersinancientwesterncountries。AccordingtoNietzsche，Nadawasahistoricmovement。NietzschepronouncedtheGodwasdeadanditwashumanbeing’sownideathatthealmightyGodwouldhelpthem。Aswellasitisknown，inwesterncountriesandtheUnitedStates，religionplaysaveryimportantpartinpeople’severydaylife。PeoplebelieveinGod，andtheyregardGodasthealmightyandsupremepinitywhocreatesanddominatestheentirecreature。InthebeliefofChristianity，peoplebelieveinhumanbeing’soriginalsin。OnlyifonebelievesintheGod，hecanbesaved。However，whenNietzschepronouncedtheGodwasdead，itmeantthatthebeliefofreligion，whichwasoncethespiritpillarforthousandsofyears，collapsed。Infact，Nadarevealstherootlessnessofhuman’sbeliefs。
　　Therootlessnessofhumanbeing’sbeliefsdidnotappearaccidentally。Itwasanoutcomeofthedevelopmentofindustry。Attheturnofthenineteenthandtwentiethcentury，thefirstindustrialrevolutiontookplaceinBritainandquicklyinfluencedthewesterncountriesandtheUnitedStates。Theindustrializationbroughtgreatbenefitstopeople。Atthesametime，itledtomanyproblemsaswell。Forexample，sincethewidelysettingupofthefactories，theatmospherewasfullofroaringandlargescaleofaggressiveness。Inordertosatisfytheneedsofindustries，peopleexhaustedenergyresources。Thepollutionoftheenvironmentaccompaniedtheindustrializationandmechanization。Thetechnicalinventiondidnotbringactualbenefitstothepoor。Intheruralarea，factoriesandrailwaystookupthefertilefarmland。Thenfarmerslosttheirhomesandtransformedtobeworkers。Workdonebymachineshadreplacedmanuallabour。Theworkerswereassembledinaplaceandtheirworktimewasprolonged，butthepaymentwaslowered。Thefatalflawofthecapitalismwasexposed。Theworker’smovementwasputonincapitalsociety。Ononehand，thegreatchangesinpeople’severydaylifeledtotherevolutioninsocialthoughts。TheVictorianstructure，whichwasbasedonthePuritanmoralityandthecapitalistrationalism，wasuptodate。Inthelesscompetitiveage，peoplefollowedthecodeofpolitebehavior，butnowitdidnotadapttothenewsituationandpeople’svaluetendstobevarious。Ontheotherhand，inthepast，religionwasoncethespiritspillerofpeople’sminds，butnowitisdifficulttofindacorevaluewhichcanguidepeople’sbehaviors。
　　Thewarintensifiedthelossofpeople’sbeliefs。Sincehumanbeinglivedontheearth，thewarsbrokeoutconstantly。Inordertopursueearthlymaterials，humanbeingfoughtwitheachother。Finallythefittestsurvivedandconqueredtheworld。Thentheythoughttheywerestrongenoughthattheycouldnotbedefeated。However，theycouldnotescapefromlonelinessbecauseofthelossofbeliefs。Thetwoworldwarsinthetwentiethcenturywereunprecedenteddisastersinhuman’shistory。TheFirstWorldWarwasinfactanimperialisticwarwhichwasonthepurposeofrobbingtheenergyresourceandlabor。Thedisequilibriumdevelopmentbetweenthedevelopingcountriesanddevelopedcountriesandbetweentheimperialisticcountrieswastheoriginofthewars。Modernindustrializationneedednumerousenergyresources，naturelaborandcapital。Inordertosatisfythisdemand，theimperialistsplannedandlaunchedthewarunderthemaskofgloriouswar。However，theresultofthewarwasdespairing。Ononehand，thewardidnotreachthepurposewhichpeopleexpected。Theimperialisticcountriesdidnotgainmuchbenefitfromthewar，butwerefedupwiththedestructionofthewar。Ontheotherhand，aftertheWWI，inthewesterncountriesandtheUnitedStates，peoplewhosurvivedfromthefrontiersfoundthattheywerecheatedbythegovernment，andtheemotionofdespairandsuspicionquicklyspread。
　　Therootlessnessofhumanbeing’sbeliefsisembodiedintwoaspects，thatis，lifestyleandspiritualstate。Asforlifestyle，someyoungpeoplebravelyrebelledagainstthetraditionalmorality。Theywenttotheillegalbars，playedjazzanddefiedthelaw。TheMoneyWorshipandHedonismwerepopularforalongtime。Asforspiritualstate，peopledidnotbelieveinanything。Theyseemedtolosethedirectionofthefuture。Theyfeltthatlifewasmeaningless。Eveniftheyledalifeofrebellionandtriedtoescapefromthereality，theyfoundthattheydidnotgainthehappinessexactly。Instead，theyfeltlonely，despairedanddepressedbecauseofthelossofbeliefs。
　　Atthesametime，thepanicresultedfromthelossofbeliefswasreflectedinliterature。Alotofworksdescribedthedepressionofthelossofbeliefsafterthewar。Itshouldbeknownthatpeoplecannotlosethebeliefsforalongtime。Theymustchoosesomebelieftoguidetheiractivitiesofremakingtheworld。Literatureshouldgiveresponsetothequestions：whatistheworldhumanbeinglivesin；whatisthemeaningofhumanbeing’sexistence。Inthepast，thepopularanswerstothesequestionswerefocusedonthereligionwhichheldthathumanbeingwaslimited，uncompletedandworthless。Butinmodernliterature，somewriterssuspectedtheabsoluteauthorityofreligionandtheytriedtoanswerthequestionsfromhumanbeingitself。Theybelievedthatmanisnothingbutwhathemadeofhimself。Asaninpidualandactiveexistence，eachmanshouldhavethefreedomofchoice。Amanbecomesamanonlywhenhethinkshisownthoughts，liveshisownlifeandkeepshisowninpiduality。
