AbstractErnest Hemingway is one of the outstanding American short-story writers in the twentieth century. His works are so noted for profound ideas and abundant connotations that they are popular with readers. He is a representative of the Lost Generation. His works are based on his own special experiences, the environment and the age he lived in. Almost all of his works reflect the pessimistic nihilism. The short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place was one of Hemingways early works. It is a classical short story with nihilism, assuming typical Hemingways style, that is, taking Nothingness as the theme and employing abundant simple sentences. In the work, Hemingway, based on the story between the old man and the two waiters, pointed out that Nada commonly exists in humans life, it is actually the experience of ones own existence, and the only way to resist Nada is to keep a clean and well-lighted place in the mind. In order to understand the work and the authors ideas completely and thoroughly, this thesis makes an analysis of the novel from different angles, including Hemingways biography, the writing background of the novel, the main characters in the novel and the theme of Nada. Through the analysis, the thesis encodes the origin and the essence of Nada.Key WordsHemingway; Lost Generation; a clean and well-lighted place; Nada (Nothingness)摘 要海明威是二十世纪美国著名短篇小说家，其作品思想深刻，内容丰富，脍炙人口。海明威是“迷惘的一代”的代表人物，其作品的创作思想大多来源于他的个人经历以及他生活的环境和时代，作品大都反映了悲观的虚无思想。短篇小说一个干净明亮的地方是海明威的早期作品，是一部典型的虚无主义小说，具有典型的海明威风格：文章以虚无思想为主题并大量使用简洁句。在这篇小说中，海明威通过老人和两位服务员的故事阐明虚无是普遍存在的，虚无是对存在的体验，人类只有在内心保持一片干净明亮的地方才能抵御虚无。为了正确理解该篇小说以及作者的思想，本文从不同角度分析了作家和作品，包括对海明威生平的研究，小说的写作背景、主要人物和虚无主题的分析，阐明了小说虚无思想的起源和本质。关键词海明威；迷惘的一代；干净明亮的地方；虚无思想IntroductionErnest Hemingway is a well-known American writer in the twentieth century. His works have unique characteristics both in theme and writing style. Some critics think that his works are based on his own experiences and the time when he lived. Actually, Hemingways life was full of romance. He experienced many wars in his life. Because his works reflect the hurt that the war brings to human being and describe the loss of the beliefs of the generation after the World War I, he is regarded as the spokesman of the Lost Generation.Hemingways short story A Clean and Well-Lighted Place was written in his early time, and is one of classical works of Hemingways style as well. In this short story, he mostly used short and simple sentences. The theme of nothingness is a controversial and popular topic in modern literature. In order to understand the novel and the authors minds, this thesis makes an analysis of the novel from different angles, including the general biography of Hemingway, the writing background of the novel, the characters in the novel, the writing style of the short story, and the theme of nada.In the past, some people thought Hemingways minds were pessimistic, and A Clean and Well-Lighted Place was a classic novel of nihilism. In the authors opinion, A Clean and Well-Lighted Place makes the readers to ponder over the meaning of life and is worthy of reading and studying.I. The Background of the Author and the NovelErnest Hemingway (1899-1961) is a well-known American novelist and short story writer in modern times, and one of the most celebrated and influential authors in the twentieth century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954 for his short storyThe Old Man and the Sea. Moreover, when referring to Hemingway, he is always related with the Lost Generation. It is certain that Hemingways life is full of romance. His special experience makes his works represent a generation, and still has a great influence on modern literature. If Hemingways novel is studied, it is definite to make a research on Ernest Hemingway himself at first.A. The General Biography of HemingwayErnest Hemingway was born in a doctor family in Chicago in 1899. When he was a child, he liked fishing and hunting. He often spent his summer outdoors with his father. This experience made him adapt to the outdoor life.In 1917, after being graduated from the Middle School, Hemingway became a journalist of the Star Time，where he received strict professional training as a journalist.During the First World War, because of the eye illness, Hemingway cannot join the army in the front. He finally volunteered to join the Red Cross of America and became a driver in the ambulance corps. In one mission of rescuing the wounded, Hemingway was seriously wounded and then went back to his hometown. He quickly became a hero at that time. Later, he went to Paris and expatriated there as a journalist of the Star Time of Canada. Since then, Hemingway started his life of literature production.Hemingways first novel was The Sun also Rises (1926). The book describes a group of Americans and Englishmen, who have suffered a lot physically and emotionally during the war. A Farewell to Arms (1929) recalls the suffering and destruction of the World War I, talki