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Examples Of Denial In All The Light We Cannot See

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Denial “Delay is the deadliest form of denial”- (C. Northcote Parkinson). In All The Light We Cannot See written by Anthony Doerr, the book follows two characters, Werner and Marie, who are on opposite sides of World War II. The book tells of the hardships and problems both Marie and Werner face throughout the story. While denial may seem comforting, it just delays the inevitable situation that’s being avoided. Denial is an illusion a person creates to deal with reality. Marie was hiding from a German soldier, and Marie heard the voice of her father say in her head “Don't risk it, says the voice of her father. Don’t risk the noise”(Doerr 376). Marie hearing her father’s voice shows the attachment she holds towards her father. Marie’s deep connection to her father …show more content…

Marie projects the hope she has for the return of her father when she states, “He’ll say, what took you so long bluebird? He’ll say, I will never leave you, not in a million years”(Doerr 342). Marie shows her false sense of security with her hope for her father to come back to her. To further elaborate, Marie uses the hope of her father’s return as reassurance of her safety and comfort. As a child, Werner hears an unidentified person state ”So really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible”(Doerr 369). Werner having been brought up in an environment with this kind of ideology gives insight into the reason for the walls he builds surrounding his hope. Werner having learned to mask his hope and be short-sighted to the horrible reality that surrounds him makes the cause of why he shields himself clear. Marie creates a delusion by filling herself with hope for the return of her father, while Werner turns his head to what goes on around him by his blindness to having hope. When people have hope, one looks toward the future, whereas without hope one lives in the

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