In the opening scene, the narrator is able to read the newspaper with the story of his brother's arrest through the swinging lights of the subway. In the story, the narrator also talks about the darkness outside the subway (James, 122). The conflicting images of lights and darkness help define the plot of the story. The depression that people experienced represents darkness while the narrator's decision to fulfill his brother's wishes is a representation of light. The narrator uses darkness to refer to his students, who he said were lost people. The darkness in the lives of students is the main reason why they engage in risky activities related to drug use. Literary analysis of the short story helps an individual better understand its themes and plot. Conclusion Analyzing the literary elements of the story helps the individual understand it better. Through analysis, the themes contained in the story become clear. Through the characters and the use of literary elements in the story, the author develops the theme and plot of the story (James 155). It should be noted that the author uses the literary elements at different parts of the story to avoid any confusion that might arise from placing several of them too close to each other.