Blacked out

[roselyn]

Throughout the book Werner often received letters from Jutta that were mostly blacked out. What kind of message do you think they were? If Werner had been able to read the blacked out words, would he have acted differently? Do you think it could have prevented his death?

[isabelleansberry]

I personally think the messages sent from Jutta didn't really need to be censored, but during this war, the Germans were manipulating so many things, and eventually got carried away with that power. The Germans were basically brain-washing their own people to believe things that weren't true. But some independent thinkers, who realized the madness that was happening around them, such as Jutta, were censored in their messages because they spoke their true feelings about the situation, and didn't conform to the stereotypical German ideas. I believe that if Werner was able to read the blacked-out message, then he would have been more apprehensive of what he was contributing to, and maybe could have gotten a different perspective on the war. But I don't think he would have acted any differently, because he did what he had to do to stay out of the mines. And even if he did act out, there would have been consequences. I don't think that reading the censored messages could have prevented his death though, because saving Marie-Laure was kind of his destiny, since all the radio transmissions led him there, and nothing could have stopped that.

[Cole Powers]

I think that a message full of blacked out lines would have made a bigger impression on Werner than had he been able to read Jutta's rebellious writings. It gives her opinion more credibility, more reality. If he could read what Jutta had written him, he may have shrugged it off, dismissed it for Jutta not wanting him to leave. But the fact that someone didn't want him to read what she had written him, that someone is censoring there communication, would make him question the system he is living in quite a bit more.

[taylor]

Werner likely would have acted differently had he been able to read the whole letter. The parts of the letter that where blacked out, where blacked out for a reason. During a time where exerting power of another person was seen as the only way of control, Werner became a part of its system. Werner fell into the command of others, and gave up the chance to speak out. When Werner saw Jutta's letters, the same concept became apparent. Jutta was loosing her voice by having her letters blacked out, impairing her chance to communicate with her brother. Communication was almost seen as an enemy during the war, being blamed for attacks. Werner lived with trend that perhaps communication was bad, having blacked out letters and going on missions to find radio transmitters. Maybe, if he had the chance to read the letter in its full length, he would have felt more inclined to write back, possibly preventing his death.