All the Light We Cannot See is a book written by Anthony Doerr published in 2014. It tells a story of a blind French girl named Marie-Laure and a gifted German boy named Werner Pfennig. The author takes the reader into the terrible time of the Second World War that is considered to be a dark and a massive atrocity in human history, which left eighty-five million people dead. Anthony Doerr explores this terrifying environment and tells the readers a story of two people who, against all odds, have seen kindness in the worst of times. The characters found the invisible light in a world bound to be covered in darkness. The themes of light and happiness are analysed numerous times throughout the novel, thus, it is critical to explore their definitions. …show more content…
Light can be defined as the ground for believing that something good may happen, it relates to optimism and hope. Happiness is the emotional feeling of joy and pleasure; it comes when people are optimistic. Light and happiness are two fundamentals to life as they make people emotionally healthier and inspiring them to live a successful life. To find light and happiness in darkest hours, one must take emotional and life-threatening risks to pursue their own beliefs, as the novel All the Light We Cannot See proved through: Werner disregarding his duties, Madame Manec fighting the oppression and most importantly Marie-Laure transmitting secret radio broadcasts. It is said that the biggest risk in life is not taking any risks at all. Similarly, the book inspires the idea that the risk is an essential part in following our own beliefs. One of the main protagonists of the book is named Werner Pfennig, an eighteen-year-old German soldier, whose parents passed away when he was very young. Werner had a smaller sister, Jutta, and together they grew up in an orphanage where Werner trained himself radio engineering. His knowledge of radio waves and their composition became very handy to him, as he could repair electronics of wealthy people around the Zollverein region. After some time, Werner got recognized for his work and earned himself a place at an elite Nazi military training school, where day and night they were told, “You will all surge in the same direction at the same pace toward the same cause. ... You will eat country and breathe nation” (Doerr 120). The school was very cruel and made Werner obey their rules rather than following his own moral judgements. The repercussions can be seen in Werner’s friendship with one of the cadets named Frederick. Unfortunately, Frederick was physically abused every single day because he was the weakest from the squadron. Although Werner shared a special bond with Frederick and despite visiting his house in Berlin, he did not intervene or attempt to stop the violence his friend was receiving. “Not once has he accused Werner of betrayal, even though Werner did nothing while Frederick was beaten” (Doerr 153). Provided that Frederick was abused harshly daily, one day, Werner found out that Frederick was beaten almost to death. Frederick recovered, but he could not be able to recall his memories, hence Werner lost his valued friend forever. It was through this experience that enlightened Werner that he must risk in order to follow his own principles and protect his friends. The loss of his comrade and the wise words of Jutta; “always follow your beliefs,” ultimately inspired his heroics towards the end of the book when Werner and Marie-Laure’s paths converged in 1944. At that time, Werner’s unit was dispatched to Saint-Malo, to trace the source of a mysterious intelligence broadcast that came from Marie-Laure’s house. Now following his own beliefs, Werner, was putting his job and life at risk by not sharing his findings with the rest of the regiment and deciding to allow the broadcasts to continue. Furthermore, as he listened to the broadcasts coming from her house, Werner found out that Marie was in looming danger of a German soldier. Endangering his life, Werner rescued Marie-Laure from Sergeant Major Von Rumpel and escorted her to safety. During his time with her, he felt like the world stopped moving, as he experienced for the first time in his life, true spiritual happiness and noticed how there was always light in the world despite the war. This is evident in the phrase; “Jutta he thinks, I finally listened” (Doerr 323), in other words, Werner felt redeemed, which permitted him to see life from an optimistic point of view. All things considered through following others’ guidelines, Werner has lost a close friend but amid hardships, he finally listened to his sister, to always follow his beliefs, where he found out that genuine light and happiness can only be achieved through taking big risks in life. Elie Wiesel, a famous holocaust survivor once stated, “The opposite of life is not death, it is indifference.” Likewise, the book further embraces the idea that people should not be indifferent and encourages them to take risks to earn their own sincere happiness.
