Darkness and Light

There is a stark juxtaposition between darkness and light, including how much a person can see, how much control a person has over what is happening, and whether events are being hidden from people. Typically, darkness and light are tangible as well as symbolic, and that is the case in this novel as well.

This novel is set in the fantasy land of an unnamed province that includes the city of Chattana. Pong and Somkit are being held in a prison, Namwon, that is lit by very dim orbs of violet light. The boys look across the river to Chattana, which seems to be brilliantly lit from their view. Pong imagines that the unfairness he experiences in Namwon would not exist in Chattana, because “under those lights, life would be different” (10). This first juxtaposition is between the light of Chattana and the relative darkness...