Ernest Hemingway captures the essence and origins of nihilistic thought in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” written at a time of religious and moral confusion shortly after the Great War . The ideas expressed in this short story represent Hemingway's thinking after World War I and the notoriously nihilistic Lost Generation of Paris, who were greatly influenced by the many traumas of the war. Learning from his disturbing experiences in combat, Hemingway reinforces the idea that all humans will inevitably disappear into eternal nothingness and that anything valued by humans is worthless. He expands on this idea by creating a brilliant mockery of two coveted religious documents, revealing authority figures as typical, despicable human beings, and reducing life to the crudest, most simplistic and frightening reality imaginable. He states that all humans will naturally die alone and will literally be "desperate" over "nothing" (494), and that people will either seek out a "quiet, pleasant cafe" (496) or a self-inflicted death simply to satisfy themselves. escape. despair. Without a doubt, Hemingway destroys all higher sense existence because, in reality, “[life is] nothing, and man [is] nothing too” (496). By examining the actions of three different generations, Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" develops the idea that life is not continual enlightenment and growth, but gradual despair and inevitable death in the " nada” (497). and a confident waiter, representing the youngest of three male generations, is the only apparent feature of existentialist thought in the story. However, this young man is simply an indifferent person due to his age; he is not in despair because the end of his existence is not breathing down his neck middle of paper......, a well-lit place", represent the opinions and views of a typical person ., in an ordinary life. The theme of a world of nothingness is overwhelming to the human brain and almost inconceivable, and everything we do in this life is simply designed to help us stop thinking about death; is the ultimate escape from "despair" in the face of "nothing" (494) Hemingway's brilliant temporal transitions explain how life eventually deteriorates with age, and humans succumb to suicide, drunkenness or to something comforting and safe, much like a clean, well-lit coffee shop. Furthermore, Hemingway showed the world that man has created many false methods to cope with the insurmountable fear of nothingness, namely. religion People can try to delude themselves into feeling moving, authentic, or meaningful, but there is no need to “fear for the [human] soul,” because it is nonexistent...