Symbolism

[Ashley Yoon]

The form of symbolism is used in endless ways throughout the novel, giving the readers a larger and deeper perspective of the theme. An example is the town model, made by Marie-Laure's father, for her use and ability of knowing the town. Some can say the model symbolizes knowledge, for Marie used it broadly to find her way mentally and physically through the difficult times. What are some other examples of symbolism that link to Marie-Laure and her loss of sight?

[IanCernitz]

I believe that another powerful form of symbolism within the book is the context of radios and how they affect the characters on a deeper level. When Werner is a childd, radios are his passion and his talent proves to be a light that brings him through a difficult childhood. Although, the radio doesn't just affect Werner on a literal level. When he found and repaired the old radio and heard the Frenchman's broadcasts, it brought him and Jutta light. Light which could not be seen. The radio was Werner's passion, and it lead him to what he thought of as escape from the Children's home, and eventually brought him to the front lines where he would meet the girl who transmitted from the same radio he heard as a kid. For Werner, the radio symbolizes an escape and chance for a better life and self-fulfillment.
For Marie-Laure, the radio in the attic symbolized something entirely different. When the war reached Saint-Malo and her life became, as Doerr describes it, gray, the radio is a source of hope. When she broadcasts herself reading her book, she not only gives a sense of hope and bravery to herself, she gives hope to thousands of other people who may be listening. This includes Werner who was trapped in the dark circumstances of the collapsed hotel. Her simple act of defiance ends up bringing light o Werner. He initially was hunting down the radio broadcasts, but, in the end, Marie-Laure's simple projection of light from the radio succeeded in its objective. She gives him an invisible drop of hope that innocence, courage and faith are still present in the world. Throughout the book, the radio symbolizes light and hope for people living during a dark time.

[benjaminconnor]

Marie-Laure's loss of sight related to a lot more than just her vision, it was also a loss of knowledge. She was often unable to fully understand her surroundings due to this loss of sight. Like you were saying, the model of the town was a way for her to seize that knowledge back. She was blind, meaning that she was literally incapable of seeing, and yet her raw intelligence combined with other methods of gaining knowledge (like the model town) gave her a kind of “sight” that allowed her to see the German invasion of France for what it truly was. This allowed her, unlike Werner, to realize early on how horrible this invasion was.
In general, Doerr associates vision with knowledge, and shows that no vision is perfect. Werner was unable to see the propaganda of the Nazi party for what it truly was, but his actual eyesight was fine. Doerr uses these examples as a tool to show that in the grand scheme of things, all humans are at least partly “blind," and therefore can't grasp some knowledge that they're to blind to see.

[janepearson]

Throughout the novel, the priceless diamond known as the "Sea of Flames", evolves within the story making the novel how it is. The people of Paris believe the diamond can provide eternal life to the one who it is in possession of. With this prize of eternal life, also brings death upon the loved ones related to the keeper of this mysterious stone. At the end of the novel Doerr perceives the jewel to be nothing but a banal rock with a crystallized shell. I believe then, that the "Sea of Flames" symbolizes the diverse aspects of the story. Meaning the jewel is nothing but meaningless and meaningful much like the crossed paths of Marie-Laure and Werner Pfennig, dedicated to the laws of chance and the laws of reality.