Edgar Allan Poe Use Of Light And Darkness Analysis

The use of light and darkness is present through the entire work of Edgar Allan Poe. Indeed, from the very start of the story, light and darkness are both present in text as an ensemble. The character of William Wilson first speaks about his childhood in a “misty-looking village of England” with “chilliness of its deeply-shadowed avenues” and “dusky atmosphere”. Those elements present a state of in-betweenness with the light and darkness, emplacing on a grey environment balanced on the duality between light -the day- and the darkness –the night- : “The morning's awakening, the nightly summons to bed”. However, those elements became distinct when William Wilson met his double. One particular scene depicts the contrast between light and darkness, …show more content…
Indeed, the story is told from his perspective and the character has a direct speech with the readers: “LET me call myself (…)”, “The house, I have said, was old and irregular”. In consequence, the readers have a subjective vision of the story since the latest is only displayed through the experience of William Wilson. However, his narration is not omniscient and some parts of the story suggest some omissions or mistakes from the narrator. The following quotation -“ (…) if I remember aright (…)” – illustrates a lack of concrete facts about the story and thus does not enable the reader to have more information about the story than William Wilson. This notion of subjectivity remains until the end of the story as William Wilson still unable to narrate with certainty -“Thus it appeared, I say, but was not.”- since he was himself omitting characteristics to the story –“A large mirror, -- so at first it seemed to me in my confusion -- now stood where none had been perceptible before (…)” As a result, the comprehension of the story relies on the interpretation of the readers, while the point of view of William Wilson remains unknown to the