As the WWII based novel progressed, some characters showed they were made of pure innocence being tainted by the outside war, whereas others developed into conflicted human beings. Marie-Laure’s blindness served her well throughout the war by protecting a large portion of her innocence or goodness, but the horrors of war around her still impacted her life. Such is evident when she is saved by Werner and says to him: “When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?” (Doerr 469). She fails to recognize her own strength as something to be proud of; instead she brushes off her loss in the face of war that took the person she loved the most. While her spirit
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People are born initially good and are able to recognize what goes against their conscience, but whether or not they resist such things is a reflection of who they are and the strength of their will. Werner knew early on in his time at Schulpforta that what was taking place around him was wrong in every sense -- yet he continued his work there. An example of this would be when the boys at the school were each asked to hurl a bucket of freezing water at a prisoner, and regardless of Werner pleading with himself to run, flee, or resist, he “throws the water like all the others” (Doerr 229). This exemplifies how everyone has a little bit of good in them, but evil can often have an overpowering effect. This was not entirely Werner’s fault -- much of his actions throughout the novel were circumstantial and based on the time period. However, it does prove how evil outside of oneself can often be too much to bare without following in its footsteps. As the novel progressed, Werner understood that much of the world wanted the Germans dead, yet he failed to realize this was the direct result of their insidious actions and oppressing regime (Doerr 479). Werner was an imperfect character at best, but out of all the evil he was subjected to he still reached redemption in saving Marie-Laure. This was his last significant act,
People are born initially good and are able to recognize what goes against their conscience, but whether or not they resist such things is a reflection of who they are and the strength of their will. Werner knew early on in his time at Schulpforta that what was taking place around him was wrong in every sense -- yet he continued his work there. An example of this would be when the boys at the school were each asked to hurl a bucket of freezing water at a prisoner, and regardless of Werner pleading with himself to run, flee, or resist, he “throws the water like all the others” (Doerr 229). This exemplifies how everyone has a little bit of good in them, but evil can often have an overpowering effect. This was not entirely Werner’s fault -- much of his actions throughout the novel were circumstantial and based on the time period. However, it does prove how evil outside of oneself can often be too much to bare without following in its footsteps. As the novel progressed, Werner understood that much of the world wanted the Germans dead, yet he failed to realize this was the direct result of their insidious actions and oppressing regime (Doerr 479). Werner was an imperfect character at best, but out of all the evil he was subjected to he still reached redemption in saving Marie-Laure. This was his last significant act,