Glass and Grace in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway

February 13, 2018

In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” the old man’s glass serves as an instrument of bestowing, receiving, and actively striving for the sacramental grace of God. In his description of the dish, Hemingway uses specific words and phrases calling attention to their biblical analogues in 1 Corinthians 13 and Psalms 23. In doing so, he suggests that the physical nature of the glass and its use within the text communicates the degree to which the characters are able to recognize the divine and look beyond the earthly world.

The first glass depicted, associated with the old man, is representative of his attempts to reach out towards God and to see the world as it truly is. His first action within the story is to “[rap] on his saucer with his glass,” using his cup rather than his voice as an instrument to reach out to the young waiter. When he arrives, Hemingway says that “the old man looked at him” (372). He repeats the exact same phrase one line down, possibly reflecting the repetitious language of the bible, while also defamiliarizing (i.e. calling attention to) the phrase in the mind of the reader. The association of these two phrases – to look and to use his glass as an instrument – thereby invokes another instrument: a ‘looking-glass,’ or ‘mirror.’ Given Hemingway’s use of the Lord’s Prayer in the story, it is reasonable to suggest other layers of biblical allusion. 1 Corinthians 13:12 uses both words mentioned, as it begins with “for now we see through a glass, darkly,” or “in a mirror, dimly,” depending on the translation. The verse suggests that the glass is an instrument by which one tries to see the truth of the divine, but “for now,” on Earth, that image is unclear. It is therefore significant that when the old man “looks” again, he does not look up ‘from the table,’ or merely ‘look out’: Hemingway specifies that he looks “from his glass across the square” and “over at the waiters,” (373). He is actively using his biblical glass to try and see the truth of God and His world – an image he will only understand in death – and thus it is no coincidence that “he tried to commit suicide” the week before, as it is the only way for him to truly know grace (372). The older waiter is trying to “look at him,” but not through a glass, suggesting he is close to but not as far gone as the old man; while the young waiter says, “I don’t want to look” (373). This reflects the verse directly preceding 1 Corinthians 13:12 in that the older men are of the same kind, having “put away childish things,” while the waiter defined by his youth – speaking and thinking as a child, unsympathetic to the ‘nothingness’ felt by the older men – is unable to acknowledge the divine at all.

As the glass functions as an instrument by which one sees and receives grace, the old man’s recurring request to have his cup filled reinforces the idea that he is much more open to grace than either waiter. He asks for “another brandy” (372), and then “another brandy,” and then “another” (373), continuing with the language of biblical repetition, suggesting that his request for more liquor is one of spiritual need. In one instance, he asks while “pointing to his glass,” directly drawing a connection to the glass as the instrument by which he receives grace. This is further reinforced in that the waiter does not simply ‘pour him another drink,’ rather, Hemingway makes specific mention of the cup, saying “he poured the glass full of brandy” (372), and “the waiter poured on into the glass” (373). The resonance of the glass as an object of grace is clearly seen when the old man asks for “a little more” and the waiter immediately answers, with the brandy “slopp[ing] over” and “[running] down the stem” of his glass (373). Both in imagery and in the use of “over” and “run,” this is a clear allusion to Psalms 23:5, in which God fills the speakers’ cup such that it “runneth over” as a metaphor for the overflowing grace he feels. By evoking this image, Hemingway suggests that the glass is not merely an instrument, but a direct analogue for the old man’s spiritual fulfillment. It also places the young waiter in the position of God: when the old man asks, he gives unto him what he needs (possibly referencing Matthew 7:7); the one supposedly cut off from receiving grace is able to bestow it through the glass, thereby restoring the soul (Psalms 23:3) of a man whose suicide attempt was thwarted by a niece acting out of “fear for his soul” (373). The young waiter’s liquid blessing can therefore mean one of two things: that the old man has found new grace in his earthly life, allowing him to live happily despite the pains of the world; or that he now has permission to act on the young waiter’s suggestion that he kill himself, as doing so is the only way for the glass to resolve into clarity.

Ultimately, Hemingway’s invocation of biblical verses, along with his defamiliarizing description of the glass and its associations with the old man’s pursuit of grace, ascribes a distinctly spiritual element to the text. While the story outwardly tries to suggest it is about ‘nothing’ – about how religion is meaningless and God is dead – the meanings derived through association seem to suggest otherwise. This seems perfectly fitting with the modernist mode, as, to use Hemingway’s famous metaphor, the anti-religious spin presents itself on the top-eighth of the iceberg; examination of the glass guides one underwater.