Darkness

Darkness, both the fear of it and the nature of it, is an integral part of SUMMER OF NIGHT. The most important examples in the book concern Dale and Lawrence Stewart. Lawrence is afraid of the dark, and Dale must always precede him into the bedroom that they share in order to pull the cord hanging from the light in the center of the ceiling. Once the light is on, Lawrence can enter the room, but he is still scared of the closet, and the dark space underneath their beds. When one of the creatures forces its way out of the closet, it does not attack the boys, but scurries into the darkness under Lawrence's bed and disappears. Later, Lawrence is abducted by the minions of the Bell of Borgia through the hole of darkness under his bed. Dale likewise is scared of the coal niche in the...