Shades

Summary

The author begins with a long metaphor comparing the night (or darkness) with an army. A lamplighter emerges as a character. The narrator struggles with the identity of the lamplighter, as he is under the radar of even his landlord. The narrator tries to discover some details about the lamplighter to make him seem more human (and less like a ghost). This does not work because the lamplighter does not have a family to speak of – or even any furniture. The narrator returns to find out that the lamplighter has died, and he asks questions of the landlord so he can, maybe, learn the man’s name. This does not work because the narrator did not have enough details to tell the gravedigger to reveal the lamplighter’s true identity. The lamplighter’s name remains a mystery.

Comment

I thought that the metaphor comparing night to an army was unnecessarily long. The narrator wants to know more about the lamplighter, but the narrator simply does not have the resources to do so. It is a common desire to wish to know simple details about a stranger’s life. The narrator’s curiosity is never quenched. I think the general theme of this story is anonymity, and how certain people who play a very important role in certain communities remain anonymous.