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Time - Coggle Diagram
Time
Silence
5 Senses
Sight: Werner can see physically, but he is blinded from what the Nazis are truly doing. Having sight of truth is very powerful in 1940s Europe. The Nazis are afraid that people will see the truth of what they are truly doing, if they could mentally blind all of their followers, they could continue without internal persecution.
Eyes: Eyes throughout the novel are used by Werner to better depict characters. Also, Marie-Laure lacks a key use of eyes, sight, which allows the reader to see her story through other senses just like how Marie-Laure lives her life.
Touch: With her cane, feet, and hands, she finds her way around places she is accustomed to through her models
Stairs: Marie-Laure finds herself climbing and descending stairs many times in the homes she stays in. She has to use models built by her father to memorize amounts and locations since she has lost her sight.
Models: Models represent the battle Marie-Laure faces daily to see truth, similarly how she only knows what she Is told. She is informed about the war without ever being able to check it for herself.
Sound: Marie-Laure uses her ears to determine how close people are, and while the city is being bombed, she listens to the whistle of bullets and the bang of bombs.
Darkness: Marie-Laure is blind and the author uses other senses to create imagery for Marie-Laure's storyline. Darkness is also used often to set the mood of many scenes.
War : As WWII ravages Europe, the war efforts on both Allied and Axis sides prompt Marie-Laure and Werner to take on major roles in the conflict. Doerr's flashbacks and cuts to the present time display the volatile life of war.
Bees: In the book, bees represent the Nazis. Similar to bees in the real world that follow the queen's orders and complete their only task of bringing food back to the hive, some of the Nazis including Werner were just blindly following Hitlers leadership without understanding the extent of what their actions were doing.
Family: Over time, Marie-Laure's relationship with her father and great uncle changes as the war progresses. She becomes more independent over time, from being afraid to walk the streets of Paris alone to navigating the city of St. Malo by herself.
Radios: In the book, radios are used to connect the characters in many ways. The uncle uses the radio to connect with his brother, Marie Laure uses it to inspire other regarding the war, and Werner uses them as an escape from reality.
Werner: Werner's only family is Jutta, who acts as Werner's moral compass. When Werner saves Marie-Laure from Reinhold van Rump, he is guided by Jutta's righteous spirit.
Nazis: Nazi Germany uses radios to communicate with each other, displaying that radios can be used for good or bad.
Hope
Although France is occupied by the Germans, the illegal radios of the French people show that they will not give up
Radios symbolize hope for Werner, as it helped him evade going to the mines.
Birthdays: Doerr used birthdays to show the growth of time throughout the progression of the war raging around Marie-Laure.
Books: Marie-Laure often received braille books on her birthday. These were special because she could read them herself rather than listening to someone. They were rare and expensive as well. In order to stay sane and happy, Marie-Laure used books to learn about the world and expand her knowledge, but the more she read, the sadder she would become, knowing that she couldn't truly see the things and places she read about. Her Father leaving didn't help either.
Doerr's manipulation of time through switching perspectives, flashbacks, and time jumps displays the importance of time. Time can change the circumstances of an environment, time can develop a person, and with time comes change. Change is integral to All the Light We Cannot See.