Explain the symbolism of ole looking at the wall and not leaving his room

Ole's looking at the wall and not leaving the room symbolizes the dark side of the American life.

Explanation:

"The Killers" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. The story is about the former prizefighter, Ole Anderson, who's been living in a small house outside of Chicago.

In the story, two killers are after Ole to kill him, for a reason unrevealed by the author. But it is assumed that he might have done something which made someone to hire killers to kill him. When Nick comes to his cottage to warn him of his killers and danger to his life, Ole did not reply to him. He was reluctant to leave his room and kept looking at the wall intently.

This symbolizes the dark side of American Life, the life of old men who loses their interest in life after spending youth actively. For them, death and life becomes equal. They begin to think death as an escape route from their loneliness, dullness, and emptiness of life.