What is the theme of all the light we cannot see?
All the Light We Cannot See Themes. Nationalism. Nationalism comes out in two distinct ways in the novel: the nationalistic propaganda of the Nazis, and the nationalism of the resistance fighters in France.
What is a way of seeing in all the light we cannot see?
All the important characters in All the Light We Cannot See are invested in a certain “way of seeing ”—a worldview that allows them to make sense of the complex world. Sometimes, a character chooses one way of seeing in order to compensate for not having access to another.
What is the historical background of all the light we cannot see?
There is too much history in All the Light We Cannot See to describe in much detail. However, the most important historical event in the novel is World War II.
What is the climax of all the light we cannot see?
Climax: Werner Pfennig meets Marie-Laure LeBlanc in the wardrobe and saves her life. Big Money: On top of winning critical and popular acclaim for All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr has won the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, which features the single largest prize given for short story writing: 45,000 dollars.
What is all the light we Cannot see by Anthony Doerr about?
From Anthony Doerr, the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning author of Cloud Cuckoo Land, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
How does all the light we Cannot see define courage?
While it may seem that society's restrictions continually halt the way one progresses in life, the ability to defy the odds and overcome them truly defines a person's courage.
What do peaches represent in all the light we Cannot see?
In the novel, peaches symbolize security and safety. When Marie-Laure and her father finally arrive in Saint-Malo after a long and perilous journey, they are hungry and exhausted. Madame Manec offers them canned peaches to eat, which symbolizes that they have finally arrived somewhere where they can feel safe and fed.
Is all the light we Cannot see based on a true story?
The elements of the story, such as the historical facts and the setting, are all very real. But the two young characters caught up on different sides of the war are straight from Doerr's impressive imagination.
Is all the light we Cannot see a love story?
All the Light We Cannot See is not really a love story. The two main characters are both children during the war, and when they meet they become...
Why did Werner save Marie-Laure?
Had Werner simply reported the illicit broadcast, Marie-Laure and Etienne would have been imprisoned and possibly killed. Instead, Werner tracks the source of the broadcast secretly because he wants to meet the Frenchman who is responsible for it, and in so doing, he gives them a chance at survival.
What does Werner's death symbolize?
By dying, Werner is redeemed, and we can hope that God will grant him mercy for his stupidity in aiding the Nazi's and reward him for saving the blind girl.
What happens to the diamond at the end of All The Light We Cannot See?
However, Werner picks it up (unbeknownst to her) & ends up keeping the house; at the end of the book, it's revealed that the gem is buried within the pebbles in the grotto, covered in algae and barnacles - which means he removed it from the house and placed it there himself.
How is the theme of imagination proven throughout the story?
The fairy tale nature of the story is played out in some of the characters' other-worldliness: Werner and Jutta as snowy-haired orphans in a soot-c...
What happened to the stone?
The stone was stolen by thieves who attacked the prince in Borneo.
How is courage demonstrated in All the Light We Cannot See? What characters are the most courageous and why? Explain.
Courage comes in the form of family loyalty. One review describes this as “a novel that celebrates the power of family and love.” Marie-Laure's gre...
What did Marie-Laure do in the French Resistance?
Marie-Laure becomes part of the French resistance effort. She and Etienne use his contraband radio to broadcast information to the Allies. Meanwhile, a brilliant German boy named Werner Pfennig seems doomed to spend his life in a coal mine—but instead receives an invitation to a Nazi school.
What is the mission of Werner and Marie-Laure?
Werner is pressed into military service and becomes part of a team assigned with the mission of locating and destroying anti-German radio broadcasts. While Werner is in Saint-Malo hunting Marie-Laure’s radio broadcasts, Allied bombers attack the city. In separate locations, both Werner and Marie-Laure are trapped.
What does Frederick tell Werner?
As Frederick tells Werner, “Your problem is that you still believe you own your life.”. On the other hand, Doerr’s novel emphasizes the power of individuals to choose their own path despite the world around them. In one of the book’s most important scenes, Werner tells Marie-Laure that she has been brave.
What is the story of all the light we can't see?
Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of two teenagers during World War II (WWII), one a blind girl in Nazi-occupied France, the other a German orphan boy pressed into service by the Nazi army. Marie-Laure LeBlanc evacuates Paris with her father after he is entrusted with a valuable diamond named the Sea of Flames.
What is Werner's dream?
Werner, bright and inquisitive, dreams of becoming a scientist; instead, he is given a choice between working in a coal mine or dedicating his life to the Nazi cause . Frederick, whose sense of duty brings him to the Nazi school despite his compassion, refuses to participate in killing a helpless man.
