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6. In the Attic
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
In the summer of 1942, Werner has just begun his tour of the German army. A corporal welcomes Werner—now wearing a helmet and uniform—to the army by saying, “You’re little.” He’s sent to a train which will take him out to the frontlines. On the way, the train passes by another train. To Werner’s horror, he sees that the train is carrying huge numbers of naked, hungry-looking men. Another soldier, “Neumann Two,” explains that they are prisoners. They’ve been captured, and now are being sent to be murdered.
Of course Werner is little—he’s two years younger than the army believes him to be, and he’s always been small for his age as well. Our first impressions of the German army are chilling: the soldiers are blank-faced and seemingly oblivious to the horrific sight of thousands of prisoners being moved around them. Perhaps this was the point of the bucket of water test at the National Institute—training soldiers to become desensitized to suffering.
Themes
