The Light Overcame

Author’s Note: This is an essay for symbolism/ inference analysis of the book City of Ember by Jeanne Depreau. The purpose of this essay is to make an analysis of the symbolism in the novel.

The Light Overcame

Have you ever glanced at something and your thoughts instantly move to what it reminds you of? Have you ever had something in your life that symbolizes something important? In the novel City of Ember by Jeanne Dupreau, certain things about the book jump off the page as symbolism.  The ocean is a central image. It is the symbolism of a great journey. ~Enya

            What is ember? Ember is a light about to go out, a dying flame. The title of the book says it all. It symbolizes the whole story.  The City of Ember’s setting is underground, musty and surrounded by darkness.  That’s the main point of the book, isn’t it? The author was genius to put “Ember” in the title, because that represents the whole story. Ember is a light, an ongoing light that suddenly burns out, which defines the city accurately. Not only does the word “Ember” in the title represent the story, there are also other symbolisms, such as the light and darkness in their world.

            To us, light and darkness is just the sign of a day beginning or ending but to Ember, it represents something completely different. The darkness is a sense of danger and depression, or a loss. When the lights flicker, the fear rises to throughout the crowd. When they say that they’ll make everything better, the lights go out longer, and doubt fills them. Light in Ember is way different. It represents peace, survival and hope, when the lights are on their happy, satisfied, and completely oblivious to the fact that they could go out again. Sometimes, I can relate that to my life too.

            There’s no way I can relate to Ember in the way of a city burning out, but I can relate myself and the world to the fact that there is light and dark in all of us. Meaning, that we all have sinned before, the Bible says that pretty much everyone is faced with temptation to sin, even if it’s a little white lie, it represents the evil darkness in our hearts. The light in other words, is our happiness, joy and generosity that we bring each other, even if it’s as simple as helping an old lady across the road, I consider that as the light we give.

            Our lives take many twists and turns, something’s just happen for a reason, Ember symbolizes an ongoing light, like a candle, that is suddenly threatened to be blown out. It struggles to remain its flame, its fire of passion to help many survive. It defines exactly what the generator is stressed to do. Finally the darkness of evil and self centered citizens realizes that their world could come to an end. The light restores their faith as Doon and Lina find a way out and present a resolution to all their problems. Ember represents many of things, but the main point is that that light I told you about before, the ember? It was just about to be blown out, but not in time for the lightness of the world to take over and present them forever contentment.