ATLWCS Ideas and Quotes Flashcards
Contextual sentece for introduction
ATLWCS parallels the stories of 2 young children; Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig, as they become adults amongst the backdrop of WW2. Marie-Laure is a blind French girl who has a close relationship with her windowed father Daniel LeBlanc. Werner, an orphan is raised at an orphanage in Zollverein, with his sister Jutta.
Choice Vs. Fate (Madame Manec/Etienne, Marie Laure, Werner)
Madame Manec is at the forefront of rebellion with her creation of the resistance group. The choice to create the group, results in Etienne joining the resistance after her death.
Marie-Laure is raised by Daniel to believe that there is no such thing as curses or fate, and there is always a choice. As “She walks the path of logic”, she finds herself trapped with Von Rumpel, but doesn’t accept her fate of death or capture, but navigates her way to safety in the darkness.
In contrast, Werner who merely accepts his fate throughout the text and journey within the Nazi Regime, slowly realises when he is close to death in the Hotel of Bees that there are choices and making them can be tough but also rewarding with a deeper sense of self.
Choice Vs Fate (Paragraph example)
In the early chapters of the novel, the two main characters, Werner Pfennig and Marie-Laure LeBlanc, believe they have the freedom to make their own choices and shape their futures. Werner believes his intelligence and quick thinking will save him from his supposed fate of a life working in the mines. Although Marie-Laure initially believes that her debilitating blindness will keep her from having a happy, successful life, she trains herself, with the help of her father Daniel, to navigate her own way through the streets of cities, and also read Braille.
However, as the novel goes on, Doerr complicates these dreams with the idea of duty. When Werner earns himself a place at the prestigious National Institute, he’s introduced to Nazi mythology, taught that Jews are evil, and ordered to obey Hitler. Werner still wants to assert his own beliefs, but is afraid to disobey after witnessing the physical consequences. Furthermore, Werner is too caught up in his own scientific ambitions to stand up for what’s right, for example, when the students are ordered to torture a prisoner, Werner’s friend Frederick refuses, but Werner goes along with the beating. Down the line, when Werner is ordered to track down “enemy” radio broadcasters, he realises he’s actually using his intelligence to help Nazis murder innocent people. Werner considers leaving, but is simply too frightened to give up his duty. In essence, Werner chose to remain a Nazi and participate in the murder of innocents. Free will, he comes to realise, can be challenging.
Ultimately, the novel transitions toward an optimistic conclusion. Marie-Laure’s decision to eventually leave the Sea of Flames in an abandoned grotto, symbolically “throwing away” the stranglehold of fate. Doerr suggests that even if it’s impossible for human beings to fight off every one of the large, fated events in their lives, they can still assert their free will in crucial ways. For example by choosing to save Marie-Laure’s life, Werner grants her a long life, a successful career, and children proving that free will can triumph over both destiny and duty.
