All the Light We Cannot See
Cellar
by Anthony, Doerr,The chapter opens with a vivid description of the cellar beneath the Hotel of Bees, a rugged space carved from bedrock and supported by ancient wooden beams. A single lightbulb casts wavering shadows, creating an atmosphere of tension and isolation. Werner Pfennig, the protagonist, is seated at a workbench with a radio transceiver, which connects him to military units across the city. The cellar is filled with confiscated treasures, including tapestries, clocks, and enigmatic plaster heads, adding to the sense of mystery and historical weight.
Werner’s routine is interrupted by the arrival of Staff Sergeant Frank Volkheimer, a towering figure who settles into an ornate armchair with his rifle. Their brief exchange reveals an impending attack, though Volkheimer assures Werner they are safe in the cellar. The engineer Bernd joins them, barring the door and adding to the uneasy atmosphere. The sirens outside soften as the door closes, but the flickering lightbulb and distant artillery fire underscore the looming danger.
As the anti-air batteries fire, Werner listens to the radio transmissions, which blend military coordinates with the faint singing of Austrian soldiers above. The chaos outside contrasts with Werner’s inner reflections, as he recalls memories of his childhood: his caregiver Frau Elena, his sister Jutta, and the radio broadcasts that once filled their nights. These flashes of nostalgia highlight the dissonance between his past and his current reality as a soldier.
The chapter closes with Werner’s fragmented thoughts, drifting between the present and vivid, dreamlike images—dying sunflowers, exploding blackbirds—inspired by the radio’s static. The cellar becomes a liminal space, where the boundaries between memory and reality blur. The Austrians’ continued firing upstairs fades into the background, leaving Werner suspended between the war’s brutality and the fragile echoes of his former life.
FAQs
1. What is the setting of the chapter “Cellar,” and how does the author create a sense of atmosphere?
Answer:
The chapter takes place in a cellar beneath the Hotel of Bees, carved from bedrock with hand-hewn beams and bare granite walls. The author creates a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere through sensory details: a single flickering lightbulb casts wavering shadows, confiscated treasures are crammed to the ceiling, and the sound of sirens softens when the door is shut. The cellar serves as a refuge during an artillery attack, heightening the contrast between the confined safety below and the chaos above. The imagery of dust hissing from the ceiling and the transceiver crackling with military updates further immerses the reader in the scene.2. How does Werner’s radio equipment function, and what does it reveal about his role in the war?
Answer:
Werner uses a steel-cased two-way transceiver with a 1.6-meter band antenna, enabling communication with anti-air batteries, the upstairs team, and the garrison command across the river. This technology highlights his technical expertise and critical role in coordinating artillery strikes. The radio crackles with wind speeds, trajectories, and spotter coordinates, emphasizing the precision and danger of wartime operations. Werner’s headphones also connect him to the Austrians singing upstairs, blending the mechanical and human elements of war, while his memories of home reveal his emotional detachment from the violence.3. Analyze the significance of the confiscated treasures in the cellar. What might they symbolize?
Answer:
The cellar is filled with looted items—tapestries, grandfather clocks, armoires, and cracked landscape paintings—hinting at the Nazi plundering of art and culture during WWII. The eight plaster heads on the shelf, whose purpose Werner cannot guess, may symbolize the dehumanization of war or the erasure of identity under occupation. These treasures, crammed chaotically into a militarized space, reflect the disruption of history and beauty by conflict. Their presence contrasts with the utilitarian tools of war, underscoring the tension between destruction and preservation.4. How does the character of Volkheimer contrast with his physical description, and what effect does this have?
Answer:
Frank Volkheimer is introduced as a “massive staff sergeant” with a rifle that looks like a “baton” on his thighs, emphasizing his intimidating size and strength. However, his actions—smiling gently at Werner, blinking “delicate eyelashes,” and sitting calmly during the attack—subvert expectations of brutality. This contrast humanizes him, suggesting that soldiers are complex individuals, not just instruments of war. His quiet presence also amplifies the tension, as the reader wonders whether his gentleness masks a darker capability.5. Werner’s memories interrupt the present action. What do these flashbacks reveal about his psychological state?
Answer:
Werner’s memories of Frau Elena tying his shoes, stars wheeling past his window, and Jutta listening to the radio reveal his longing for childhood innocence and safety. These flashbacks contrast sharply with the violence of the artillery attack, highlighting his dissociation from the war. The radio voices of his past (“The Goddess of History…”) and visions of dying sunflowers and exploding blackbirds suggest trauma and guilt. The juxtaposition of past and present underscores his internal conflict—between duty and morality, technology and humanity—as he grapples with the consequences of his role in the war.
Quotes
1. “Beneath the lobby of the Hotel of Bees, a corsair’s cellar has been hacked out of the bedrock. Behind crates and cabinets and pegboards of tools, the walls are bare granite.”
This opening description establishes the eerie, claustrophobic setting of the cellar - a hidden space beneath a hotel that serves as both refuge and wartime command center. The juxtaposition of “Hotel of Bees” with the rugged “hacked out” cellar creates an unsettling tone.
2. “Werner rubs his eyes. Behind him, confiscated treasures are crammed to the ceiling: rolled tapestries, grandfather clocks, armoires, and giant landscape paintings crazed with cracks.”
This vivid imagery reveals the spoils of war surrounding Werner, highlighting how conflict disrupts both lives and cultural artifacts. The “crazed with cracks” paintings mirror the fractured reality of wartime.
3. “With the door shut, the sound of the sirens softens. Above them, the ceiling bulb flickers. Water, thinks Werner. I forgot water.”
This moment captures the tense atmosphere of sheltering during an attack, with sensory details (softened sirens, flickering light) contrasting with Werner’s sudden realization about basic survival needs, showing how war reduces life to essentials.
4. “Through his headphones, Werner can hear the Austrians upstairs still singing… … auf d’Wulda, auf d’Wulda, da scheint d’Sunn a so gulda …”
The soldiers’ folk singing amidst artillery fire represents the surreal juxtaposition of normalcy and violence in war. The German lyrics about golden sunshine create ironic contrast with their deadly work.
5. “He sees a forest of dying sunflowers. He sees a flock of blackbirds explode out of a tree.”
These haunting final images blend memory, imagination and trauma. The dying sunflowers suggest lost innocence, while the exploding blackbirds foreshadow violence and sudden destruction that permeates the wartime experience.