Colour as Theme, Metaphor and Analogy
Colour is employed as a fundamental theme, metaphor, and analogy throughout this work. It transcends its physical properties (dyes, light) to represent abstract concepts like power, emotion, morality, social hierarchies, and even the essence of reality itself.
| Analogy/Theme | Summary of Use |
|---|---|
| Indicator of Economic Value and Cargo | Colour is synonymous with value and cargo. The Transporter sees the future of trade by monitoring the changing colour of a valley. The restriction of colour in Wetledale stifles the Transporter's business. The purity and intensity of Fishwick colour make it highly priced cargo. |
| Social Conformity vs. Disruption | Colourlessness (grey, white, brown) is enforced in Wetledale by the Conformance Council to ensure a uniform "good attitude" and concentration on the lucrative cabinet industry. Colour is a symbol of disruption, disharmony, and the "ungoverned" nature of individual thought. |
| Political Power and Legitimacy | In the Flatlands, colour is the measure of status and political power. The rising Sky Lord gains credibility and authority by controlling rich, new, pure colour. The Earth Lord's authority is built on the older, more subdued colours of the earth. |
| Emotional State and Temperament | Colour is the direct language of emotion and feeling. People are described by the colours of their emotions: turning red in rage, white in fright, or green with envy. The Examiner notes that "colour frames the emotion and the emotion creates the person". |
| Metaphor for Truth and History | Hidden colour (like the mural in Conformance Hall) represents the truth of Wetledale's past and potential. Painting over colour is equivalent to obscuring truth, history, and viable value. The Transporter believes the future is built out of colour. |
| Morality and Character | For the Fishwicks, colour is inherently tied to morality: "Colour never taints the character... It is the character that taints colour". Fishwick attributes personality traits to colours (Helen as the "red that cannot hide its character," Angela as the "blue that dares to complete the picture," Michael as the "green" that is overlooked). |
| Flaw in Scientific/Political System | Colour exposes the failure of Attitudinal Science. The principle that complementing all colours results in pure white light (Sky Lord's belief) challenges the existing value system based on the black/brown mix of earth colours. The Head of All Science acknowledges that highly powerful fraternities can "dictate the rules that favour its own strength" (decay at the heart of the system). |
| Aesthetics and Artistic Skill | Colour is associated with the skilled decoration of the past, using complex translucent layers. The current restricted palette of black, white, and red-brown are derided as merely "values," not true colours, showcasing a loss of skill. |
| Risk and Danger | Colour is frequently described as dangerous, associated with the violent energy of storms, and feared as a catalyst for conflict and instability. The unpredictable nature of yellow and the intensity of Fishwick colour exemplify this inherent risk. |