Flashlight

The flashlight in the novel’s title is a motif that supports the theme of The Limits of Human Memory. In the prologue, Serk brings a flashlight on the night of his abduction; it is a symbol of Serk’s cautious nature and his desire to understand where he is going and what danger he will face.

Other flashlights prompt Louisa to recall her father and her failure to explain what really happened to him. During her consultation with Dr. Brickner, Louisa fixates on a flashlight in his office that cannot illuminate the truth of her story or to expose Serk’s real fate. Louisa focuses on the flashlight to immerse herself in a memory that makes her uncomfortable, delving into the anxiety that the gaps in Louisa’s memory causes her to feel. Louisa’s conviction that Serk was abducted despite not being able to prove it becomes is a small point of light surrounded by the shadow of obscurity.

A flashlight appears later in Chapter 11 when Louisa joins the séance held by Vanessa. Louisa tries to dismiss the paranormal aspects of the séance scientifically; her inability to convince her peers underscores her earlier failure to explain what really happened to Serk.