　　B。TheEssenceofNada
　　WhatisNada？InthelastpartoftheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，thereisanevaluationaboutnada：
　　Nada（nothingness）wasnotfearordreadwhichseemedlikeaveryabstractnotion。AccordingtoMartinHeidegger，thephilosopherofnihilismafterNietzsche，Nothingnesscontainedalloutsideeffortsimposedonpeople。Nadawasboundlessandbeyonddescription，butnoonecanescapefromitwhetheritcanberealizedornot。Moreover，HeideggerthoughtthatNothingnesswasdifferentfromfearanddread。InHeidegger’sphilosophicalsystem，heregardedhumanbeing’slivingstateasthreeconcepts：Sorge，FurchtandAngst，Death。（夏基松，P65，1987）。Infact，Sorgereferstoworryandanxiety。Peopleliveintheworldandarerelatedwiththesurroundings。Theyareworriedthattheymightlosesomethingandcannotprotectthemselves。Heideggerpointedoutthathumanbeing’sfeelingofworryandanxietywasactuallytheselfexamination。Heideggerdemonstratedthatonecanrealizehisownexistence。Humanbeing’sworryandanxietyproducedthefeelingofdissatisfaction。Therefore，theydaredtochallengethereality。FurchtandAngstisdifferentfromthefearanddreadusuallyusedindailylife，becauseone’sfearanddreadaresomeconcretethingsthatcanbeseenandtouched。TheconceptofFurchtandAngstisabstract。Itisuncertainbutcommonlyexists。Heideggeralsobelievedthatdeathisinevitable。
　　Nadacommonlyexistsnomatterwhetheritisrealizedornot。IntheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，thecharactersalllivedinNada。Theoldmanwasrichbutmoneycouldnotbringhappinesstohim。Nothingnesswaswhattheoldmanwantedtoescapefrom，sohetriedtocommitsuicidebutfailed。Thenhehidhimselfinacleanandwelllightedplacetobuydrunk。Thesmallcafwasarefugetoescapefromloneliness，butatlasthehadtoleavethecaf。Theyoungwaiterwasunawareofwhathehad，suchasjob，wifeandconfidence，buthewouldbeoldandlosewhatheoncehad。Hence，theyouth，moneyandconfidencecannothelponewithstandthemetaphoricaldarkness。
　　Accordingtotheanalysisabove，itisnotdifficulttounderstandthatNadaisactuallytheexperienceofone’sownexistence。Nadadoesnotleadtopessimism，anditisthethoroughunderstandingoflife。
　　ACleanandWelllightedPlacewasastoryofthecoexistenceofBeingandNothingness。Theoldmanhidhimselfintheshadow。Theundisturbedanduntouchedpeaceofnightmadehimfeelthedifference。Toadeafperson，thesilenceatnightbroughthimreliefandconsolationaftertheday’snoise。Intheshortstory，thelights，shadows，andthetidycafwerefullofsymbolicmeanings。ThedarknesssymbolizedNada，whilethelightssymbolizedthehope。AlthoughNadacommonlyexistsinpeople’slife，theonlywaytoresistthedarknessistokeepacleanandwelllightedplaceinthesoul，thatis，love，dignityandsympathy。
　　Conclusion
　　Hemingwayandhisworkshadbeenstudiedforalongtime。SomecriticspointedoutthatHemingway’sideaofNothingnesswasbasedonhisownexperiences，hisownlivingconditionsandthepessimisticphilosophicaltheoriesofthewesterncountries。TheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlacewasHemingway’searlywork，assumingtypicalHemingway’sstyle。
　　Fromtheanalysisabove，itcanbeconcludedthatNadaisanimportantthemeofthenovelACleanandWelllightedPlace。AllthecharactersinthenovellivedinNada。Nadaseemedlikethedestinytheycouldnotbreakawayfrom。Infact，Nadarevealstherootlessnessofhumanbeing’sbeliefs。Obviously，thecharactersintheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlacedidnothavebeliefs。Throughthethreetypicalcharacters，theoldman，themiddleagedwaiterandtheyoungwaiter，Hemingwaydelineatedhumanbeing’sspiritualstateaftertheFirstWorldWar。BecauseoftheindustrialdevelopmentandtheWar，People’svaluetendedtobevarious。People’sperplexity，loneliness，depressionandrebellionactuallyreflectedthegreatchangesinsocialthoughts。
　　Intheshortstory，HemingwaymakesreadersexperienceNada。Inhisopinion，Nadacommonlyexistsinpeople’slifenomatterwhetheritisrealizedornot。Moreover，likethecharactersinthenovel，hebelievedthatpeoplecannotescapefromNadabecauseofhumanbeing’sconsciousnessofhisownexistence。Nadaisactuallytheexperienceofone’sownexistence。Nadadoesnotleadtopessimism，anditisthethoroughunderstandingoflife。
　　IntheshortstoryACleanandWelllightedPlace，Hemingwayusedmanysymbolstoconveydeepmeanings。TheNothingnessandExistencecoexistinthenovel。Thelights，shadowsandawelllightedplaceallhavesymbolicmeanings。AlthoughNadaistherealfeelingthatpeoplecannotescapefrom，theonlywaytoresistNadaistokeepacleanandwelllightedplaceinthesoul，thatis，love，sympathyanddignity。
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