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7. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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
A new garrison commander has been appointed in coastal France. This man is a “true German,” who commands the respect of his peers. He sends many telegrams to Berlin. In one, he explains that he suspects “terrorist broadcasts” somewhere nearby, possibly in Saint-Malo.
This new commander seems like the paragon of Nazi values—he’s stern, emotionless, and ruthless—but perhaps he, like Werner, is just as uncertain about the morality of his behavior. In any event, we can now see why Werner comes to arrive in Saint-Malo, thus bringing the plot full circle.
Themes
