Clean Well Lighted Place-waiters differnet views of the old man and the effect it has on the theme of the story

The views of the two waiters in, A Well Lighted Place, depict the the universal theme of innocence and experience. This is supported by the opinions both waiters have on the old man in the cafe and how they respond to his late night stay there. The young waiter obviously represents the innocence of youth and how short sited they are. The young waiter was in a rush to get out of the cafe to go be with his family at home so he was angry that the old man was staying so late and not being mindful of "those who must work". On the other hand the older waiter did not have a problem with him staying for an extra hour because it was a comfortable place to drink and relax. What the younger waiter was too naive to realize was that although it was just an extra hour that time was no less important to the old man than it was to him, and the older waiter understood that fact because he was more experienced and could appreciate and relate with the old man because in the end "what is an hour?" The older waiter because he was not innocent, like the younger waiter was, knew that the present time should be appreciated and that people should slow done and not be in such a hurry. Instead they should take in the moment because before the blink of an eye the younger man will have become the older man sitting in the cafe wishing he had another hour.