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  • Essay / Morality versus Obligations in “All the Light We Cannot See”

    As people, we all have responsibilities. For some people to fulfill these responsibilities, they must set aside their moral obligations. In the 1940s, when this book takes place, people had no balance between their morals and their responsibilities. But as some characters in the novel are shown, they realize that prioritizing their morality is more important to them than fulfilling their duties and obligations that have been given to them. Over time, the characters in the novel change their perspective and have a better idea of ​​what awaits them. Anthony Doerr used All The Light We Cannot See to show that a person's morals run counter to their obligations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay All the Light We Cannot See has many characters. One of the characters is Werner Pfennig. Werner Pfennig is a good example of a moral person and its clashing responsibilities. He is still fighting with himself about his duties as a soldier and his moral character. In the book it says: “Werner succeeds. He is faithful. He is what everyone considers good. And yet, every time he wakes up and buttons his tunic, he feels like he's betraying something” (p. 250). As this quote says, it shows that Werner respects the obligations he has been given, but deep down he knows it is wrong and he feels a deep burden of betraying the people around him. Furthermore, this quote shows that he is questioning whether his duty is the right thing to do. Another example is that when Werner was leaving to go to school, he said goodbye to his sister Jutta who always believes in good things and said to her: "Is it good," said Jutta, "to do something only because everything the world wants it? do you do it?' ". What Jutta said left an impression on Werner and this question pursued him throughout his life. Later, Werner is tasked with finding a radio system. He later realizes that he is actually using his intelligence to help his people murder innocent people. Werner considers leaving but is simply too petrified and indeterminate to abandon his duty. Additionally, Werner begins to rebel against his own people in small but important ways, showing that it is possible for moral acts to make a difference to the person and their work. When Werner makes the decision to hide the location of Etienne LeBlanc's broadcast system (saving Marie-Laure's life), he says: "'Jutta,' he thinks, 'I finally listened.'" . This quote shows that after meeting Maurie-Laure and breaking the rules to save her, he realizes that what his sister said is true, as shown in the previous quote. This proves that Werner listens to his sister about respecting her morality, and therefore her moral obligations regarding her duty as a soldier. Another main character who influenced the story is Marie-Laure. Marie-Laure has a very indistinguishable but different conflict. In Saint-Malo, the Germans have taken power and as a result her aunts want to help the resistance and the people but she understands that it is very dangerous to do so. Although she has decided to help the resistance, she declares: “Doing nothing is equivalent to collaborating” (p. 269). In this quote, Marie-Laure and her aunt realize that they must make the right choice even if it is dangerous. This ties back to her duties and morals by giving the example of how her duties would have been to stay home but she knows that deep down she should be helping others, which puts her duties aside and her morality before riskingalso his life every day. . Another example will be Marie-Laure's duty to keep the Sea of ​​Flames hidden and well maintained. The Sea of ​​Flames is a cursed diamond, but Marie-Laure's father gave it to her to ensure her "safety". Later, she chooses to leave the Sea of ​​Flames in an abandoned cave, throwing the cursed diamond into the ocean. In the book, it is written: "She speaks lightly, her voice echoing: 'You must tell me, is- what is it in the ocean?' It must be in the ocean. "He's in the water. We have to go, miss." Are you sure he's in the water? 'Yes.'" This quote explains that it is possible for people to fight against each of the huge, fateful events in their lives and that even though it was her job to keep it together, she decided to let it go because she knew it was the right thing to do for everyone and for herself. Another character who inspires the story in a way is Frank Volkheimer or his nickname "the giant Frank Volkheimer". Werner throughout his time in the German army He can be loud and brutal, especially with other members of the German army, but he is always humble and gentle with Werner who always listens and dances to classical music. Frank also saves Werner's life on several occasions, furthermore Volkheimer always seems to act protectively, the same way an older brother would act towards his younger brother Werner and Volkheimer first have their own interaction meeting. alone in the laboratory, a deeper side of Volkheimer emerges. Frank Volkheimer's actions are described here in this quote: “Volkheimer always making sure there is food for Werner. Who brings him eggs, who shares his broth, whose affection for Werner remains, it seems, unshakeable” (p. 366). In this quote, it shows how Frank Volkheimer is willing to ignore his obligations as a soldier to his commanders because he places more importance on his morality and his friendship with Werner. The penultimate character who inspires the story is great-uncle Etienne LeBlanc. Etienne LeBlanc is old, weird and extremely lonely. When Daniel Leblanc and Marie-Laure LeBlanc come to live with him due to the insecurity in Paris, he becomes super connected with Marie-Laure, mainly spending all his time reading books and Etienne helping him read. Later in the story, he helps the people by broadcasting important and very urgent news about the German soldiers on his radio. Etienne LeBlanc later said to Marie-Laure: “'It's not losing a letter in the post. These numbers, they are more than numbers. Do you understand?' “But we’re the good guys.” Isn't that right, uncle? 'I hope so. I hope we are. In this quote he explains that through her he expanded his morality as a person and knew he had to give information to the right people instead of his obligations to keep quiet. Another example is Etienne's love for Marie-Laure and how he was obliged to stay at home by law but he knew the right thing to do was to find Maurie-Laure. He would later say to his great-niece: “‘Marie-Laure,’ he said without hesitation. He shakes her hand with both of his. 'You are the best thing that ever came into my life.'" In this quote, it shows that his morals defeated him and his duties were the least priority to him at that time. And the fact that he saying this shows that he doesn't regret it and is in fact grateful for doing this The final character who inspired the story is Sergeant Major Reinhold von Rumpel. Rumpel is an army sergeant who hunts the sea of ​​flames. He is diagnosed with cancer throughout the story and one..