Men in the Sun

A very prominent and interesting element that is present within Men in the Sun is nature. The story starts with the image of the earth beating, “the earth began to throb under him with tired heartbeats” (21). The heart is an essential aspect to life and therefore during this scene the earth represents life. Later on in the story the sun and heat play a key role. The heat is so bad that the characters compare it to Hell. “This is the Hell that I have heard of” (65). Hell has always been viewed as a punishment. It is extremely hot and unbearable. In this scene nature is punishing those traveling in the heat. It is not an element of life anymore. Eventually this element kills the three men locked in the water tank. The story ends with another element of nature: darkness. This is the opposite of the sun and heat because it is the lack of sun. In the darkness Abul Khaizurn is able to “hide” from the horrible thing he has done. The darkness represents the hollowness that is left inside him after accidentally killing the three men. The guilt of his actions has eaten him to the point that he can no longer function properly.