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  • Essay / The Light We Must See

    Through all the light we cannot see, Anthony Doerr creates a world in which two invariably different individuals connect to each other through destiny and personal flaws. Werner's flaws - or his inability to visualize his hope - align with Marie-Laure's lack of sight. Werner and Marie-Laure are forced - in their realities and together, when they meet - to understand that the world is far from good. This does not mean, however, that they can submit to evil (Nazism, for Werner; sadness, for Marie-Laure). They realize that we must “open our eyes and see what we can do with them before they close forever” (Doerr, 310), adding a tragic touch of situational irony in light of the lack of physical capacity of Marie-Laure to , do precisely that. All The Light We Cannot See, through this connection, becomes a search for light in the tunnel of life, and the presence or absence of sight in the novel provides symbols of hope and the obstacles that individuals encounter in the process. during this research. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The obstacles Marie-Laure and Werner encounter are intended to deter them from seeing (physically and metaphorically), but they are ultimately able to overcome these obstacles by recognizing the errors of their behavior and opening their eyes to the hope - the light - in life. Marie-Laure's abilities are obviously hampered by her physical blindness, but her obstacles run deeper; they begin as a battle against despair and evolve into a battle against the evil of the Nazi cause, a battle for one's life. Marie-Laure's father instills in her a deep autonomy and intelligence which makes her hope, her light, her sight grow, by working with her to see the city (through her models) despite her handicap. Her father's diligent and attentive teachings are what give Marie-Laure the moral high ground and courage to help her uncle and what allows Marie-Laure's hope to flourish. Werner, at the same time, is forced to work in a Hitler Youth program in the name of the Nazi cause. He must transform his passion for science and the radio, which he once used to find the music and philosophical lyrics of a Frenchman - which he once used for good - into a tool to find and eliminate those who opposed the Nazi cause. He must facilitate the deaths of people who only want the same basic humanities he dreamed of as a young orphan boy; security, happiness, care. His duty to the Nazi cause and his fear of the potential repercussions – should he oppose them – destroy his morale and damage his integrity, stealing his light and obscuring his vision of hope. It is while fulfilling his disastrous duties that Werner discovers Marie-Laure; Marie-Laure's uncle Etienne had radio broadcasts in the interest of the "rebel cause". (Uncle Etienne, in a perfectly healthy literary circle, is the same Frenchman that Werner listened to on the radio and idolized as a child.) Werner, on meeting Marie-Laure - on seeing her for the first time - remembers of Werner, he wants to be; the Werner that Jutta, his sister, begged him to stay; the Werner he knew he was, deep down. He decides that he will not stand by and watch the murder of unworthy people for the sake of a so-called cause. Werner saves Marie-Laure and Etienne, crediting Marie-Laure as the catalyst that brings the light back to him, allowing him to open his eyes and allowing him to see his hope. Werner comes to understand the reality that he would.