Throughout reading "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway, thoughts of the Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks" raced through my mind, blending the literature and work of art together. Once you compare the two pieces of work, I think you’d definitely agree that they’re both very similar in many aspects.First, the reading gives off a very clear and gloomy mood. It’s late at night; however, it’s still very bright in the “well-lighted” café. In my eyes, I see the bright café as a beacon for all of the troubled souls wandering the streets in need of a refuge. I could imagine it’d be a nice feeling though, being able to stay somewhere like a café while escaping a painful reality. The older waiter seems to agree with me, which is why he was willing to let the poor, old drunk stay a little bit longer at the café.
As we look at the painting, we can see that the diner is very clean. The people appear to be just thinking about life and all of its complexities. While one of the men may have his back turned towards us, his body language generally gives off a very lonely, depressing vibe. We could also compare the waiter from the painting to the older waiter in the reading as they both look pretty old and mature. Also, the diner waiter could be getting ready to close the diner like the older waiter in the reading, or he could just be working behind the counter.
After comparing the two pieces of work, it’s interesting to see all of the similarities between the two. Perhaps Hemingway became inspired to write “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” from Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks.” The mood and setting given off in both of them are so similar and could possibly reflect each other. In the end though, there is definitely an incontrovertible connection between the two works.
4 comments:
Kyle!!-
I competely agree with the connection you made between that painting and the story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place". When picturing the cafe that was described in the story, I invented a picture that look almost exactly the same as the cafe in the painting. I pictured the the cafe being extremely bright compared to the gloomy outside and I also pictured the one man just sitting alone at the table. All of that mirrors what is painted in that painting.
I think that you made an excellent conncetion between those two pieces!! I am also very impressed that you remembered that painting in such detail as you were reading the story. That is really neat!!
-Rachel :)
Cool connection, Kyle. This is a great painting, one that captures the quiet despair that Hemingway was trying to portray.
On a relate note, there's a terrific song by Tom Waits that deals with similar emotional territory. It's called "Eggs and Sausage," and it's on his album Nighthawks at the Diner, which of course is named after the Hopper painting.
When you get to a computer that allows you to do so, here's a youtube video of the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_M5bK7RUmQ
Great connection! I love this painting. Do you know which came first? They could have inspired each other like you stated, but who inspired whom? It was great how that painting came to your ming. It helps set the scenery for when your reading the story. Thats a really cool comparison.
I had to comment on your blog, because I love that painting. I really liked how you connected the two pieces.
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