In the book, Madame Manec is an old housekeeper and caretaker for Marie-Laure and her uncle Etienne. Madame Manec bravely followed her own beliefs and unfrightened fought the German oppression. Madame Manec coordinated with people from the town and established an efficient method to transfer encrypted messages between the residents of Saint-Malo, by hiding notes inside loafs of bread. Every day she risked her life to bring calculated misfortunes to the German soldiers controlling their city. When confronted by Mr. Etienne, Marie’s uncle, regarding her actions she simply replied, “Don’t you want to be alive before you die?” (Doerr 189). This quote demonstrates Madame Manec’s understanding of the world that a person’s life is bound to cease sooner or later. Thus, she found happiness in fighting discreetly against the Germans and for the first time she felt alive. Furthermore, Madame Manec is an influential person who shares her optimistic views on the future with the residents of her town. She is motivated by the light at the end of the tunnel, a light that is always present deep inside ourselves, which made her feel invigorated and youthful again. A respectable counter argument would be that Madame Manec is a …show more content…
minor character in the novel who does not convey the overall theme of following her own beliefs very boldly. While this may be true, in the book Madame Manec stated, "Doing nothing is as good as collaborating” (Doerr 412). Notably, Madame Manec responded to the oppression from the Germans hence she established herself as a key figure in the book’s overall theme of happiness earned by taking extreme risks. In conclusion, Madame Manec’s character, irrelevant how big or small, greatly helped instill the message of the book to the readers that to acquire happiness and light for the future in an environment filled with horror one must take great risks and be willing to die with their conscience of following their own principles. The secret broadcast coming from Marie-Laure’s house said, “The electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinitely in the other, so really children, mathematically, all of light is invisible” (Doerr 44).
With this in mind, the book conveys a very powerful message that light and hidden behind it, happiness, is always present. However, a character must apprehend great risks to harvest that light. The second protagonist and arguably the most influential one in the book is named Marie-Laure LeBlanc. Marie is a sixteen-year-old French girl who lost her vision at the age of six and was solely raised by her father. Shortly after the war broke out, they moved from the city of Paris to a small and walled port city by the name of Saint-Malo, where her uncle Etienne resided. Her father worked as a locksmith at National Museum of Natural History and was entrusted with a precious stone named the sea of flames. Provided that her father had the diamond, he hid it with care so that Marie would be the first one to find it. While he went back to Paris to find out the situation at the museum, unfortunately, Marie’s father was captured and was sent to a Nazi’s labour camp north of the country, hence leaving Marie-Laure within the care of Madame Manec and her uncle Etienne. The girl has experienced incredible challenges in her life and her father was always the driving force to help her overcome those hardships, so now she had to follow her own judgments to move forward in
life. Towards the end of the book, when the Allied forces have landed in Normandy, a man by the name of Sergeant Von Rumpel was in her house looking for her. Marie-Laure risked everything: she risked exposing her location to German radio engineers and she risked being heard by the Sergeant in her house and nevertheless, she went up her attic and started broadcasting secret messages over the radio. Fortunately, Marie’s risks paid off as the young German soldier, Werner came into the house and rescued her from the menacing Sergeant. Although they were only together for a short time, Marie and Werner formed a very strong bond. Time seemed irrelevant, but after some time Werner sent Marie-Laure away to safety while he was captured by the Allied forces. Shortly after, Marie was reunited with her uncle and she pondered; She sits with her shoulder pressed against Etienne’s or Dr. Geffard’s. Papa might be anywhere. He might be that voice just now drawing nearer. Those footfalls to her right. He might be in a cell, in a ditch, a thousand miles away. He might be long dead. (Doerr 492) This quote further empathizes that despite the horrible events in her life, Marie kept her composer and remained confident about the world being full of light, in other words, she remained optimistic that the good deeds of humankind will greatly outweigh the negative ones. Above all, Marie-Laure was very brave as she survived through years of war and always hoped her father was still alive and looking for her. The valiant hearted girl risked her life and followed her own judgements, which altogether saved her life and reunited her with her uncle Etienne, making her extremely happy. After analyzing the novel, All the Light We Cannot See the audience can learn that all people can find light and happiness even in history’s darkest hours. However, they must stay true to their own beliefs and take serious risks to preserve them. Following Frederick’s death, Werner learned to follow his own beliefs and protect what is most valuable to him. Madame Manec risked her life establishing a secret communication service and ambush German soldiers. Lastly but most importantly Marie-Laure risked her life by exposing her location when broadcasting secret messages to the Allied forces. All things considered, all people are capable of finding light and happiness because there is always an invisible light in the world even when everything is submerged in total darkness.
