My favorite short story that we read from Hemingway's first 49 stories was "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place". I really like this story because if you use Hemingway's "Iceberg Theory," there was so much more to the story than just some sad old man sitting in a cafe. When you realize how much the cafe really meant to the old man. Perspective and age played a big role in the story. The young and old waiter both had different opinions about the old man. Because the young waiter was young, he had different opinions on life and older people. He thought his time was more valuable because he had a life to live, and the old deaf man was alone. The older waiter had similar problems with sleeping just like the deaf man. Time also played a big role in this story. The older waiter asked the young waiter, "What is an hour?" It may at first seem like a stupid question with an obvious answer. An hour is 60 minutes. But in reality, a hour is so much more. An hour to the young waiter is an hour he gets to spend with his wife and kids, an hour of love. To the older waiter, an hour meant more sleepless minutes filled with drinking. To the old, deaf man, an hour could mean another suicide attempt. Everyone's time is valuable. Anything can happen in an hour.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Ernest Hemingway's writing. I really enjoyed his writing style and will continue to read his work.
