In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” written by Ernest Hemingway, the conflict is clearly evident. The conflict in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is determined by other elements of the fiction, especially characters, setting and theme. Conflict is seen in this story in many aspects, such as man against man and man against himself. The characters in Hemingway's story add to the conflict throughout, and the conflict appears both between the characters and within the characters themselves. Hemingway clearly describes three main characters which include an old man, a young waiter, and a middle-aged waiter. The old man drinking in the Spanish café experiences his own internal conflicts; this is shown in the dialogue between the two waiters: “'Last week he attempted suicide,' said one waiter. 'Why?' "He was desperate." "About what?" 'Nothing.' “How do you know it was nothing?” 'He's got a lot of money'” (Hemingway 186). This quote shows the inner desperation of the old man but also the conflict between the eras. Ernest Hemingway chooses characters at different stages of life to create this conflict between generations: “Hemingway expressed with genius the terrors of modern man at the danger of losing control of his world. . . provided its own kind of antidote" ("Hemingway, Ernest (1898-1961)."). Human beings evolve throughout life to think and feel differently, this can be demonstrated by the contrasting views of the old, the young waiter and the middle-aged waiter says, “'I don't want to look at him. I wish he would go home.'” (Hemingway 187). and does not understand why the old man also does not want to return home, the middle-aged...... middle of paper ......d theme of the story . However, without these three elements of the narrative working together, the conflict would have little or no effect on the entire story. "A Clean and Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway." Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie literary online. Burrasca. Online.21 September 2011."Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)." Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald. vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1988. 204-253. Literary criticism online. Storm. Sheridan College. September 26, 2011"Hemingway, Ernest (1898-1961)." Modern American literature. 5th ed. vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999. 29-36. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Online. September 21, 2011.Hemingway, Ernest. "A clean, well-lit place." Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 185-189. Press.