Anthony Doerr's 'All The Light We Cannot See'

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In Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See, the author explores WWII through two characters' viewpoints. Marie-Laure is a French girl who suffers from blindness and experiences the siege of Saint-Malo. Werner is a German orphan who, through his talents, becomes a radio technician for the Nazis. Each protagonist navigates their world in different ways, such as with radios in Werner’s case. Throughout the novel, Doerr uses radios to explore the journey of Werner’s morality. Before Werner gets swept up with the Nazis, he is a young orphan interested in radio. At this point in the novel, Werner has no perspective on morality as he is still young. On page 48, Werner and Jutta find ten yards of copper wire and modify their radio allowing them to …show more content…

Has anyone ever spoken so intimately about the very things Werner is most curious about? Open your eyes, conclude the man, and see what you can with them before they close forever”. Werner is given a new perspective on the outside world as he had previously only been able to listen to broadcasts originating from Germany. Although he is not French, the epiphany he receives from the broadcast subconsciously gives him a good perspective on the French and their ideas. The quote from the French broadcast catalyzes Werner's growing awareness of the world outside his own experiences, hinting at the moral complexities he will later confront. On page 84, Werner fixes Herr Siedler’s radio and he is very impressed with Werner’s abilities: “‘Good with tools,’ Herr Siedler says. Smart beyond your years of experience. There are places for a boy like you. General Heissmeyer’s school’”. Werner’s first step in getting integrated with the Nazi Party starts when he seeks to further his knowledge of radio and take an interest in Schulpforta. His interest in radios serves as a gateway to the Nazi Party, causing his moral thoughts to shift when surrounded by them. Werner is working in Hauptmann’s laboratory working with

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