It was a surprise to me when I started reading Hemmingway’s “A Clean, Well Lighted Place” because I recognized it.  After I got a few lines into the piece, I remembered reading it last year for another class.  This is a notable thing because I very rarely remember the countless short stories and poems I am assigned to read; my eyes register the words on the page, I retain knowledge of the plot long enough to discuss it in class and maybe take an exam, and then I forget all about it.  This story was memorable to me because even though I still don’t know what it is about, it’s unique that way.  The writing is bare and even drab, but it’s interesting because of it.

 

In her blog Smitten Kitchen, Deb writes completely differently.  While both styles can be considered conversational, they are not the same.  Deb’s seems a lot more energetic, which I attribute to her use of punctuation.  When Hemmingway writes, he often uses long sentences with very basic language and little punctuation that make the sentences feel slow and lazy.  Deb is much fonder of punctuation; she utilizes parentheses, colons, semi-colons, lots of commas, and she often italicizes words for emphasis.  While it might actually be slower reading something with so much punctuation, things seem to move faster because of the short sentences.   

Deb’s writing style is more engaging.  It’s friendlier, it’s warmer, and it’s filled with wit.  Hemmingway’s is straightforward, but rich in what it doesn’t say.  The slow, simple descriptions Hemmingway gives allows the reader to fill in the blanks.  In everyday reading, I’d prefer to encounter styles like the one Deb uses on her blog.  It’s easy to read, it’s entertaining, and it doesn't try too hard to be complex or fancy.  However, Hemmingway’s style has its place.  If “A Clean, Well Lighted Place” had been written with Deb’s writing style, the profound simplicity of the story would be lost.