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 * Title: All the Light We Cannot See**
 * Author: Anthony Doerr**
 * Date of Publication: May 6, 2014**
 * Literary Period: Post-Modernism**
 * Genre: Historical Fiction**

This novel takes place in Germany and France mainly within the time periods of 1940-1944 during the period of World War Two but also has several scenes several years before and after this European conflict. The novel, of course, focuses on the central theme of pursuing the small lights in total darkness, and Nazi Germany, for both Marie-Laure and Werner presents this enveloping darkness that covers every bit of land that Germany occupies, and of course, Germany itself. Werner's story begins in a small coal mining town in Germany, then transitions to a camp for future Nazi soldiers where he is then deployed and eventually moves to France where he takes up a post at the Hotel of Bees in Saint-Malo. Marie-Laure begins in the city of Paris France, and later moves through the French countryside to Saint-Malo to move in with her uncle once the Germans march on the capital.
 * Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.**

Everyone is Human- A source of controversy for this book, Werner's portrayal is not evil and heartless despite his association with the Nazi Army. His character develops throughout the novel as he pursues his ambition to become a scientist and he shows a great deal of empathy towards those suffering under the reign of Germany as he feels the same way.
 * Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)**

Maintain Hope in the Darkest of Times- The entire focus of this novel is on the image of the burning light in the unending dark, and a key theme that arises from this is keeping that light alive. Whether is is Werner's aspiration to avoid working in the coal mines upon turning 15 or Marie-Laure's perseverance in the attic as Von Rumpel searches for her, each character manages to keep their light alive through the hope that they will prevail in the end.

Self-Preservation is a Necessity- Throughout Werner's time spent in the Hitler Youth camp, the only way he managed to get through the experience was to conform to the standards set by his peers and administrators of the camp, despite the fact that he shared none of the ideals as they did. Doerr exemplifies through Frederick that those who fail to conform are beaten and left to die by a society which does not care for them, and that this conformity is the only path to a decent future.

Marie-Laure LeBlanc- Marie-Laure grows up in Paris, France. At a young age she loses her eyesight to a disease that some believe to be a curse that also took the life of her mother. Her father, Daniel, is a locksmith at a local museum, and she enjoys passing her time there studying various things. One of the artifacts there is a diamond known as "The Sea of Flames" which is believed to curse the holder with immortality at the cost of the security of their loved ones. It is revealed that her father owns a replica of the diamond that might be the real copy. Once the Nazis attack Paris, her father takes her to see her cousin in Saint-Malo where he makes her a replica of the city and hides trinkets in puzzles inside of the buildings. Time passes, and the Germans occupy France, her Father is arrested, her caretaker Madame-Manec joins a resistance movement and dies of an illness, her cousin Etienne is captured and taken to a camp of the city's prisoners, and the allies bombard the city with shelling and fires. During her time hiding in her house, Marie-Laure finds the stone her father left her, and hides from German Major Von Rumpel until Werner eventually finds the house she is in and kills him. She moves back to Paris.
 * Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. (Beginning, Middle, End)**

Werner Pfenning- Werner is born in a small mining town in Germany and soon after becomes an orphan. As he ages, he aspires more and more to be a scientist but is constantly told by others that he has no other option but to work in the mines. Eventually, his scientific aptitude is discovered in his knowledge of radios and he is taken to a Hitler youth camp for future members of the Nazi Army. There he is forced to conform with other students to not get singled out and beaten, which happens eventually to his only friend he makes at the camp, Frederick. His mentor teaches him how to locate radio waves mathematically and he is deployed into the German Army two years early. He tours various areas to search for enemy radio waves and ends up in the Hotel of Bees in Saint-Malo. When the allies attack, he is stuck in a room under rubble with his squad members until he uses a grenade to blow an opening in the wall and escape, where he meets Marie-Laure and shoots Von Rumpel. He is later taken to a prisoner-of-war camp where he dies from stepping on a land mine.

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever." This novel, if not made evident by the title already, has a heavy focus on both light and vision. Marie-Laure is blind literally, and Werner, figuratively. Ironically Marie is the more perceptive of the two. This message plays over the radio that Werner listens to as a child and communicates the most important message he loses a hold of by the end of the novel. Once Werner conforms to the standards of the Hitler Youth camp despite the grievances Jutta has against this decision, he begins to learn how to think using only math, which is a direct reference to how he no longer sees the depth of things but rather only the surface.
 * Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.**

"How do you know for certain that you are doing the right thing?" This quote is a key idea from the root of the Nazi conflict in the novel. The German people will do anything to recover from their lost economic state after World War 1, and electing Hitler into power happens to be that thing. The following actions by most soldiers of the German army are not based on malice, but the idea that they can die for the good of their country and improve the quality of the world. This connects back to the idea that everyone is human- your enemies do not define themselves as enemies; both sides of a conflict face their own problems and act out their own interests. Once again, this is probably one of the reasons the novel receives flak for its portrayal of the Nazis; many people would rather prefer a simplified image of an evil people than one with depth and objective.

