"Shades"- by Boleslaw Prus

"Summary"
"Shades" tells the story about how there is a constant battle with night and day. How night hides during the day and is free to roam when the sun goes down. During the night though there is one man with a flame comes lights the lamps then disappears. One day the narrator goes to see the man, because he wants to learn about him. When he arrives the man is not there and no one knew about him. The narrator returns a year later and finds out that the man is dead. Still wondering about him, he tries to find his grave and yet again no one can give him the information.

"Comment"
In the story "Shades", to me, the old man represented everyone and the flame represented hope. When the darkness covered all and crime and fear ran amok the man brought the light to dispel the darkness so people would not be afraid. Then when he died it symbolized the start of a new. With every death someone is born to take that place. There would be a new lamp lighter, someone to bring hope to the night