War is not a battle between one and one’s opponent but a battle between mankind and war itself. This is depicted in Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See (2014). All Quiet on the Western Front portrays a young German soldier fighting in World War I and All the Light We Cannot See follows young blind girl in Saint-Malo and a German orphan part of the Hitler Youth in World War II. Although the two texts explore war though the aspect of distinct people, both text clearly highlight the corrupted system of war. Remarque and Doerr convey how in times of atrocity, their victims are left vulnerable and when one pulls of their mask they are essentially the same as everyone else.
…show more content…
While in All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul does not have an intimate relationship and views the French and Russian soldiers as a whole, in All the Light We Cannot See the two protagonists develop a more personal relationship. This is represented through the two protagonists, Werner and Marie-Laure. Despite of being in different countries and situations, the two protagonists go through similar hardships and misfortunes. Both move into a new environment without their family and both lose their new friends they have made. By running both protagonists’ stories parallel to each other, Doerr allows the readers to compare the two and see the way they think and act are alike whereas not many around them have the same ideology. Although the two only meet for a short period of time the composer highlights the characters’ love and trust for each other. For instance, when they part ways, Marie-Laure asks “ But how will I find you?” Through the use of the dialogue the composer underscores the affection concern in their voices as they speak to each other. Doerr has used the two protagonists to demonstrate the commons resemblance between the twos’ stories and sufferings. In spite of Remarque and Doerr using different techniques, the two texts precisely highlighted how it was only the words of the leaders that have made people into each other’s
While in All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul does not have an intimate relationship and views the French and Russian soldiers as a whole, in All the Light We Cannot See the two protagonists develop a more personal relationship. This is represented through the two protagonists, Werner and Marie-Laure. Despite of being in different countries and situations, the two protagonists go through similar hardships and misfortunes. Both move into a new environment without their family and both lose their new friends they have made. By running both protagonists’ stories parallel to each other, Doerr allows the readers to compare the two and see the way they think and act are alike whereas not many around them have the same ideology. Although the two only meet for a short period of time the composer highlights the characters’ love and trust for each other. For instance, when they part ways, Marie-Laure asks “ But how will I find you?” Through the use of the dialogue the composer underscores the affection concern in their voices as they speak to each other. Doerr has used the two protagonists to demonstrate the commons resemblance between the twos’ stories and sufferings. In spite of Remarque and Doerr using different techniques, the two texts precisely highlighted how it was only the words of the leaders that have made people into each other’s