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Michael Ondaatje has set his novel, In The Skin Of The Lion, using darkness against the night as an important theme. Darkness has become the source of enlightenment for most of the vital characters of the novel who were not deluded by the obscurity of night, but use it to motivate themselves physically and emotionally. Literal darkness enabled them to remove their figurative darkness. Characters like Alice, Patrick, Harris, Nicholas and Caravaggio are developed and revealed in darkness which is ironic. Patrick Lewis, Commissioner Rowland Harris, Caravaggio, Nicholas Temelcoff and Alice found the true nature of their characters acting against the pit of darkness. They felt comfortable and fully assured of their surroundings at night.