Tears of a Tiger Darkness and Light Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

It's dark where I am and I cannot find the light. There are shadows all around me and my heart is full of fright. (16.1)

The poem Andy writes for his class talks about light and darkness, especially in connection with his emotions. It's too bad he never finds the light, because his friends certainly tap into it for themselves.

Quote #2

"You a trip, Keisha. You always see the bright side of everythin'."

"What can I say ? I'm a rose in the snow—the bright spot in your dark, seems-like-it's-always-depressed life." (19.13-14)

Here, Keisha and Andy talk about their outlooks on life since Andy is a downer and Keisha is more positive. Notice how she describes herself as being in the light, whereas Andy is in the dark. This theme crops up everywhere in the novel.

Quote #3

"Hey, Andy—would you turn my light back on?"

"Why? You scared of the dark, Monty?"

"No, I just want to be able to see stuff while I'm fallin' asleep." (21.1)

With his little brother, Andy gets confused about why the light needs to be on while he's sleeping. We can see that the darkness is scary, even when there's no reason for it to be, like when you're at home in your own room. We also see, though, that light is associated with seeing—something that, metaphorically, Andy fails to do clearly.