Anthony Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See

When faced with a difficult situation, one must find the strength to overcome. Some situations can seem impossible to break free of but many times, an individual can overcome situations in ways they never thought possible. The strength revealed in a person during these hardships can surprise not only other around them, but even themselves. Desperate times can bring out qualities in someone that not even they knew they withheld. In All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr proves that in times of conflict, true capabilities are revealed. All the Light We Cannot See follows the stories of two children, Marie-Laure and Werner, living in Europe during WWI. Marie-Laure went blind when she was six years old, and was almost completely dependent on her father when they were forced to move from their house in Paris to her Uncle Etienne’s house in Saint-Malo. She soon found happiness in Saint-Malo, but that happiness was short-lived when her father was arrested and left her without him for the first time in her life. She had to learn to become independent and navigate life without his presence which had always been there to guide her. She was not alone, however, she had her uncle who she …show more content…
Before the war, Madame Manec was a simple person, no different than anyone else. When Madame Manec began to notice inconsistencies in the information they are receiving as far as the war effort goes, she decides she wants to make a difference. Along with a group of her friends, she decided to start a resistance club. “‘We’re the ones who make their world run,’ Madame Manec says. ‘What are you saying?’ ‘That we do something.’ ‘...we could do smaller things. Simpler things.” (Doerr 249). Through this Madame Manec is transformed from an ordinary French citizen into a war resistance group leader which would have never happened had the war not presented a conflict to