Biranchi Poudyal Roll no: 101 Jiba Nath Lamsal
Exploring Emptiness (Śūnyatā) In Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well Lighted Place,” And “In Another Country”
The idea of Emptiness(Śūnyatā) strike in my mind while reading Shankar Lamichhane proreview on Parijat‘s ―Shris ko phool‖ . This paper is outcome of my longing to explore Emptiness embodied in Hemingway‘s writing. Emptiness is a profound Buddhist philosophy that has passed many controversies over time and still an unsolved issue. , like so many other philosophical argument. However, Hemingway tries to manage adoptive balance
on this
concept, or at least he shows us the way his characters revolves round the paradigm of such an unsolved concept. This paper serve purpose to understand selected works of Hemingway and analyze the way he treats the concept of Emptiness. To that end, my research will rely on two selected stories – ―A Clean, Well-Lighted Place‖ and ―In Another Country‖, which I think is very remarkable among Hemingway‘s works. The theme of Emptiness finds theoretical ground in both of these short stories, but it‘s displayed in different ways: loneliness, alienation , desire of war, aging , insomnia, and others. All of these are the concert detail representing abstract concept of
Emptiness and are thematic base to grasp Hemingway‘s work. This paper will begin by introducing the idea of Emptiness and then explain how it appears in these selected work of Hemingway. Emptiness(Śūnyatā) Emptiness as implicitly appeared in Hemingway‘s work is an important Buddhist teaching which claims that nothing possesses essential, enduring identity because everything is interconnected in a chain of co-becoming and in a state of constant flux. In various schools of Buddhism, Śūnyatā is a key concept used to express that everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or an in-dwelling 'self' because everything is interrelated and mutually dependent—never wholly self-sufficient or independent. The importance of this insight is especially emphasized in Mahayana Buddhism. (Mahayana Buddhism)
A Clean-Well Lighted Place Above mentioned philosophical notion undoubtedly echoes in Hemingway‘s works which I have selected, but maybe it appears more transparently in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, which is noticeably palpable than others in term of presenting Emptiness. With no observable plot to progress action, the story presents three main characters . The narrative unfolds with detail description of aged man sitting under dark shadow of tree at the bar during deepening night . This strange portrayal has obvious purpose in the story; it‘s a metaphor that establishes this main character and his situation as symbol of Emptiness – he is living an empty life . After some description , Hemingway gives evidence through dialogue to prove old man‘s emptiness in life:
‗―Last week he tried to commit suicide,‖ one waiter said. ―Why?‖ ―He was in despair.‖ ―What about?‖ ―Nothing.‖ ―How do you know it was nothing?‖ ―He has plenty of money. 6‖‘ (a clean well-lighted place)
The story shows us the way emptiness is dealt with among three ―circumscribed ‖ different phase in life: one of being narcissist, immature and inexperienced to emptiness, which is clearly manifested by the younger waiter; another of living under threat of upcoming emptiness and perusing ways to deal with it, which is reflected by the old waiter who seems to admire and understands the aged customer; and finally the stage of being victim of nothingness and incorporating it as a part of old age, is represented by the old man. I use the term ‗circumscribed ‘because in
these two stories Hemingway clearly shows that
emptiness is not something that occur necessarily in old age. Whilst in A Clean, Well-Lighted Place it may feel like there‘s noticeable link between ageing and emptiness.
However, Hemingway paly with the characterization of the waiters in very artistic way . They are never addressed as
‗young‘ or ‗old‘, but ‗older‘ and ‗younger‘, this timeless denotation
implies that their age could range between 30‘s to their 50‘s or even 70‘. It is also remarkable, the way Hemingway characterized them ; the younger waiter is referred as ‗ hurry person‘ and ‗person with wife‘, and the older waiter as ‗unhurried waiter‘. They are recognized by their circumstance , not their age. Also, the writer never gives their names. The cleanness of cafe is metaphorically showing that the old man is moral being . He possesses the symbol of lonely being always carrying darkness with him and his deafness reflects his detachment from social circle . Emptiness is not only hunting that old man but also older waiter, who understands old man and express his philosophy and his art of coping with nothingness. In an prayer dialogue the older waiter finally depict the human condition that Hemingway was trying to portray : ―What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread, it was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light were all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y naday pues nada. Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee.‖ (a clean well-lighted place.)
