The Diamond Of Darkhold
48 pages • 1-hour read
Jeanne DuPrauThe Diamond Of Darkhold
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Symbols & Motifs
Books
As a motif, books signify accumulated knowledge. In The Diamond of Darkhold, that knowledge is in a perilous position thanks to hardship and ignorance. Luckily, Edward Pocket, Doon, and Lina respect book preservation even in the early chapters. Edward Pocket cares deeply about books; he finds purpose in Sparks in organizing their messy collection and saving volumes after the wintertime cave-in at the Ark. Doon understands the importance of words written long ago, as evidenced by his certainty of the importance of the Directions for Use. Lina finds the fairy tale books intriguing and inspiring compared to the difficulties of day-to-day life in Sparks.
The resounding significance of books increases for Lina and Doon when they understand how easily books can be destroyed by others. Observing characters like Trogg and Maggs, Lina and Doon learn that some may be unable to grasp the importance of books—these characters think a good use for pages is burning them. To combat this dismissive rejection of books, Lina offers to teach the Troggs to read when they accept the invitation to stay in Sparks, symbolizing how literacy opens doors to change and knowledge.
Books also help to establish The Legacy and Impact of Ancient Technologies, as those from Ember and Sparks learn about technologies through old books. By the end of the novel, Doon writes a new book: a how-to guide for the use of the diamonds, which is copied and sent to other settlements. This symbolizes the benefit of books that contain truthful, factual information and their ability to educate the masses.
Ingenuity
Many characters in The Diamond of Darkhold rely on creative ingenuity to solve problems. This motif is evident in Sparks: A candlemaker, for example, supplies candles which villagers use in lanterns. When Doon takes his injured father to Doctor Hesper, his friend Chet Noam brings him a lantern “made of a can punctured with holes and containing a burning candle” (8), making treatment in the dark possible. Later, Doon admires Trogg’s ability to take this ingenuity a step further by creating a kind of headlamp that keeps the hands free. Doon is also impressed that Trogg collects water in Ember by leaving the taps open and sinks and tubs stoppered for the brief times in which the generator kicks on. Kenny Parton shows ingenuity when he uses pieces of red fabric to mark his path with Lizzie and Torren as they try to find Ember.
Doon stands as the strongest example of ingenuity, from his hand-cranked “flashlight” to his realization that the steel vault likely has a switch hiding more diamonds. Late in the novel, he understands that his life’s work will center on discoveries with the diamonds that prove their usefulness beyond light bulbs. He finds they make a spark to light fires, for example, and he reworks their wires to power other appliances. He also theorizes how several can be connected to power larger machines someday. These examples of ingenuity benefit others and ease burdens, thereby reflecting The Importance of Cooperation in Problem Solving.
The First Diamond
Once the salvage crews bring the thousand diamonds back to Sparks, their benefit to the villagers is immediate and expansive. Light from the diamonds symbolizes the growth of productivity and knowledge: “The diamonds allowed people to work on tasks like knitting and sewing in the evenings—and to read” (262). The first diamond, however, serves as a separate, special symbol for a crucial part of any discovery process: failure.
Doon is thrilled to realize that Trogg’s diamond is the invention left behind by the Builders. He feels a deep obligation to save the diamond from the clutches of Trogg, who, with his lack of knowledge and closed-mindedness, will never explore its true purpose. When he escapes Trogg, Doon is fully ready to accept the responsibility of determining its use. His expectations are cut short, however, when he must sacrifice the diamond to save Lina. In that short time with the device, he fails to understand it. His frustration with that failure and loss symbolizes unsuccessful and curtailed experiments in the scientific process. Success, as Doon learns, in any scientific discovery is only possible through tenacity and optimism after failure. When Doon opens his mind to new possibilities following the first diamond’s loss, he and Lina find the collection of diamonds and determine their purpose, which in turn exemplifies Self-Sufficiency Through Knowledge of the Natural World.
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