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The Shark Tooth
While Harry, Miles, and Joe’s trepidation toward Bruny Island’s unpredictable water parallels their fear of Dad’s erratic behavior, the sun’s rays are a bright presence that imbues the boys with happy memories of their Mum. They often notice the light and feel comforted by it as they endure the island’s brutal elements, just as they are comforted by Mum’s love even in her absence. This is particularly evident when Harry’s fear of the dark is quelled by the sight of the southern lights outside his bedroom window as he remembers seeing them with his mother in the past. For the Curren brothers, the presence of the light that reflects off of the dark, turbulent ocean water serves as a both a literal source of warmth in the frigid winter and a figurative reminder of optimism, strength, and renewal.
Light Quotes in Past the Shallows
The Past the Shallows quotes below all refer to the symbol of Light. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 37
Quotes
There was a black emptiness inside him and it was all that he could see. He tried to imagine a fire in the darkness, and at first it was just one blue flame too small to feel. But he willed it on, felt the first flicker of warmth as it grew. Then it raged, turned into a ball of fire, orange and red and hungry. It devoured his stomach, moved up to his lungs, his back. Moved into his heart. He shared it with Harry through his skin.
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Chapter 43
Quotes
And Miles loved that light.
It made the dark water sparkle, turned the white spray golden—made the ocean a giant mirror reflecting the sky. Even the leaves on the crack wattle shone in the light.
It made everything come to life.
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Get the entire Past the Shallows LitChart as a printable PDF.
Light Symbol Timeline in Past the Shallows
The timeline below shows where the symbol Light appears in Past the Shallows. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 28
Miles notices a ray of sunlight from the window reflecting off a framed photograph of Mum. He picks up the photo...
(full context)
Chapter 34
...him. He looks for the sky out his bedroom window and focuses on the soft light emanating from the stars. As Harry continues to look outside, he marvels at the southern...
(full context)
Chapter 35
...and Jeff reach the fishing boat and seem to be inside a “bubble of fluorescent light” that bounces off the deck as they move away from land. Jeff comments to Harry...
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Chapter 37
...him not to go to sleep, as he feels himself sinking down into a warm light. Her voice comes back louder and asks where her baby, Harry, is. Miles then hears...
(full context)
Chapter 38
...whole world,” flowing into rivers, lakes, and oceans that look white and gold in the light. Harry feels that he is flying like a bird, and that he is free.
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Chapter 39
...he floats alone in the water. He perceives himself to be suspended in an orange light that will soon dissipate into darkness. Miles feels that he has “been drifting for a...
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Chapter 42
...surfboard and spots the silhouette of his old friend Justin Roberts surfing amidst the bright light reflecting off the water. Miles surfs alongside him, remembering the countless summer days of his...
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Chapter 43
...the trees and rolls out over the water around Bruny Island. Miles admires the winter light that sparkles and reflects off the surface of the dark water, feeling that it revitalizes...
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