Effect of Light in The Stranger and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisov

The light in the two novels The Stranger and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich(One Day) has an animalistic effect on the protagonists. In The Stranger, Meursault complains about the intensity of sunlight. His nature is not a light friendly one, he becomes distracted and begins to sweat under intensive light. Meursault may in several ways be compared to a bat, confused and irritated by light, though when in a dark environment, he is able to concentrate and focus. On the other hand, Shukov from One Day experiences light as mental freedom from the dark camp. Light allows him to hope for a better future for him and everyone in the camp. Shukov shows animalistic features as well, as he wakes with the sun rising and ends his day with the sunset. He tolerates darkness as long as he does not encounter major vision difficulties due to the dark. Meursault lives in a small town at the beach with daily, sunny and warm weather. On the contrary is the weather in the USSR, in which Shukov has family and a home . The USSR, by maintaining mostly negative temperatures throughout the year, transmits a rather negative image of the environment. Both protagonists ironically react to light and darkness opposite to the presence of light and darkness in their environment. In The Stranger, Meursault is not able to tolerate intensive light which causes him to think narrowly and furthermore behave according to such thoughts. He does not seem to feel any emotions at his mother’s funeral as he shows more interest in the details of her death than his emotional connection to her as his mother. He is more bothered by the intensity of the light than the fact that his mother died. He portrays this kind of attitude at his mother’s funeral and then later on ... ...eursault is lead by it and thus is not fully aware of his actions. Another difference between both characters exists on their emotional level. One has to allow light to enter the heart to have the ability of sensing feelings. Being suppressed by the authority, Shukov sees light as hope for freedom and is well-heartedly open to it. Mersault though is not able to tolerate it thus open his already emotionless heart for it. He does not know if he loves Marie, nor cares who he would be married to. No tears are spilled by him at his mother's funeral and he neither shows any kind of emotions at his own execution. Meursault is not able to say if his lawyer is on his side and if he can trust him because there "no way of knowing it, because our heart is blind." (The Stranger, 120) Light entering the eye allows us to have vision, only light entering the heart allows emotions.