Miss Brill + Clean Well Lighted Place

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Comparison of Mansfield’s Miss Brill and Hemmingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place “You have youth, confidence and a job… you have everything" A quote from Hemmingway’s “A clean well-lighted place” (ACWLP) relates to the theme of ageing in Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” (MB). Present in both stories are the values of life and death, what is lost and gained, as well as one's focus or key purpose in life. Both authors created stories which are both different yet alike at the same time. A person who is close to death is often incomplete and their sources of meaning diminish. In Mansfield's tale; Miss Brill is only just an artificial piece, an observer, an extra piece in the play of life; meaningless and unimportant. Likewise, in Hemmingway's tale; the old man sees no further value in life as he has lost his youth, confidence and a job; thus abolishing any purpose he might have left in life. Hemmingway used symbolization in order to transfer thoughts and ideas of aging and the play of life. This was done by using a form of allegory to extend metaphors and symbols to provide a story with two meanings: a literal meaning as well as a symbolic meaning. These symbolical meanings all have different moral, social, religious or political purpose and to play a role in communicating the meaning statement of the story which is our diminished purpose in life as we age. The most common types of symbolization systems in ACWLP are ones that have to do with death, reproduction or loss of meaning: The symbol 'alcohol' and 'brandy' is used quite often. These drinks make us lose consciousness and the necessity to deal with life, and when the waiter refused to give the old man another drink, he is forcing the old man to face his own life. When the old man decides to 'go down the street' he is finally going down his path of life and accepting whatever lies ahead of him. In order to pay for
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