It shows that people’s opinions of her matter to her more than her opinion of herself. Also, it is shown that her mother is the one who gave Jeannette the confidence to tell the story of her past, which later provoked her to write this memoir.
The book All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer, was not your traditional love and war story. It’s about a young blind girl named Marie growing up in the war, who had a connection with a young boy named Werner who is a part of the Hitler youth. There are a few other characters who are all in different parts of the world, and yet they eventually all meet up together and find out they all have some type of connection between each other. All of the characters in the book were affected by the war, and caused them to change into the characters that they ended up to be.
When Marie tries to ask the protagonist to take a walk, this action shows that she is trying to achieve Pauline’s dream by getting her outside of the house. Therefore, she could finally feel the true meaning of freedom. Nevertheless, Pauline’s mother’s response demonstrates that she wants her daughter’s safety more than anything. The mother tries to keep Pauline away from the danger, so the protagonist can at last have a healthier life. However, Agathe’s reply shows that her mother is willing to sacrifice Pauline’s dream to keep her secure. Therefore, the author uses contrasting characters to mention that safety is more valuable. Furthermore, the protagonist starts to describe Tante Marie and reveals that she always has her hair “around her shoulder” (85). When Pauline describes Marie, Pauline shows how her Tante is open-minded. In fact, Marie helps Pauline to let go of her limitations and to get a taste of her dream. Therefore, Marie always wants Pauline to go outside and play hockey or even to take a walk. These actions that Pauline’s Tante takes show how she is determinate to make Pauline’s dream come true. Thus, the author
War was one of the most difficult and brutal things a society could ever go through. World War II was especially terrible because it affected so many people.World War II was centered in Europe and the people of the European countries felt the effects much more than many of the other countries that were also participating in the world war. In the book All the Light We Cannot See written by Anthony Doerr, the story took place during World War II in Europe, the center stage for the war. This war was one of the most difficult wars because it destroyed homes, displaced thousands, tore families apart, killed off loved ones, and forced people to make tough decisions they had to live with for the rest of their lives. In All The Light We Cannot See,
When people lose their dignity, they also lose a part of the very thing that makes them human. Despair, hopelessness, fear and apathy are all ways a human can lose their humanity. The eyes provide a window onto the soul, and thus a view on the person’s mental state. The eyes also function in reverse, as a symbolic gesture of control over someone. All of this is present in Night, by Elie Wiesel, an account of human tragedy, human cruelty, human dignity, and the loss thereof.
...ing identity to the point where it no longer exists. This identity can be lost through extreme devotion, new experience, and immense tragedy. Relationships with the most meaningful companions impact both main characters, Elie and Frederic. Due to the events they must encounter alongside loved ones, Elie and Frederic change completely, losing the identity that once existed. The most impactful events of any life are those that involve struggle and tragedy. Any tragic event that one encounters can significantly alter the purpose of life forever. Tragic events such as taking away what one may hold dearest, such as a loved one in the cases of Elie and Frederic. This type of loss can create a saddened, purposeless life in all humans.
