Anthony Doerr uses many different perspectives in his novel All the Light we Cannot See to convey how different people are affected by the current ongoing war, World War II. Doerr focuses on 2 characters perspectives in his novel; Werner, a intelligent boy enlisted into a nazi training camp and later sent onto the field and Marie-Laure, a blind girl with a passion for knowledge. Werner’s perspective is focused around survival and he does what he is told because he fears for his life. Contrary to this, Marie-Laure has a hopeful perspective because her hope creates her reality in her mind. Doerr uses different perspectives to show how focusing too much on one point of view can obscure reality and make a person blind to the reality of some situations. Werner has a very fearful perspective. …show more content…
Blinded at a young age, Marie-Laure has only been able to rely on hope to make it through her life. She hopes for her self-reliance, the safety of her family and to be able to understand the world she is living in, even though she may not be able to see it. Marie-Laure’s hope shields her from the evil of man. Her hope makes her see the best in people even when they do not have good intentions. It also keeps the image of her father alive all throughout the novel, helping her to work through tough situations. Werner and Marie-Laure differ because Werner stopped hoping for his father to return at a young age, keeping him with a strong will of survival, while Marie-Laure’s father taught her that hope is what can get her through tough times. This is why at the end of the book, they compliment each other so well. Marie-Laure gives Werner hope that there is still good in the world, and Werner helps Marie-Laure survive and gives her the confidence she needs to start her own life. These two opposites bring forward the reality that each has been trying to deny, and help make it more bearable for the other