In this profane prayer, the older waiter ignore existence of god and he does it in a way that perfectly fit in what Buddhism defines as ― Anatta (nonexistence of the self) and Pratityasamutpada (Interdependent Arising)‖ (14th Dalai Lama) .Additionally, the passage ―. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y naday pues nada. ‖ is very reminiscent of what D.T. Suzuki writes in The Zen Doctrine of No Mind . ―Emptiness constantly falls within our reach. It is always with us, and conditions all our knowledge, all our deeds and is our life itself. It is only when we attempt to pick it up and hold it forth as something before our eyes that it eludes us, frustrates all our efforts and vanishes like vapor.‖ ― D.T. Suzuki, The Zen Doctrine of No Mind: The Significance of the Sutra of Hui-Neng
In Another Country There is strong analogy between ―A clean well-lighted place ‖ and ―In Another Country‖. Both manifest a main character being victim of alienation and detachment form his desired life . This comparison seek answer to the questioning, what is the difference between being ―old‖ and being unable to participate in
war. ―A Clean, Well-Lighted Place‖ is slightly vague in
explaining how the characters relate themselves to emptiness, or how emptiness is related to them but with ―In another Country‖ it‘s quite transparent . This story opens with emphatic statement ―In the fall the war was always there, but we did not go to it anymore.‖ ( p…..) The use of word ―we‖ by single narrator implies that even though
they are not participating on war, the trauma of war never leave them same like ―darkness‖ never leaving old man in ―Clean well-lighted place ‖ The major with injured hand comes hospital regularly despite his under- faith in that curing machine. However he abides by the doctor and does what he is expected to do. In fact, he is rather void, not believing in much of anything and suggesting Nick that a man should not marry because he "will lose everything" . The major is established as true Hemingway‘s character, believing in nothing, and almost in favor of Śūnyatā. In this regard D.T Suzuki has said ‗ the realization of the emptiness of phenomena enables liberation from the limitations of form in the cycle of uncontrolled life.‘ Hemingway present fundamental irony in the fact that the hospital is not right place to cure those soldiers as their real wound lies deep within them .At the early point of narration no events unfolds in the plot, we can already sense the discreet state of the narrator‘s mind . His calm way of describing surroundings and focus on
meaningless description give us clue about his
disturbed mind. All the narrator tells us are physical facts and never gives any detail of his feelings or judgment on anything. The characterization of doctor as inexperienced to war can be compared to the younger waiter in ―A Clean, Well-Lighted Place‖ in the way that he is also inexperience regarding old age trauma . Though the doctor treats them very compassionately , but problem lies in the way he handles his patient . He is treating those soldier almost like wounded child because he is ignorant what its feel to return wounded from war . ―What did you like best to do before the war? Did you practice a sport?‖ I Said: ―Yes, football.‖
―Good,‖ he said. ―You will be able to play football again better than ever.‖
We notice that Nick is really in another country, but he is also categorized by official rank and by a degree of bravery one shows in war . Those soldiers with whom Nick spends some time in hospital reveal us how alienated and ―detached‖ (p……) they all actually were. Nick makes use of exact work ―detached ‖ to describe them all.
This word signifies isolation, alienation and
traumatic state of psychology. In short, it could be seen as synonym of Emptiness. Those soldier also been wounded at war and the only thing they share in common was the fact that they ―every afternoon they meet at hospital‖ for nothing because they had no faith in machine. This theme can find place in George Kubler notion on Emptiness : ―Actuality is when the lighthouse is dark between flashes: it is the instant between the ticks of the watch: it is a void interval slipping forever through time: the rupture between past and future: the gap at the poles of the revolving magnetic field, infinitesimally small but ultimately real. It is the interchronic pause when nothing is happening. It is the void between events.‖
Similarly, these selected stories do not magnify experience, but they reveled us that even Love, relation and morality are worthless to overcome battle against Emptiness. Hemingway‘s work is guided by autobiographical elements, and that character Nick in ―In Another Country ―is Projection of young Hemingway during war , it could be deducted that these stories silently reflect the way Hemingway cope with emptiness in his own life.
REFRENCE Crowell, Steven, (2010) "Existentialism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Waldhorn, Arthur (2002) A Reader’s Guide to Ernest Hemingway, New York, Syracuse University Press.
Suzuki. D.T, 1991, The Zen Doctrine of No Mind: The Significance of the Sutra of Hui-Neng, Weiser Books Hemingway, Earnist. “A clean well-lighted place ”Literature. Ed. Jon Davis. United States, Print
Parijat, Shiris Ko phool: Pro-review by Shanker Lamichhane. Kathmandu: Saja Prakashan, 2070. Print
Latane,Battey, 1990, Sunyata: The Life and Sayings of a Rare-Born Mystic, Ed. Elliott Isenberg, Pdf