"Every hour, she thinks, someone for whom the war was memory falls out of the world." By the end of the novel, and by when Marie-Laure thinks about the subject, the clear connection to the "light we cannot see", radios, and the dead has already been established, just as the radio waves, the souls of the passed travel paths throughout the world invisible to the human eye, but unlike the radio waves, they do not carry knowledge through dialogue but the knowledge of those who once lived. This light at the end of the novel is mentioned because, very soon, Marie-Laure is to become part of this light just as everyone else who experienced the war to pass later.

The story opens with pre-bombing Saint-Malo few hours before the destruction occurs in the year 1944. The book opens with images of crewman loading artillery shells and leaflets swirling through the deserted streets. This scene, of course, is the moment before the final climax of the book, before everything falls into place and the reader understands the chronological events of the narration. With opening the story in 1944 and jumping back a few years in the following chapters, the reader can get a glimpse of what occur, and if attentive enough will be able to relate occurrences in 1944 with those in the years prior. The opening sets the novel up for its puzzle-like narration, perhaps a reference to the puzzles Daniel makes for his daughters.
 * Describe the significance of the opening scene.**

The closing scene of the novel is set at the turn of the century in the house of Marie-Laure's grandson. Most of it details her dialogue with her grandson concerning his modern technology, but after this an important idea is raised. Marie-Laure connects these electromagnetic waves with lost souls wandering paths aimlessly, and she begins to think of all of those who fell out of the world quietly after the war. This scene, of course, serves to tell the reader that she is one of these people, and although she went through the hardships of the Nazi occupation, she will one day die and become part of those waves- all the light we cannot see.
 * Describe the significance of the closing scene.**

The most distinct element of Doerr's novel is his discontinuity in each time period and the switch from past to "present" in each of his sections of the novel, exemplified through the switch from pre-bombing Saint-Malo in 1944 to France in 1934 and back again. Along with this constant switch in time period, location is switched almost every chapter as well from the perspective of Marie-Laure to Werner and back typically in which the characters have parallels in their lives through the struggles they face along with a few other miscellaneous chapters concerning side characters. Furthermore, some chapters such as "Grotto" do not serve to advance the plot but to reveal the inner thoughts of a character. Other chapters such as "Leaflets" have heavy imagery to portray an image in the reader's head but just like the previously mentioned chapters do not advance the plot.
 * Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.**

Marie-Laure- Literally blind girl who is one of the two around whom the narrative is centered- flees to Saint-Malo from Paris once Nazis attack and sees the depth in things Werner Pfenning- Figuratively blind boy who is one of the two around whom the plot is centered- joins the Nazi Army to avoid working in the coal mines and is relocated to Saint-Malo Jutta- Sister of Werner- sees the "light" where he does not and disagrees with his choice to join the army Daniel- Father of Marie who makes the model cities for her along with other puzzles- gains possession of the Sea of Flames and uses it to protect his daughter Etienne- old cousin of Marie who allows her and Daniel to move in after the Nazis attack- has a slight degree PTSD from the first world war Madame Manec- caretaker of Marie during her stay with Etienne- starts a resistance movement against the Nazi occupation Von Rumpel- German officer who hunts down Marie-Laure for the stone Volkheimer- older and larger German boy at the Hitler Youth school- is later deployed in a squad with Werner Frederick- only friend of Werner who is beaten into a vegetative state for his weakness and nonconformity
 * List important characters and their significance.**

The Snail- Marie-Laure has a constant obsession with Snails in the novel, and this perhaps can be attributed to the relation of her character to them. One type of snail in particular is described to keep a thin layer of foam it floats on, and without this support it sinks. This can be a direct metaphor for Marie as she is blind like a snail and just in the same way relies on those to whom she is close to "keep her afloat."
 * List important symbols from the work and their significance**

The Sea of Flames- The Sea of Flames is the most versatile and important to understand symbol in the entire work. The image of the Sea of Flames is a bright center surrounded by a deep blue, which alone provides the staple idea of maintaining hope or "looking for light" even in the bleakest and darkest times that fall upon you. To each character in this novel, the light is a different thing: to Marie, learning, to Werner, scientific pursuit, and to even von Rumpel, survival. Furthermore, the idea that you benefit from holding the stone at the expense of the security of your loved ones is almost a direct reference to Werner's self-preservation in the Nazi camp at the expense of both Frederick and Jutta. The image can also relate to the contrast of the burning city of Saint-Malo against the endless blue of the ocean.

Radios- If any single thing could be described as "the light we cannot see" it would be the radio waves. The radio stations of this novel always communicated the "light" of learning and the pursuit of knowledge, and just like radio waves, are invisible to the naked eye.