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All The Light We Cannot See Essay

990 Words4 Pages

All the Light We Cannot See is a novel written by Anthony Doerr about two protagonists who clash paths and make great sacrifices in a time of war and destruction. Set in German-occupied France in World War II, the narrator tells the story of a teenage blind girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc whose life is revolved around the war. Not so far away, the story of a young, orphaned German boy named Werner Pfennig is told in parallel. The lives of these two main characters cross paths as the plot unveils and as the two attempt to achieve their goals. Classified as historical (WWII) fiction, this novel’s setting defines many aspects of the plot, including the plot itself. The violence and tragedy of war rescinds the free will of the characters, advances …show more content…

Making a decision is not an easy thing and can cause conflict between friends and even family members. In the novel, the first and most notable conflict is between Werner and his sister, Jutta. To escape his fate of working in the coal mines, Werner foolishly plans on joining Nazi Young in search of his dream to become a scientist. On the other hand, his sister Jutta opposes him wholeheartedly and questions his ethics, but Werner disregards her. The kind of conflict between Jutta and Werner continues throughout the story until Werner realizes the reality, but it's too late. The circumstances of the war lead to Werner betraying his family. At the same time, the other conflict in the story is between Etienne and his housekeeper, Madame Manec. Madame Manec organizes to help the French resistance in her own ways while Etienne is still fearful of the consequences of speaking out against the Nazi force. Etienne tries to avoid the reality of the war by hiding inside his house and ignoring the consequences of the war by fantasizing in his head. Although, he later gets encouraged by Marie and he is one of the main keys in helping the French resistance, but all this happened after Madame Manec’s death. War can lead people to be fearful, cautious, and throttled into circumstances against their

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