Vision Symbol in All the Light We Cannot See

The most obvious symbol in All the Light We Cannot See (so obvious it shows up in the title) is vision. From early on, Doerr encourages us to consider the different symbolic ramifications of sight and seeing, and all the different ways in which a person can be said to “see.” The protagonist, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, is blind, meaning that she’s incapable of literally seeing, and yet her intelligence, strong moral code, and integrity give her a kind of “sight” that allows her to see the German invasion of France for what it really is: a greedy, cruel endeavor that must be opposed at all costs. In contrast, the other protagonist of the novel, Werner Pfennig, has perfect vision (if he didn’t have it, he wouldn’t be admitted to the prestigious National Institute), but struggles to see through the propaganda of the Nazi Party. In general, Doerr associates vision with knowledge, and just as there are many kinds of vision, there are many kinds of knowledge: scientific, moral, ethical, practical, etc. In the end, Doerr suggests that no vision is perfect and true. In the grand scheme of things, all human beings are at least partly “blind,” in the sense that their knowledge of their beliefs, their loved ones, and their selves is always flawed and incomplete.

Vision Quotes in All the Light We Cannot See

The All the Light We Cannot See quotes below all refer to the symbol of Vision. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

World War II, the Nazis, and the French Resistance Theme Icon

Open your eyes, concludes the man, and see what you can with them before they close forever, and then a piano comes on, playing a lonely song that sounds to Werner like a golden boat traveling a dark river, a progression of harmonies that transfigures Zollverein: the houses turned to mist, the mines filled in, the smokestacks fallen, an ancient sea spilling through the streets, and the air streaming with possibility.

Related Characters: Werner Pfennig (speaker), Henri LeBlanc (speaker)

Related Symbols: Vision, Radio

Page Number and Citation: 48-49

Explanation and Analysis:

She cannot say how many others are with him. Three or four, perhaps. His is the voice of a twelve or thirteen-year-old. She stands and hugs her huge book against her chest, and she can hear her cane roll along the edge of the bench and clatter to the ground. Someone else says, “They’ll probably take the blind girls before they take the gimps.” The first boy moans grotesquely. Marie-Laure raises her book as if to shield herself.

Related Characters: Marie-Laure LeBlanc

Related Symbols: Vision

Page Number and Citation: 65

Explanation and Analysis:

Vision Symbol Timeline in All the Light We Cannot See

The timeline below shows where the symbol Vision appears in All the Light We Cannot See. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Interconnectedness and Separation Theme Icon

...of a piece of paper blowing in the wind. She goes to her window and feels one of the leaflets (it’s implied that she is blind). She runs her fingers over... (full context)

...or slow to get out earlier—most are very old, and some are drunk, disabled, or blind. There’s been a general feeling among the people of the city—Saint-Malo, one of the Germans’... (full context)

...story begins, Marie-Laure LeBlanc is a tall, pretty 6-year-old living in Paris. She’s slowly going blind. Her father Daniel works in the Natural History Museum, and decides to send his daughter... (full context)

...would be hard to find the Sea of Flames. A month later, she goes totally blind. (full context)

As a young girl, Marie-Laure loses her sight. The doctors can do nothing for her. Everyone in Marie-Laure’s community pities her—indeed, they even... (full context)

...stay optimistic about Marie-Laure’s condition. He trains her to guide herself without the need of sight, equipping her with a small cane. Marie-Laure’s father works as a locksmith for the Natural... (full context)

...every street. As she grows older, other children ask her lots of questions about her blindness. She answers these questions calmly and sensibly. As time goes on, she continues to think... (full context)

...houses and engines. The French broadcaster ends his lecture by encouraging his listeners, “Open your eyes and see what you can before they close forever.” This inspires Werner to become more... (full context)

...reasons, it hasn’t been shown until now. Marie-Laure is now ten years old, and her blindness has given her an active imagination—she can visualize anything. She reads whatever she can find,... (full context)

...she also remembers what the boys said about her months ago: “They’ll probably take the blind girls before they take the gimps.” (full context)

...tiny saws. Daniel tries to explain that the saws are for making models for his blind daughter, but he’s thrown in jail anyway. The officers accuse him of plotting to blow... (full context)

...and the smell of salt. She’s also relieved that she’s not being arrested for being blind, as she always feared she’d be. She explores the beach and takes shells from the... (full context)

...the previous night, some of the boys forced Frederick to go outside and prove his eyesight by shooting targets. Unsatisfied with this story, Werner goes to the Institute hospital, where he... (full context)

...apartment, even though he’s never there. The landlady also mentions that the man had a blind daughter. Inside the apartment, von Rumpel finds tiny models, bottles of glue, and small saws. (full context)

Marie-Laure feels her way through the radio room, and finds the transmitter that Etienne had used to... (full context)

...girl wearing thick glasses. After studying her for a few moments, Werner realizes that she’s blind. Werner is incredibly nervous, though he can’t say why—he has nothing to fear. The teenager... (full context)

...following his visit to the outside of Etienne’s house, Werner can’t stop thinking of the blind girl with the cane. He wonders if she’s related to the man who broadcast when... (full context)

...the Fort National of Saint-Malo, Etienne begs his jailers to save his niece, who is blind, and won’t be able to save herself from the air raids. His requests are ignored.... (full context)

...Germans. Werner asks anyone who will listen about Marie-Laure, but no one has seen a blind teenage girl. In prison, Werner is sickly—he knows he needs to eat if he’s to... (full context)

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Vision Symbol Analysis

Vision Quotes in All the Light We Cannot See

Vision Symbol Timeline in All the Light We Cannot See