5 - Symbolic Nature of Light

Source: harrypotter.warnerbros.com

The image above from the movie adaptations of the Harry Potter franchise shows us a ring of Dementors, a creature from the series that feeds on the happiness of its victims. This creature is considered 'dark' in the series, and is often employed by evil wizards in large attacks against the heroes.

This image of Dementors swirling about the lighted sky in center and polluting it with a dark mist shows the swallowing up of good by evil. It evokes a since of despair and loss of hope in the viewer, seeing the good being shut out by bleak darkness, and a since of uneasiness when looking at the Dementor on the right side that seems to stare at the user with its blank face.

The viewer does not need any actual knowledge of the series from which the image belongs to appreciate these insights. In the culture that the image is directed, it is understood that good is represented by lightness and evil by darkness. The small amount of light in the middle being consumed by the darkness evokes the same feelings of encroaching evil as are evident to those 'in the know'. This is a prime example of the power of a light-dark contrast in our society.

However, this is not to say that the image has equivalent power outside of its intended audience. For instance, outside of its audience the image does not lead the user to understand that the creature represents a loss of joy and fails to evoke the same level of 'fear' in the viewer. To one who knows nothing of the series, it is impossible to tell what the creatures depicted are, whether or not they intend to harm those around them, or what the light behind them represents.

This is an important distinction to make. The viewer of an image such as this, if unaware of its background, is allowed to draw their own conclusions. One who is familiar with the subject matter is given the context by what the image represents. To appreciate only the contrast of darkness vs. light, the viewer must separate themselves from the context the image is wrapped in. Only then can we see how effective the image is in showing us a picture of darkness vs light:

Source: keilanluke.com 

With the above image as an example, we can see that without context we lose the feeling of darkness vs light, but the context provides us with a similar feeling.