Final answer:
The sunset and silence symbolize the end of life and hope, the finality of the boy's fate, and could also represent a transition to the afterlife or the end of innocence. The silence underscores the solemnity of death, isolation, and possibly a reflection on justice and mortality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The setting of the sun and the ensuing silence as a boy is hanged is symbolically rich and can suggest multiple interpretations. The fading light can symbolize the loss of life and hope, as well as the end of the day representing the finality of the boy's fate. The silence that follows the hanging stands for the cessation of struggle, indicating that the conflict has reached its conclusion. Similarly, it could represent the absence of protest or the hushed reverence for the solemnity of death.
In various literary contexts, the sunset often symbolizes an ending, a closure, or a transition from one state to another. It could symbolize the transition of the boy's soul from the physical world to the afterlife, or the end of innocence. The silence can convey the solemnity of the moment, the boy's isolation in his final moments, or serve as a contrast to the injustice of his death. The symbolic nature of the setting and silence thus invites readers to consider deeper themes of mortality, justice, and the human condition.