All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Book Analysis Essay Example

Philosopher Josef Seifert defines goodness as “intrinsic goodness grounded in the nature of acts and independent of our subjective satisfaction” (Seifert, par 4). This definition sums up the way in which many people today perceive the idea of goodness, kind acts for others carried out with the absence of self interest. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a historical fiction novel set during the second world war, defines goodness in a way that takes this common belief one step further. Throughout the novel, the characters make sacrifices for one another, even amidst a war-torn world in which there are many obstacles that make it difficult to act morally good. Therefore, alternative to the belief that moral goodness is simply doing caring acts for others without ulterior motive, All The Light We Cannot See defines goodness as the making of personal sacrifices for one’s family, friends, or the common good. This paper will examine the instances in which the novel’s characters embody these types of sacrifices, thereby exemplifying moral goodness on a much grander scale than Seifert’s definition. 

All The Light We Cannot See portrays the importance of family in a person’s life, and includes multiple instances of sacrifice for the sake of a family member. One exemplar of this type of sacrifice is Etienne Leblanc, the great uncle of Marie-Laure Leblanc. Throughout Marie Laure’s stay at Etienne’s house in Saint Malo, the two become very close and Etienne becomes like that of a father figure for Marie Laure, after her father is arrested and sent away. Towards the end of the novel, Marie Laure leaves the house without telling her great uncle, which worries him severely. As a result, Etienne decides he must search for her, even though he has not left his house in over twenty years due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-related agoraphobia. From the description of his departure, it is clear that this sacrificial act was extremely difficult for Etienne, as “His heart beats icily in a faraday cage. Headache coming, he thinks. Terrible terrible terrible headache. Twenty heartbeats. Thirty five minutes. He twists open the latch, opens the gate. Steps outside” (418). Etienne leaves the house despite his extreme anxiety, exemplifying moral goodness through his sacrifice for his great niece. In addition to Etienne Leblanc, Marie-Laure’s father Daniel Leblanc also makes many sacrifices for his daughter. When communicating with his daughter, Daniel is often portrayed as acting very cheerful, despite extremely negative circumstances. While he is detained at a prison camp, he writes a letter to Marie-Laure, saying “The winter furs and alders are very beautiful here. And-you are not going to believe this, but you will have to trust me-they serve us wonderful food” (237). Thus, for the sake of not worrying his daughter, Daniel likely suppresses his own negative emotions to make his situation appear to be positive, which is a very difficult sacrifice to make. Therefore, from the examples of Etienne leaving his home, and Daniel attempting to appear cheerful in his letter to Marie- Laure, it is evident that moral goodness is not defined as merely the doing of kind acts for others, but instead is defined as the doing of kind acts for others while giving up something important of oneself for the sake of another person. Etienne gives up his own peace of mind in order to search for Marie Laure, and Daniel gives up his ability to express his authentic feelings to his daughter, for the sake of not worrying her. Therefore, these sacrifices made for the sake of family in All The Light We Cannot See define what it means to be morally good according to the novel. 

In addition to the examples of sacrifice for a family member in All the Light We Cannot See, the novel also includes instances where characters make  self-giving sacrifices for their friends.  One example of this is when Madame Manec leaves her house to deliver food to her friend Hubert Bazin, even though it is not safe for her to be going outside often. “Several days a week, Madame brings food to crazy Hubert Bazin, a veteran of the Great War who sleeps in an alcove behind the library in sun or snow” (242). From this quote, it is apparent that Madame Manec risks her own safety so that she can provide food for her friend who needs it, truly exemplifying moral goodness. Another instance of a sacrifice for a friend in All The Light We Cannot See is when Werner goes into Marie Laure’s home to save her. Over a radio broadcast, Marie Laure expresses that there is a man in her house, and that she needs help. Werner is listening to her voice on his own radio, and choses to come into her house to save Marie Laure. He also enters her house to ensure that Von Rumpel, the man in her home, is no longer a threat to her safety. Werner likely knows that his entry into Marie Laure’s house could be very dangerous, and yet, he does it anyway, exemplifying what it means to be morally good. Therefore, through the examples of both Madame Manec and Werner risking their own safety for the safety of a friend, it is clear that according to the novel, moral goodness is defined as giving up something of oneself for the sake of another person. 

In addition to sacrifices for one’s family or friends, All The Light We Cannot See also portrays examples of sacrifice for the common good, an idea that refers to what is beneficial for most or all members of a given community. Etienne Leblanc shows what it means to be a morally good person through his illegal radio broadcast, in which he would read important messages to people who need it, and provide precise locations for guns. This situation put Etienne in great danger, but he made this sacrifice for the common good anyway. In conversation about his broadcasts with Madame Manec, Etienne says, “They’ll shoot me”. Then Madame Manec states, “It’s vital that they receive precise locations for the guns. Think about how many lives it might save” (428). This conversation displays that Etienne knew he was risking death by broadcasting illegal information, and did it anyway, because he knew it could save the lives of many people. He did not personally know the people who sent in messages to be read, or even those whose lives would be saved through his revelation of the gun locations, and yet Etienne still makes this sacrifice that could cost him his own life. This example also further contradicts Seifert’s definition of moral goodness, because it is unclear as to whether or not Etienne broadcasts with the absence of his own self interest. This hobby provides Etienne with an outlet of comfort throughout the novel, therefore it is probable that his own self interest could have contributed to the reason why he radio broadcasted. This idea further displays how All The Light We Cannot See defines moral goodness in a way that is different from the widely accepted view, because Etienne broadcasting to help other people was likely not absent of his own self interest, but is still a good act nonetheless, because he sacrifices his own safety in order to benefit many people.

At the end of the day, Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See proves that, in the darkest of moments, being good to other people is difficult, especially if a person must give up something of themselves in order to benefit another person. However, despite this difficulty, many characters in the novel find ways to be good to one another nonetheless, which truly shows what it means to be a morally good person. Through these examples of sacrifice for family members, friends, and for the common good, it is clear that goodness goes beyond doing kind deeds without self interest. In fact, the absence of self interest is not necessarily a requirement in order for a deed to be considered good, which is demonstrated through Etienne’s radio broadcasting. While living through the atrocities of World War II, the characters in All The Light We Cannot See rely upon the goodness of each other for survival, something made possible solely through self-giving sacrifice.