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
In Fahrenheit 451 the main characters are Montag, Faber, Clarisse, and Beatty. Montag is someone who knows what he wants and what he wants is change. He is a fireman who suddenly realizes the emptiness of his life and starts to search for meaning in the books he is supposed to be burning. Though he is sometimes rash and has a hard time thinking for himself, he is determined to break free from the oppression of ignorance. He quickly forms unusually strong attachments with anyone who seems receptive to true friendship. At first, Montag believes that he is happy. He thinks this because of the question that Clarisse asks him. When he views himself in the firehouse mirror after a night of burning, he grins "the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame." His biggest regret in life is not having a better relationship with his wife. Faber is a very wise and intellectual man. He readily admits that the current state of society is due to the cowardice of people like himself, who would not speak out against book burning when they still could have stopped it. He berates himself for being a coward, but he shows himself capable of acts that require great courage and place him in considerable danger. Clarisse seems to always be of in her own world. She was a beautiful seventeen-year-old who introduces Montag to the world's potential for beauty and meaning with her gentle innocence and curiosity. She is an outcast from society because of her odd habits, which include hiking, playing with flowers, and asking questions. She asks questions such as, "Are you happy?
Lastly, I would like to discuss the issue of Libertinism. Libertinism was a movement that started in the eighteenth century; about the time Dangerous Liaisons was written. It was a movement of questioning religion and God and of scandalous affairs. The people of this movement no longer thought the world is controlled by God, but by your own actions. The characters of Valmont and Merteuil were prominent Libertines. The book is definitely an example of this movement. It completely represents the values that come from Libertinism.
“Even in darkness, it is possible to create light”(Wiesel). In Night, a memoir by Elie Wiesel, the author, as a young boy who profoundly believed in his religion, experiences the life of a prisoner in the Holocaust. He struggles to stay with his father while trying to survive. Through his experience, he witnesses the changes in his people as they fight each other for themselves. He himself also notices the change within himself.
The novel The Book Thief is a book about a young girl by the name of Liesel Meminger. Observing the life of this young girl is not easy as this is the time of Hitler’s reign in Germany. In a short period of time, this girl faces many difficulties. More than any child should ever have to encounter. She has to deal with being abandoned by her mother, the death of her younger brother, and relocation to another part of Germany. Immediately when Liesel arrives to Molching, her life is forever changed. She is forced to live with two strangers, now her new mama and papa. Liesel faces much abuse both at school and at home. At school she is made fun of for her illiteracy and at home, mama speaks very rudely to her calling her a swine and other insults.
“‘One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.’” (192). In A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, two girls living dramatically different yet similar lives form a true and lasting friendship against all odds. Their names are Mariam and Laila. All that they possess that is comforting is their relationship with each other and with Laila’s children. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini emphasizes the importance of hope through his development of setting, symbolism, and diction.
In the French coastal town of Saint- Malo in August 1944, War World II is coming to its high point. The allies are landing and fighting against Germany. Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See” is a historical fiction book, with a wide-ranging language and characters who are both courageous and heartbreaking. Doerr brings together the stories of a French girl named Marie-Laure, who has lost her eyesight and a German orphan named Werner. As Hitler upsurges, Marie-Laure and Werner lives and families are torn apart by the war. Anthony Doerr 's’ use of imagery, and metaphor, he stresses the damage of life that war creates. Since the characters were affected by the war and also affected by their experiences, all characters went through a change
Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See shows the reader how children would deal with war and how it shaped who they are today. Doerr’s purpose for writing this novel is to highlight how mentally taxing the war was and that there was no permanent escape from the war. Both Marie-Laure and Werner believed they could escape the war both physically and mentally, yet their involvement in it makes it more difficult. Marie-Laure’s fear of her father going to jail shows how she becomes involved in the war. Werner struggled with trying to escape the war through his fascination with radios when it just brought him further into the war. After understanding the effect on certain individuals; the story zooms out showing how the majority
This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parablethe style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.