Old God's Time

“[T]he copper dark sea just now getting scrubbed over bit by bit by worse darkness.”

The setting of Tom’s apartment overlooking the sea is significant. The word “copper” suggests blood in its color, and it is also a pun that represents the police force, since “copper” is also slang for a police officer. This description creates an atmosphere of tension, using the ominous qualitative word “worse” to describe the oncoming night. It represents the idea of damaging coping mechanisms being used to obscure trauma, and of violence being covered by more violence, both of which feature in the plot.

“[T]he Kish Lighthouse herself would begin to show her heavy light, laboriously sweeping the heaving deeps. He thought of the fish in there, lurking.”

The metaphor of light in the dark mirrors Wilson and O’Casey seeking out the truth and Tom’s need to confront the truth of his past. The quote shows that this is grueling, difficult work, especially with the words “heavy” and “laboriously.” The depths of the sea symbolize the secrets buried in the past. The lurking fish represent an avoidance of the truth; these lines present them ambiguously, since they could be either threatening or vulnerable as they hide, reflecting the duality of Tom’s secrets.