The Last Question

In “The Last Question,” light and darkness serve as motifs for the pursuit of knowledge and entropy, respectively. Light is often associated with knowledge and understanding. The story’s human characters are deeply concerned about light in the form of the stars that are doomed to burn out. Conversely, darkness serves as a motif for the theme of entropy and the gradual decay of the universe. As the stars blink out one by one, darkness encroaches, mirroring the increase in entropy and the inexorable passage of time. The motif of darkness reinforces the inescapable fate of all things in the universe. When AC utters the words “Let there be light”(16), the computer reverses entropy and creates a new universe. This signifies not only the birth of a new cosmos but also the triumph of knowledge over ignorance. The motif of light underscores the theme of the relentless pursuit of knowledge, suggesting that the quest for understanding can dispel the darkness of uncertainty and entropy. The twin motifs of light and darkness make important contributions to the story’s resolution and overall meaning by emphasizing the story’s contrasts between knowledge and entropy and between hope and despair.