Good Vs. Evil In Anthony Doerr's 'All The Light We Cannot See'

Open Your Eyes
Good versus evil is a battle as old as mankind. Every second of every day, the score changes. Sometimes, good is winning. Other times, evil. But at the end of day, good always prevails. Always. In the novel All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Werner, an “eighteen-year-old” Nazi soldier, blurs the line between good and evil on a daily basis. As an unwilling soldier of the Reich, Werner is faced with difficult decisions that force him to examine the relationship between his allegiance and his morality. He is also affected by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s statement, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” For Werner, his choices were never straightforward. Yet, Werner almost always took

However, good always prevails in the end. It is a culmination of small, seemingly insignificant actions that generates the victory. By letting Marie off the hook — a blatant, treasonous violation of his duties punishable by death — Werner attempts to regain control of his life. At that moment, Werner chose good over evil. While his decision was certainly not an easy one and one that would be viewed as the wrong decision by his colleagues, Werner made it because he felt like he had to. Because he felt like he had no other choice. It is in times like these, when we feel like we have no other choice, that our deepest, darkest desires for good emerge and affect the environment around us. For Werner, it was the imagery of his friend Frederick saying he would not dump cold water on a prisoner bound and gagged in the freezing cold (407). Frederick had the courage to say no, so surely Werner had it too. The courage to say no, to say nichts, is what ensures good prevails over evil in the world. Werner’s story taught us there will always be evil, but as long as there is courage and community, good will prevail. By making the choices that align with our morals, by utilizing our free will, we can ensure the outcome. Werner asks himself and the reader, “Is it right to do something only because everyone else is doing it?” (Doerr 246). Werner’s story tells us the correct answer is no. One should do something because it is the right