Where does Marie-Laure Leblanc escape?
They escape to her great-uncle Etienne’s house in Saint-Malo, where her father is arrested. Marie-Laure becomes part of the French resistance effort.
Who saved Werner's life?
In separate locations, both Werner and Marie-Laure are trapped. Eventually Marie-Laure’s broadcasts save Werner’s life, and in return, he finds her and saves her from a German officer who is prepared to kill her in his search for the Sea of Flames diamond. Written by: Anthony Doerr.
Why is Volkheimer lonely?
Volkheimer lives a lonely and isolated life because he is haunted by what he experienced during wartime, while Jutta carries intense shame about the atrocities Germany committed.
What is the brutality of war?
The brutality of war is a driving force that shapes the fates of individuals and corrupts people into betraying their principles. Marie-Laure, Werner, and Daniel Leblanc all had hopes and dreams for their lives. They were innocent bystanders who got caught up in the tide of a huge and violent war, and only one of them survives.
What does Werner prove?
Werner proves that the brutality of war can lead someone who has a kind heart and protective instinct into being an accessory to death. Werner would never willingly contribute to harming an innocent woman and child, but once he is caught up in the war effort, he has no choice.
What does Etienne learn about the war?
Over time, she learns that he is still haunted and traumatized by his experiences fighting in the first World War. Etienne is the first character to reveal that individuals cannot fully break free from the past , especially if that past involved suffering.
What would happen if Marie-Laure had not been motivated by her love of books and knowledge?
If she had not been motivated by her love of books and knowledge, Marie-Laure might have simply lost hope and given up. After her father’s disappearance, Marie-Laure lapses into depression, but she starts to recover when Madame Manec takes her to the beach and lets her experience the sounds and textures of the seashore.
What is the legacy of the past?
The Legacy of the Past. Individuals in the novel are always shaped by the events that have come before and can never fully leave their pasts behind. When Marie-Laure first meets her great-uncle Etienne, she is confused by his nervous and eccentric behavior.
Why does Marie-Laure become a scientist?
Even though she loses her sight, Marie-Laure continues to read and learn as much about the natural world as she can. Because of her persistence , she eventually becomes a scientist who explores unknown regions and identifies new species.
Why does Werner use his memories?
For example, Werner uses his more pleasant memories to avoid his current reality, but as his life and his guilt grow more complicated, his good memories soon all begin to blend together, and he is haunted by the memories of the terrible things he has been a part of.
What is the nationalism in the novel?
Nationalism. Nationalism comes out in two distinct ways in the novel: the nationalistic propaganda of the Nazis, and the nationalism of the resistance fighters in France. In Nazi Germany, this nationalism focused on purity, a group mentality of the goodness of the country, and the acceptability of cruelty as a way of meeting these goals.
What is the science and technology of radio?
The science and technology of radio is specifically relevant to the novel, from Werner’s initial love of the radio show he hears, to his later talent for fixing and engineering radios that are used to further the Nazi propaganda.
Why is memory important in a novel?
Thus memory in the novel is used to emphasize, throughout the chapters, the relationships between a character and his or her experiences, and the people he or she has met along the way, and how these have shaped him or her.
Who said if your blood doesn't run in the arms and legs of the person you're next to,
Marie-Laure's great-uncle Etienne says “If your same blood doesn’t run in the arms and legs of the person you’re next to, you can’t trust anything” (ch 84), because he believes that during these hard times, the only people who can be trusted are family.
Who did Marie-Laure learn about?
Marie-Laure experiences this as well in her exploration of the Natural History Museum, her informal lessons on mollusks with Dr. Geffard, and the reading and adventures she does with Etienne through authors such as Darwin and Jules Verne.
Is Marie-Laure blind?
Marie-Laure, who is in the “dark” of her own blindness, actually encompasses more of the good of the novel, seeing through to the kindness and goodness in people, and sensing the dark sides of the people who are trying to harm her or her family. Can the darkness and the light, the evil and the good, exist simultaneously inside these characters, ...
What does Doerr say about the bombings in Germany?
Doerr doesn't look away when the horror of war affect civilians. One of the most harrowing passages is a description of what Jutta sees after the bombings in Germany. Doerr writes: All spring the bombers come, every single night, their only goal seemingly to burn the city to its roots.
What is the theme of All the Light We Cannot See?
The most important theme in All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is war and how it affects the lives of everyone it touches. A secondary theme that entwines with the first is the question of free will and whether the characters are truly free to make decisions about their own lives.
Who is sent to prison in Marie-Laure?
Marie-Laure has to learn an entirely new space to navigate. Daniel is sent to prison. Personal choice is shown most sharply in the character of Werner.
