Light and dark are such common symbols of good and evil that we accept them almost without thinking about it. How does the motif of light and dark function in The Dark Is Rising? Is there anything unexpected about the way Cooper uses the imagery?

Compare Will’s becoming an Old One to Coming-of-Age As a Leap Into the Adult World. How is his inner journey like or unlike growing up in the real world?

Are the agents of the Light truly good? When might it be morally justified to sacrifice one person to save many?