THE LIGHT THAT FAILED

Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) is an

English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He was born in India,
which inspired much of his work. Rudyard Kipling was an English author famous
for an array of works like 'Just So Stories' and 'The Jungle Book.' He received the
1907 Nobel Prize in Literature. Kipling's literary heritage is marred by crude
imperialist tendencies—the glorification of the British empire, the assertion of the
superiority of the white colonizer over the native of Asia and Africa, the cult of
strength and courage. But Kipling is by no means all of a piece. Although
reactionary in many of his political opinions, he was nevertheless a piercing critic
of the society in which he lived.
"The Light that Failed" is Kipling's first novel. It belongs to the early period
in his literary career. The novel centres round the tragic fate of the painter Dick
Heldar. A gifted artist, he goes blind in the prime of life. When Kipling portrays
Dick at the crucial moment of his life, when he speaks of the terrible loneliness
Dick faces, he does it with profound intuition and understanding.
The extract under analysis presents an account of events (narration) with
elements of description and some pieces of dialogue. And the key in which the
extract written is dramatic. The text can be divided into 4 logical parts.
The first part can be called «near the hospital». It starts from the words
«Dick sought an oculist» and ends with «Probably heard something he didn’t like».
In this part Dick sought an oculist, - the best in London, because he had spots
before his eyes and he thought that this could be due to stomach problems. But he
saw as well as he could. All this part prepares the reader for further developments.
It shows that the main character is worried because he does not know what the
verdict is. To begin with, the author introduces the metaphor «a man cannoned
against him». The verb «cannon» is formed from the word «cannon» which makes
it clear to the reader that it was as unexpected as a shot from a cannon and we can
feel the growing tension. It can also be supported by metonymy «Dick saw the face
as it hurried out into the street» namely the man whose face really impressed Dick
which again adds the effect of surprise and makes the reader a little tense and
leaves him in this state for the rest of the section.
The second part can be called «a waiting-room». It starts from the words «
Even as he thought » and ends with «To all eternity!» In this part Dick waits his
turn, inspects the waiting room and watches other people. The atmosphere of this
part can be described in one phrase «a great fear came upon Dick, a fear that made
him hold his breath». To begin with, we can note that Dick, due to his profession
and creative nature, pays attention to details of waiting-room «with the heavy
carved furniture, the dark-green paper, and the sober-hued prints on the wall. He
recognized a reproduction of one of his own sketches.» We can say that because of
the excitement, Dick is trying to occupy himself with something and therefore is
carefully examined. It can also be noted that there is a sharp contrast in the text.
Amid the dark surroundings of the waiting room, a contrasting element appears «
His eye was caught by a flaming red-and-gold Christmas-carol book» it also makes
the reader feel tension. The whole part slowly leads us to the culmination of the
whole text - the verdict.
«Verdict» - so may be called the third part of this extract. It starts from the
words « Dick read and re-read the verse till his turn came» and ends with «…
without any warning. Thanks.» In this part, Dick finally found out what was wrong
with his eyesight. He found out about the decay of the optic nerve and about the
time that he had left before his loss of vision. To the terrible news, a metaphor
«The doctor wrapped himself in a mist of words» begins to bring us. Dick was so
nervous when he saw the doctor’s face that he could understand only a few words
from his speech. Also in this part we can see a sustained metaphor « Many
sentences were pronounced in that darkened room, and the prisoners often needed
cheering». Here the consulting room is compared with the court room, and the
verdicts handed down are compared with the sentences. All this makes the reader
understand that something happened that cannot be avoided. A terrible thing
happened to Dick. Loss of vision for an artist is equal to death. This is the
culmination of the whole extract.
 The fourth part may be represented by a quote «We've got it very badly,
little dog!». It starts from the words «Dick went into the street» and ends with « If
only Torp were back, now!». In this part, Dick with his dog Binky goes to the park
to consider the information received. This part is built on contrast, which shows
that Dick cannot fully accept what he heard and that his feelings are contradictory.
For example, «Dick went into the street, and was rapturously received by Binkie.
We've got it very badly, little dog»; «We're to be shut up in the dark in one year if
we're careful, and we shan't see anybody, and we shall never have anything we
want, not though we live to be a hundred. Binkie wagged his tail joyously.» And it
is possible that he is optimistic enough not to lose control of himself and that he
may even find something good in such situations.
From this extract it can be understood that the author sympathizes with his
main character. This is mainly expressed indirectly. Despite the loss of vision,
which is the end of his life for Dick, the author is trying to give him some hope: «
Making the blind to see, good Lord, And happy may we be. Praise Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, To all eternity!». Perhaps this is the right decision - to remain
optimistic even in the most difficult situations.
As for my opinion, I agree with the author to some extent that you don’t
need to lose your head and fall into despair even in the worst situations, you need
to try to find something good. But I also believe that many terrible situations can
be prevented if we tackle the emerging problem at its initial stage. But if you can’t
change anything already, really don’t despair, you can try to find support in the
people around you and a world full of wonderful things.