Is it good to believe?

[Cole Powers]

At the beginning of All The Light We Cannot See Marie-Laure's father persists to tell her that you should never believe in a story or legend without logically proving that it is true.  In one of Marie-Laure's books she reads, "Logic, reason, pure science: these, Aronnax insists, are the proper ways to pursue a mystery.  Not fables and fairy tales"(Doerr, p56).  Marie, being a child and airing on the side of believing in mysteries and fantastical legends, is eventually pretty well convinced of science's logical nature.  However, later on it seems that it is more important than not for Marie-Laure to believe.  She must believe that her father is okay, that Madame Manec's plans are doing something in the way of defeating the Germans.  She must hope.  Are there times where believing in something is okay?  Are there times when even Marie-Laure's father would admit that it is absolutely necessary for human survival?  Are there times when you have to believe in a possibly fantastical world because the logical predictions are too much to bear? 

[elizabeth miller]

Yes there are times when it is good to believe. Take for example when you were a little kid and still believed in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. You needed that fantasy that hope in your life to see past some of the bad. With hope and belief no matter how fantastical it may seem can eliminate the crushing reality that some face. So for Marie the idea that her father was safe somewhere, and that Madame Manec was slowly bringing down the Germans helped her face tomorrow and all that it would bring.

[Anna michie]

I agree with you Elizabeth that it is important to have faith in others and hope for a better future. other wise how would we survive. but science and logic are important too. if you get too lost in your fantasie you wont be prepared for the real world.

[ellahardiee]

Yes, there are certainly times when fantasies and lore are used as coping mechanisms to distract the mind from the reality of the world, or to simply to feed the blissful, optimistic naivety of youth. In these instances, believing in something is perfectly acceptable and understandable. In the story, I believe Marie-Laure's imagination in times of darkness was the quality that kept her sane and composed in life-or-death situations. For example, she read books to escape from the crippling, exhausting war. On another hand, seeing situations in analytical and logical perspectives tends to be more efficient in critical circumstances of survival. Werner focuses on whatever task at hand, canceling out distractions like tunnel vision, rather than thinking 'outside of the box'. His attention to detail ceases his imagination, but he ends up being very successful in his field due to these qualities.

[Baaz Jhaj]

Sometimes it is good to have belief. When you believe you have hope, and with hope things will get better.

[simonplotkin]

During the occupation of Saint Malo, Madame Manec and her cohorts arranged a complex sabotage plan against the Germans. How much they were actually doing, who's to say, but the fact that they could do something made all the difference. It allowed the Madame to go through the day not waiting to die, but actively scheming. She provided this feeling to all of the people she was working with, and to Marie-Laure. "'Seventy-six years old,' she whispers, 'and i can still feel like this? Like a little girl with stars in her eyes?'"(Doerr 253). To believe in something is necessary for human survival and evolution. It is a force beyond reckoning. Madame's plans are a form of propaganda. To believe that you can win the war is as important as the actual fighting. Their most meaningful accomplishment was lifting the spirits of those involved.

[hannahdorros]

Without being able to see for herself Marie-Laure's whole world becomes based on a believing in something she cannot see. She must believe in everything the people around her tell her, whether or not she has solid facts to back it up. I believe that she starts to hope more, and rely less on science's logical nature when she meets Etienne LeBlanc. The book explains how Marie-Laure would go on "adventures" with Etienne. She began to grow her imagination by letting herself believe in something that wasn't there. This allowed for her to be able to believe her father was going to come back safely once he left.