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9. May
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
The soldiers search across the coast of France for evidence of a radio broadcast. Werner and Bernd are sent to the Hotel of Bees, where they spend long hours trying to find the source of the radio signal. During the day, airplanes fly overhead—but the planes are too high for Werner to tell if they’re German or foreign.
The image with which Doerr ends this chapter is a highly appropriate one, considering the themes of moral ambiguity he’s sketched out recently. Werner isn’t sure what side he’s on anymore, or just who the enemy is. There seems to be no right or wrong side in the struggle—just a struggle.
Themes
