The Heat of the Day

Light and darkness function as prevalent and layered symbols throughout The Heat of the Day. On a literal level, London blackout orders mean that nighttime light is prohibited and increased darkness is a fact of life: “It was a time of opening street doors conspiratorially: light must not escape on to steps” (47). Bowen also uses shadow to symbolize the darkness of mood, both on a collective level throughout London and for individual characters.

For example, the first introduction of the novel’s protagonist, Stella, involves her absentmindedly playing with the cord of a blackout blind: “[I]ts roller hidden under the pretty pelmet, was pulled some way down, throwing a nightlike shadow across this end of the ceiling […]. She did not correct the irregularity, perhaps because the effect of it, méchant, slipshod, was in some way part of her mood” (20). This represents the small but significant domestic consequences of war, with the presence of the blind to create nightlike shadow. The fact that the blinds in the room are uneven also suggests The Experience and Limbo of Wartime, with Stella feeling that she, too, is slightly “slipshod” instead of feeling entirely stable and at ease.