What is the literary period of the 21st century?
Literary Period: The “everything is connected” trend of 21st century fiction. Genre: Historical drama, “two-plot” novel. Setting: Saint-Malo and Paris (France), and Berlin and Essen (Germany), between the 1930s and 2014. Climax: Werner Pfennig meets Marie-Laure LeBlanc in the wardrobe and saves her life.
Where did Anthony Doerr go to college?
Brief Biography of Anthony Doerr. Anthony Doerr was born in Cleveland, and studied history at Bowdoin College in Maine. After graduating in 1995, he went on to the MFA program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Doerr earned much attention at Bowling Green for his short stories, and in 2002 he succeeded in publishing a collection ...
What was the war between the Axis powers and the Allied powers?
Between 1939 and 1945, Europe was locked in a long and brutal war between the Axis Powers—the Fascist states of Germany and Italy—and the Allied Powers, including England, France, and eventually the U.S. During this period, Italy and Germany ruled their own people with an iron fist.
What is the historical context of "All the Light We Cannot See"?
There is too much history in All the Light We Cannot See to describe in much detail. However, the most important historical event in the novel is World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Europe was locked in a long and brutal war between the Axis Powers—the Fascist states of Germany and Italy—and ...
When did Germany start isolating Jews?
Beginning in the late 1930s, Germany began isolating Jews, Romani people, disabled people, and homosexuals, first forcing them to wear identification at all times, then forcing them to live in designated areas, and finally, in 1942, sending them to labor camps to be murdered.
Who led the resistance groups in France?
While most French citizens agreed to abide by German laws, largely out of fear for their safety and their families’ safety, there were resistance groups (many of whom were led by Charles de Gaulle, still celebrated as a hero in France) who used force to fight the Germans in France.
What is the foreshadowing of Marie-Laure's grandfather?
foreshadowing The death of Marie-Laure’s grandfather in World War I foreshadows the deaths of her father and Werner as casualties of World War II. Werner’s affection for his younger sister foreshadows the guilt he will feel when he contributes to the death of a young girl. Previous section Symbols.
What is the major conflict in the novel?
major conflict The major conflict occurs as Werner tries to maintain his moral integrity and use his intelligence as a force for good while Nazi officials urge him toward violence and brutality. A secondary important conflict occurs as von Rumpel pursues the diamond, putting Marie-Laure in danger.
What is the climax of Marie-Laure?
climax The climax occurs when Werner goes to Marie-Laure’s house to help her, thereby committing himself to using his skills and talents to save someone else.
What is the point of view of the narrator?
point of view The narrator speaks in the third person, switching focus from character to character. The narrator is omniscient and relates what each character thinks and feels as well as information that none of the characters know themselves. tone Thoughtful, melancholy, resigned.
Where does the movie "The Last Jedi" take place?
A few additional events take place in 1974 and 2014. setting (place) The action happens primarily in Paris and Saint-Malo, France, and Germany. A few scenes occur elsewhere in Europe. protagonist Werner and Marie-Laure.
Who killed von Rumpel?
At the house, Werner shoots and kills von Rumpel. falling action The falling action involves Werner helping Marie-Laure escape from the town during the ceasefire. The falling action continues years later as Jutta investigates the belongings she receives from the veterans’ group.
Narrator and Point of View
Third person omniscient, alternating between Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig. Other characters' narratives are also shown, such as those of Sergeant Major von Rumpel, Etienne, Daniel LeBlanc, Jutta Pfennig, and Claude Levitte.
Tone and Mood
The mood is a mix of the magic of discovery, the fear of those in power / fear of destruction, and the warmth of love pervading all.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig. The antagonists are von Rumpel, the war, and the Third Reich
Major Conflict
Werner’s ethical dilemma in being part of the Nazi regime, as well as his more physical need to escape from the cellar; Marie-Laure’s safety in carrying out her duties in the resistance, while also unknowingly keeping the Sea of Flames in her possession, and her need to stay safe from von Rumpel.
Climax
When Saint-Malo is bombed and the protagonists are trapped: Werner, trapped in the basement, with no way to get out, listening to Marie-Laure read on the radio, while she is trapped in the attic hiding the Sea of Flames from von Rumpel.
Foreshadowing
In Chapter 46, von Rumpel notes that a slight swelling troubles his groin, foreshadowing the cancer that later appears in his body and is described in detail in Chapter 62, as the city of Saint Malo burns.
Understatement
In Chapter 171, when Jutta visits Saint-Malo and sees a plaque for the French who died there, she thinks, "There are no plaques for the Germans who died here." This is an understatement because it points indirectly to the severe atrocities that the Germans committed.
