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  • Essay / Fate versus will in all the light we cannot see

    Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, said in 1945: “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be manipulated at a time.” This statement refers to the fact that the person who thinks about the future all the time, waiting for fate to do something with it, should stop moving forward in his life and start taking actions that really matter in the present and that shape your true future. This statement has a huge impact, not only because of the meaning it has, but also because of the importance of the time it was said. Anthony Doerr explores the power of will and destiny in his novel All the Light We Cannot See, through the lives of the various characters. Doerr reveals how much a person can control their own future with their will or by being pulled by the current of their destiny; especially in difficult times like war and the duties that must be fulfilled. These opposing ideas are demonstrated by Doer through the characters Marie, Werner, and Frank (the general) throughout the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Throughout World War II, regular soldiers had to fight for one of two reasons: ; the fate of their nationalities or their desire to defend their principles. Doerr also follows these two ideas in his novel. For example, most soldiers follow their destiny by fighting for their country. Examining this statement in depth, The Economist newspaper writes in its article that "as the war continued, Adolf Hitler once again succeeded in persuading the Germans." This demonstrates that most of the German population was influenced by Hitler's words and most of them followed the destiny of supporting their leader's ideals. In comparison, the allies had a different perspective, struggling to determine what was the right thing to do. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Trust... is nourished by honesty, honor, sanctity of obligation, faithful protection, and selfless action.” Without them he cannot live” (Roosevelt). This phrase says that one should do what is right for oneself, no matter what, as long as you believe in your will, you are right. In war, you can see the stark difference between the two sides and what people are fighting for. Therefore, the importance of fate and will in war is expressed by Doerr in All the Light We Cannot See, emphasizing in a certain way how each person constructs their own future. Especially with one of the main characters, Werner Pfennig, who follows his general's orders but at the same time he struggles with that within him because he knows it's not the right thing to do. they will play an important role in how everyone can control their future. After Marie finds Madame Manec and her uncle Etienne, she hears them having an unusual conversation: "'You know what happens, Etienne,' Madame Manec said from the other side of the kitchen, 'when you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water?' 'You'll tell us, I'm sure.' 'It's obvious. But do you know what happens when you put the frog in a pot of cold water and slowly bring it to a boil? Do you know what happens then? (Doerr) 285) In this quote, Etienne's servant, Madame Manec, tries to convince Etienne to help her oppose the Nazis in small but important ways. Manec wants to tamper with Nazi mail, sending messages to soldiers fighting the Nazis.Nazis, etc. Etienne refuses to help Manec, he is too afraid of the consequences. Manec compares Etienne's prudence to that of the proverbial frog in the pot of water. His argument is that human beings, like frogs, can become accustomed to the most nightmarish conditions, provided that things change little by little. In other words, Manec asserts, Etienne will continue to give his tacit acceptance of Nazi atrocities, because he will always be able to justify his indifference with “prudence”. Manec tries to share his will with Etienne but he has difficulty because of his fear. As the story goes, Marie finds her uncle Etienne and Henri while they are talking, she listens to her uncle say: “The war that killed your grandfather killed sixteen million others. A million and a half French boys alone, most of them younger than me. Two million on the German side. The dead walked in single file, and for eleven days and eleven nights they passed our door. It's not about rearranging the road signs, which is what we're doing, Marie. It's not about losing a letter at the post office. These numbers, they are more than numbers. Do you understand?" "But we're the good guys. Aren't we, uncle? "I hope so. I hope we are” (Doerr 360). In this scene, Etienne takes his place alongside Marie-Laure in opposing the Nazi occupation in France, especially since she carries the Sea of ​​Flames with her. Etienne and Marie-Laure will work together to oppose the Nazis by any means possible. Even though their actions may seem small and insignificant, Etienne explains, he and Marie-Laure are actually taking a major step toward defeating the Germans. By sending radio broadcasts to other enemies of the Nazis, Etienne and Marie-Laure will actually kill Nazi soldiers. As the passage shows, Etienne does not take his responsibility lightly. Having lived through World War I, he is reluctant to kill anyone, whether on the enemy side or not. Indeed, Etienne wonders if he is doing the right thing by opposing the Nazis but Marie hesitates. Marie witnesses how Etienne and Manec try to fight against the fate of being killed by German soldiers, using their will to build their own future. On the other hand, another character who struggles against fate and will is Werner. . As he discusses his will with his sister at the orphanage, he mentions, “It's not forever, Jutta. Two years, maybe. Half of the boys admitted fail to graduate. But maybe I'll learn something; maybe they will teach me to be a real engineer. Maybe I can learn to fly a plane, like little Siegfried says. Don't shake your head, we've always wanted to see the inside of a plane, haven't we? I will take you and me west, Frau Elena too if she wishes. Or we could take a train. We will pass through forests and mountain villages, all those places that Frau Elena talked about when we were little. Maybe we could go all the way to Paris. The emerging light. The tender whistle of the grass. Jutta opens her eyes but doesn’t look at him. “Don’t lie. Lie to yourself, Werner, but don’t lie to me” (Doerr 133). In this quote, Werner, who has just been accepted into a prestigious Nazi military academy, tries to justify his attendance at the school to his sister Jutta, who will stay at the orphanage. Werner says his military education will be invaluable to his career because he could learn to become an engineer. Werner even suggests that he could use his training to get Jutta out of the country. Jutta then accuses Werner of lying to himself, suggesting that it is the opposite: Werner