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11. Berlin
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in All the Light We Cannot See, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
World War II, the Nazis, and the French Resistance
Interconnectedness and Separation
Fate, Duty, and Free Will
Family
Science and “Ways of Seeing”
Summary
Analysis
Etienne and Marie-Laure move to Paris, and Etienne rents the same apartment where Marie-Laure used to live. Every day he looks for news of Daniel, but never finds any. Marie-Laure reunites with Dr. Geffard. She thinks about what’s become of her father—it’s possible that he’s dead. She remembers what Madame Manec told her: “You must never stop believing.” Marie-Laure tells Etienne that she would like to begin going to school.
As Marie-Laure grows older, she realizes that there’s more to Manec’s statement about believing than meets the eye. It’s not simply that people must always feel the same way about their parents or their loved ones—they must also move on with their lives. Marie-Laure doesn’t forget Daniel, but she also doesn’t let her grief keep her from pursuing her own education and her own career.
Themes
