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Outside forces can change inner circumstances.

The action of this story only takes place because of planned power outages in the Boston neighborhood where the couple lives, showing that outside forces can affect inner circumstances. This outside force causes a great change internally, as the couple uses the darkness to open up to one another about little secrets they have kept throughout their relationship. Shoba suggests the game of confessions when they eat by candlelight on the first night under the guise of something to do that’s out of the ordinary, when in reality, she proposes the game as a set-up for her big reveal: she wants to tell Shukumar she’s leaving him. 

Another major outside force in the story is the death of the baby. This tragedy has caused a great change in both characters, though more so for Shoba. Shukumar remembers what she was like before the tragedy as the action of the story progresses. She was once outgoing and active in the household, but now she is listless and does nothing but work on copyediting and watch game shows. These two external forces—the power outages and the death of the baby—have put pressure on the marriage and forced a change in its dynamics. The game of confessions allows the couple to grow closer together again after the tragedy of the stillbirth. This game is dependent on the lights being out because it allows greater honesty between the couple, showing once again that external factors have much to do with either the suppression or release of internal feelings.

Grief can destroy relationships.

The story reveals how grief and trauma can destroy good, loving relationships. Shoba grieves for the child she lost so much that she cannot go into the room that was supposed to be a nursery. Shukumar is also a victim of grief and guilt, evidenced by how he doesn’t often leave the house and cannot find the motivation to work on his dissertation. Shoba is objectively more grief-stricken than he, but both individuals feel the effects of the loss. 

Ultimately, the relationship decays not due to the tragedy, but due to the distance created by their different ways of grieving. The couple no longer makes love, they do not eat together, and they avoid one another. In Shukumar’s memories, the couple was much more connected. They held hands all through Shukumar’s birthday party. Life used to be radically different for the couple, but everything has changed after their tragic loss. The final scene when Shoba admits to renting an apartment for herself is topped by Shukumar’s admission of knowing the sex of their baby. This spiteful revelation is the hardest blow for Shoba to take because it was something she never wanted to know. She not only learns the sex, but also that Shukumar is grieving things she knows nothing about.

It is easy to hurt the ones we love.

Shukumar and Shoba hurt each other despite how much they still care for one another. Their game of confessions proves their shared history and love, despite the changes they have undergone. Shoba confesses she wanted her address to be in Shukumar’s book at the beginning of their relationship, and Shukumar thought he might marry Shoba after their first dinner together. These incidents demonstrate the veracity and quick intensity of their love, but the hurt they can cause each other comes just as easily. Shoba hurts Shukumar by announcing that she is moving out. Shukumar in turn hurts Shoba by revealing the sex of their stillborn child. Shoba never wanted to know this information, but Shukumar wants to hurt her in the way that he has been hurt. The innocence of their confessions has been lost on the last night. The love between the couple has transformed into something more akin to vulnerability, as evidenced by their crying together in the kitchen. When Shoba turns off the lights, the couple regains intimacy, if not love itself.

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