All the Light We Cannot See
Prisoners
by Anthony, Doerr,The chapter “Prisoners” opens with Werner, a young recruit, being collected by a gaunt and disheveled corporal named Neumann Two. The corporal’s ragged appearance and dismissive attitude set a tone of indifference and decay. Werner, dressed in his new uniform, is subjected to a perfunctory inspection of his belongings, highlighting the impersonal nature of his induction into the Wehrmacht. Their journey begins with a walk to a village, where Neumann Two eats greedily while Werner remains uninformed about their destination or purpose, emphasizing the lack of guidance and camaraderie in his new role.
Werner and Neumann Two travel by train through a surreal landscape, passing through stations where soldiers lie motionless, as if under a spell. The eerie silence and synchronized breathing of the sleeping men create an unsettling atmosphere, reinforcing the disorientation and isolation Werner feels. Neumann Two’s casual consumption of hard-boiled eggs and his detached demeanor contrast sharply with the ghostly surroundings, underscoring the numbness and routine of war. The scene foreshadows the darker realities Werner is about to witness.
The tranquility is shattered by the arrival of a train carrying flatcars loaded with prisoners. Initially, Werner mistakes the piled corpses for sacks, a grim revelation that shocks him. The living prisoners, emaciated and lifeless, are seen reclining against the dead, a harrowing image of inhumanity. Neumann Two’s nonchalant explanation—“Prisoners”—and his later mocking gunshot sounds highlight the desensitization to suffering that war breeds. The relentless procession of cars, each filled with thousands of prisoners, leaves Werner grappling with the scale of the horror.
The chapter closes with Werner’s stunned realization of the atrocities he has witnessed, juxtaposed with Neumann Two’s callous indifference. Werner’s thoughts drift to his past—his sister Jutta, the orphanage, and the school—now distant memories in the face of the war’s brutality. The encounter with the train of prisoners marks a pivotal moment in Werner’s journey, forcing him to confront the moral abyss of the regime he serves. The chapter masterfully captures the loss of innocence and the chilling normalization of violence in wartime.
FAQs
1. How does the author use descriptive details to establish the character of Neumann Two and the atmosphere of Werner’s induction into the Wehrmacht?
Answer:
The author paints Neumann Two as a worn-out, almost grotesque figure through vivid details: his “threadbare fatigues,” boot with a “lolling” tongue, and “shining” lips after eating calves’ liver. His casual theft of Werner’s belongings and cryptic remarks (“They call me Two”) create an unsettling, bureaucratic indifference. The lack of ceremony (“No trumpets, no ceremony”) underscores the grim reality of war—Werner’s induction is stripped of glory, replaced by a mundane yet ominous journey. The flies in the deli and Neumann’s backache pills add to the atmosphere of decay and exhaustion, foreshadowing the horrors Werner will witness.
2. Analyze the significance of the train scene and its impact on Werner. How does the author build tension and reveal the truth about the “sacks”?
Answer:
The train scene is a pivotal moment of horrific revelation. Initially, the “sacks” seem innocuous, but Doerr masterfully delays the truth, letting Werner (and the reader) piece together the reality: they are corpses. The slow count of cars (“Sixteen seventeen eighteen: why count?”) mirrors Werner’s dawning comprehension and the scale of the atrocity. The contrast between the sleeping soldiers (ghostly yet alive) and the “scarecrow” prisoners amplifies the horror. Neumann’s callous reaction (“Bang, bang”) highlights the dehumanization of war, while Werner’s question (“They were sitting on their dead?”) marks his shock and moral awakening.
3. What thematic contrasts are highlighted in this chapter, particularly between expectation and reality?
Answer:
The chapter subverts expectations at every turn. Werner’s “new field tunic” and “regulation belt buckle” suggest pride in joining the Wehrmacht, but reality is degrading: his uniform is rifled through, and his unit is a disjointed group (“five again”). The train, a symbol of industrialized progress, becomes a vehicle of death. Even the “prisoners” initially seem like mere cargo until the corpses are revealed. The contrast between Schulpforta’s order (“dark spires”) and the chaotic brutality of the front underscores war’s hypocrisy. Werner’s idealized vision of service collides with the dehumanizing machinery of genocide.
4. How does Neumann Two serve as a foil to Werner, and what might his character represent in the broader context of the novel?
Answer:
Neumann Two embodies the desensitization of war. Where Werner is young, observant, and troubled by the train’s horrors, Neumann is jaded, pragmatic, and morally numb—eating eggs amid corpses, mocking the prisoners with “Bang, bang.” His physical decay (backache pills, ragged clothes) mirrors his ethical decay. As a veteran, he represents what Werner risks becoming: a man who accepts atrocity as routine. His dual role (both caretaker and thief) reflects the paradox of war’s bureaucracy, where small kindnesses (giving Werner eggs) coexist with complicity in larger crimes.
5. Critical Thinking: Why might the author choose to frame this chapter’s climax around Werner’s delayed realization about the corpses?
Answer:
The delayed revelation forces the reader to share Werner’s gradual horror, making the truth more impactful. By initially describing the “sacks” neutrally, Doerr mimics how atrocities are often hidden in plain sight, requiring active attention to recognize. Werner’s blink (“Those are not sacks”) symbolizes a moment of irreversible awareness—a microcosm of German civilians’ potential willful ignorance. The structure critiques how systems of violence rely on obfuscation, and it challenges readers to consider what they might overlook in their own worlds. The emotional weight lies in Werner’s (and our) complicity in seeing too late.
Quotes
1. “No trumpets, no ceremony. This is Werner’s induction into the Wehrmacht.”
This stark sentence captures the abrupt, unceremonious transition from schoolboy to soldier, setting the tone for Werner’s disillusioning wartime experience. The lack of fanfare contrasts sharply with Nazi propaganda about military glory.
2. “Their faded uniforms look spectral in the dimness, and their breathing seems synchronized, and the effect is ghostly and unnerving.”
This haunting description of sleeping soldiers establishes the surreal, almost supernatural atmosphere of war. The imagery foreshadows the death and dehumanization to come in the chapter.
3. “Werner feels as though he and Neumann Two are the only souls awake in the world.”
This poignant moment of isolation emphasizes Werner’s growing awareness of being trapped in a nightmare. The line marks a turning point where Werner begins to see the war’s true nature.
4. “Each car has a wall of corpses stacked in the front.”
This horrific revelation shocks both Werner and the reader, representing the chapter’s climax. The matter-of-fact description makes the atrocity more powerful by avoiding melodrama.
5. “Neumann Two closes an eye and cocks his head like a rifleman aiming into the darkness where the train has receded. ‘Bang,’ he says. ‘Bang, bang.’”
The chilling final lines demonstrate the complete moral desensitization of soldiers like Neumann Two. His casual reaction to mass death underscores the chapter’s central theme of war’s dehumanizing effects.