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Analysis Of Anthony Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See

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For centuries, people have existed. But have they lived? Have they loved? Have they seen the beauty in the world around them? Are these even valuable goals for humankind? Through his historical fiction novel All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr identifies the tenacity of humankind, their commitment to living, and the intimate dependency they have upon optimism, framing his exploration of these questions in a world that is full of amazement, humility, and gratuity, at scales surpassing and underlying the mediocrity of life- scales, Doerr argues, that should evoke awareness, humility, and compassion in their pursuit of life, love, and beauty- thereby justifying these pursuits. Innate to Doerr’s argument is the belief that the world is profoundly beautiful. But Doerr’s central protagonist is blind. How does one see beauty without eyes? For Marie-Laure, color goes beyond that of a physical sense, evoking more complex webs of sound and touch and tone and smell than she ever knew. And she quickly learns that “[t]o really touch something [...] is to love it,” for in the “forest of spikes and caves and textures” of a single shell, Marie-Laure observes endless life at levels she cannot physically see; this fascination at minute scales nurtures Marie-Laure’s awareness of the world, allowing her to glimpse “the limitless span of millennia behind her: “millions of years, tens of millions” (Doerr 30, 60). Like so many characters who lose their eyes, Marie-Laure develops an acute perception of the world that supasses those who only see at a superficial level. This is the true birth of Doerr’s protagonist- her adaption to losing sight- and through it, the author reminds his readers that the world is a beautiful place, full of wonder. Central to Marie-Laure’s ability to cope with blindness is the love and support she receives from her father, from the patience with which he carves a model town for her, from the comfort of his presence beside her bed at night, from the excitement and satisfaction of birthday puzzles and chocolates, from the constant encouragement to explore and imagine through books such as Around the World in 80 Days. As Doerr admits, “[s]cience and stories are two ways to interrogate the world,”

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