The Tombs of Atuan

The first prominent motif of the novel is the contrast between dark and light that recurs throughout. Images of dark and light abound, beginning in the prologue and becoming more pronounced when Tenar enters the Undertomb, which she describes as the “home of darkness the inmost center of the night” (30). Tenar’s experiences highlight the powers of the dark. The gods she worships, the Nameless Ones, are gods of shadow, darkness, and death. As their high priestess, Tenar is the mistress of the silence and the dark, as Manan calls her, and having been raised in this environment, Tenar believes that the dark and silence of death is the only “true thing” (87). And yet, from the first page, the narrative makes it apparent that Tenar is caught between dark and light, which symbolizes her internal conflict between freedom and oppression. From the first moment she enters the Undertomb, though she is supposedly the mistress of the dark, she yearns for light in the oppressive space. When Ged appears in the cavern with the light from his staff, Tenar is torn between horror at such defilement and wonder at seeing the beauty of the cavern for the first time.

In contrast, Ged represents the light holding back the darkness, both literally and figuratively. Using magic, he brings light into the Undertomb for the first time, which allows Tenar to see the cavern’s beauty. He also uses his magic to hold back the force of the Nameless Ones who are constantly trying to consume them. Because of her role as priestess, Tenar believes she is a servant of the dark, and therefore evil. Yet, her shame and internal struggle demonstrate that she is the fulcrum in the balance between light and dark. Continuing the motif, Ged describes her as an unlit lamp. Though she has been claimed by evil, her true nature is good. His arrival in the Tombs may ignite the spark, and the process of change within her, but it is up to her to burn and cast her light into the dark.