As I finish All the Light We Cannot See, I’d like to revisit some of my favorite passages
and most important moments in the text.
and most important moments in the text.
First, Doerr says, “A shred of bird dances on Hauptmann’s cheek. Perhaps for the first
time, Werner sees in his teacher’s thinning blond hair, in his black nostrils, in his small,
almost elfin ears, something pitiless and inhuman, something determined only to survive”
(Doerr 271). This scene occurs when a German professor working at the National Institute
Werner is attending finishes eating. Hauptmann is confronted about the morality of the Nazi
regime, and instead of simply answering Werner, he becomes defensive and forces him to go
to war, even though he is two years too young and has not fully finished his training. This is
also an important moment in Werner’s character development, as he finally recognizes his own
time, Werner sees in his teacher’s thinning blond hair, in his black nostrils, in his small,
almost elfin ears, something pitiless and inhuman, something determined only to survive”
(Doerr 271). This scene occurs when a German professor working at the National Institute
Werner is attending finishes eating. Hauptmann is confronted about the morality of the Nazi
regime, and instead of simply answering Werner, he becomes defensive and forces him to go
to war, even though he is two years too young and has not fully finished his training. This is
also an important moment in Werner’s character development, as he finally recognizes his own
personality and separates it from that of the German army. He no longer feels a commitment,
and therefore this is a great turning point in the novel.
and therefore this is a great turning point in the novel.
One of my favorite quotes is also, "The city, thinks Marie-Laure, is slowly being remade into
the model upstairs. Streets sucked empty one by one" (Doerr 274).
the model upstairs. Streets sucked empty one by one" (Doerr 274).
To me, this truly exemplifies the effects of war on both sides. On the French side of the war,
Marie-Laure is forced to see the city that she loves destroyed around her. She witnesses the
deaths of her family and friends, and does not have anyone for support. On the other side,
Werner also feels this to some extent. Instead of his friends and family being ripped away from
him, he is ripped away from them. While he is trying to achieve his dreams of becoming an
engineer throughout the novel, he faces the internal conflict that I mentioned earlier.
Marie-Laure is forced to see the city that she loves destroyed around her. She witnesses the
deaths of her family and friends, and does not have anyone for support. On the other side,
Werner also feels this to some extent. Instead of his friends and family being ripped away from
him, he is ripped away from them. While he is trying to achieve his dreams of becoming an
engineer throughout the novel, he faces the internal conflict that I mentioned earlier.
As I get to the end of All the Light We Cannot See, I really have to express how difficult it was
to choose only a few of my favorite quotes to look at in this microblog. It’s beautifully written,
and genuinely has an incredible story line.
to choose only a few of my favorite quotes to look at in this microblog. It’s beautifully written,
and genuinely has an incredible story line.
Comments
Post a Comment