Outer Dark

The title of the novel alludes to the “outer darkness” mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, which is usually interpreted as the lake of fire, or hell, a place absent light (a symbol of God’s goodness). In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, which symbolizes the joyous festivity waiting for true believers in the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, a man in improper attire is expelled from the feast into outer darkness; he lacks the faith in Christ necessary for admission to heaven. Those cast into outer darkness suffer “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13), i.e., they experience both spiritual and physical suffering. McCarthy sets his novel in this outer darkness, a cursed realm separated from the light of God. Like those in the Bible who reject salvation through faith in Christ, Culla suffers despair and regret for forsaking light for a world of darkness.

In banishing himself to a world of darkness, Culla suffers like those who reject Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. Culla’s story begins with his parable-esque nightmare in which his outburst causes permanent darkness to befall him and the crowd of people around him. Unlike them, Culla is healthy; nonetheless, he bursts forth, asking for salvation as if his case were the most desperate.