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Analysis Of The Lamp At Noon Sinclair Ross

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The flame; a symbol representing the fiery passion it gives, or the golden warmth it emits – but what about during times of depression and desperation? Those are some of the main problems our characters face in “The Lamp at Noon”, by Sinclair Ross. Our main characters – Paul and Ellen – battle poverty and a vicious dust storm threatening their farmland. The setting greatly affects the story and characteristics such as the title and the theme. The emphasis on the setting, as well as the title and the theme are what ties the whole story together.
The setting is arguably the most important aspect in this eventful story. The story takes place in the middle of a desert – a once abundant farmland – with a raging dust storm occurring. This storm makes …show more content…

Throughout the whole story, the main problem has been the dust and poverty making them miserable. They began giving up hope on the land and desired an easier life, even though Ellen expected this to happen when she married a farmer. Her anguish makes her think in irrational ways: “I’m so caged – if I could only break away and run. See – I stand like this all day. I can’t relax. My throat’s so tight it aches…” (pg 146) Their conditions affected them greatly, and the land is the main reason for the person versus person conflict. As well, the depression makes Paul delusional and he begins seeing the sadness of his wife wherever he goes: “He went from Prince to the other horses… but always it was her face before him, its staring eyes and twisted suffering.” (pg 147) Paul also reached a breaking point from the grief; he began viewing in a new light, and it makes him even more purposeful to save the land for his wife and child. In the end, Ellen comes back to her sense after experiencing the storm firsthand. She realizes how pointless her idea of running away was, and she returns to the farm: “You were right Paul… you said tonight we’d see the storm go down. So still now, and a red sky – it means tomorrow will be fine. (pg 151) In brief, I believe this is the most accurate and fitting theme for the

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