Character Analysis Of Werner In 'All The Light We Cannot See'

In All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Werner can be characterized as a hero. Werner spends most of his childhood at an orphanage because his parents died. He is also very intelligent and excels in math and science. In addition, Werner has a mentor that helps him on his journey. The character of Werner can be categorized as a hero because he has an unusual childhood, a mentor who helps him on his journey, and a special weapon only he can use. First, Werner grows up in an orphanage in Zollverein run by a nun named Frau Elena. Frau Elena is a Protestant nun who is “more found of children than of supervision” (25). He and his sister, Jutta, live at the orphanage because their father died in the mines. While Werner and Jutta are at the orphanage they find a radio that Werner fixes. They listen to many radio broadcasts, but their favorite show is from a man in France. The broadcast plays beautiful music with violins and pianos while teaching them many new things. It teaches about scientific topics such as the brain and the

His mentor is Volkheimer whom first meets Werner at the school for boys in the Hitler Youth. When Werner first sees him he is “a massive figure camped sleepily in an armchair intended for a much smaller man. He is Frank Volkheimer, an upperclassmen, seventeen years old, a colossal boy from some boreal village, a legend among the younger cadets…they call him the giant” (152). At first, Werner is frightened of Volkheimer, but soon realizes he is like a big teddy bear. He helps Werner calculate and find all the illegal radio broadcasts during the war. While Werner and Volkheimer are trapped under the Hotel of Bee’s due to a bombing, they struggle to battle for their lives. Just as Werner thinks of giving up, Volkheimer says, “your sister, think of your sister” (211). This gives Werner a reason to fight to see Jutta again. Volkheimer was a mentor to Werner as he helped him