Every published work in literature is open to interpretation, and every person has the right to have opinions, assumptions, and points of view. In a story of less than 1,500 words, Ernest Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Place has garnered serious debate and criticism. Written and published in 1933, Hemingway's story containing a theme about nothingness in different contexts certainly gave many critics something to talk about, but not the usual theme, irony or symbolism. The first 25 years after the story was published were quiet, but a storm was brewing. In 1959, two critics raised some questions, and for the past 55 years critics have debated the conflicting dialogue between the two main characters and whether the inconsistency was intentional by Hemingway or an error by the original printer. Within a story that has a Relying primarily on dialogue, it would be logical for the reader to interpret which characters are speaking so that they can understand the characters' interactions. No names are given to the two main characters: waiters who work late in a bar, one young and the other older. Furthermore, there is very little reference to who is being spoken to. This causes the reader to deduce which character knows some of the key information that is presented. The first critic to initiate the dialogue debate in 1959 was Dr. William E. Colburn, author of Confusion in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." Colburn said: “The dialogue doesn't fit into a logical pattern; there is definitely an inconsistency in the story” (241). At the same time, in 1959, a university teacher named FP Kroeger wrote: “There has been what appears to be an insoluble problem in the dialogue” (240). These two initial statements have r...... middle of paper ......13-624. JSTOR. Network. 8 February 2014. Colburn, William E. “Confusion in 'a clean, well-lit place'.” University English. 20.5 (1959): 241-242. JSTOR. Network. 8 February 2014. Gabriel, Joseph F. "The Logic of Confusion in: Hemingway's 'A Clean, Well-Lighted Place'." University English. 22.8 (1961): 539-546. JSTOR. Network. February 8, 2014. Kerner, David. "The Manuscripts That Establish Hemingway's Anti-Metronomic Dialogue." American literature. 54.3 (1982): 385-396. JSTOR. Network. February 8, 2014. Kroeger, FP “Dialogue in 'A Clean, Well-Lighted Place'.” University English. 20.5 (1959): 240-241. JSTOR. Network. February 8, 2014.Reinert, Otto. “Hemingway's waiters once again.” University English, 20.8 (1959): 417-418. JSTOR. Network. February 8, 2014.Ryan, Ken. "HEMINGWAY'S CONTROVERSIAL 'A CLEAN, WELL LIT PLACE' AMENDMENT." The Hemingway Review 18.1 (1998): 78. Academic OneFile. Network. February 8. 2014.