The quote reflects on the nature of light and darkness, emphasizing the sudden absence of light as a metaphor for loss. When a light goes out, its impact can feel instantaneous, as though its presence had never existed. This captures the profound emptiness left behind when something significant is removed, leaving only darkness in its wake.

In Joyce Carol Oates’ "We Were the Mulvaneys," this idea resonates with themes of memory and absence. The metaphor suggests that the void left by lost relationships or experiences can quickly fill with a sense of completeness in darkness, highlighting how grief and absence can overshadow happier memories as if they had never occurred.