Light

Throughout the novel, light symbolizes exposure and reality. From the beginning, we observe that Jack generally meets Della in darkness, where their physical differences can remain hidden and no one can see them together. They always fear sunrise, because sunrise means that others can see their skin color and illicit relationship. Light is especially frightening to Jack, who calls himself the “Prince of Darkness” (40). He is consistently paranoid that someone will discover his criminal history and expose him as an outsider and miscreant, which is why he prefers the anonymity of nighttime.

Cemetery

The author employs the setting of the cemetery throughout the novel to point to a broader theme about inevitability. The fact that Della and Jack’s first conversation takes place in a cemetery suggests that the trajectory of their relationship is predetermined; no matter what they do, societal forces will stop them from...