All the Light We Cannot See
Second Can
by Anthony, Doerr,In the chapter “Second Can,” a young blind girl and a German soldier named Werner find temporary refuge in a war-torn house. The girl sits quietly, her movements delicate and precise, while Werner observes her with a mix of admiration and guilt. Outside, the sounds of bombardment echo, underscoring the chaos of their surroundings. Werner, exhausted, informs the girl of a possible ceasefire to evacuate the city, though he admits uncertainty. Their interaction is tense yet tender, marked by the girl’s resilience and Werner’s conflicted role as a soldier.
The girl questions Werner’s motives, challenging the notion of bravery as mere survival. She reveals her past struggles, including losing her sight and her father, framing her endurance as necessity rather than courage. Werner, in turn, reflects on his own life, feeling disconnected from his actions until this moment. The girl’s milky pupils, described as “beautiful ugly,” symbolize the duality of their circumstances—both fragile and profound. As dawn breaks, the room fills with a transient light, creating a fleeting sense of peace amid the war’s devastation.
Their conversation shifts to shared memories, revealing unexpected connections. Werner recalls listening to science broadcasts as a child, unknowingly linked to the girl’s grandfather. This shared history bridges their divide, offering a momentary reprieve from the war. The girl’s sudden craving for bacon and Werner’s reminiscence of picking berries with his sister inject a touch of humanity into their dire situation. Their banter about food highlights their shared hunger, both physical and emotional, for normalcy and comfort.
The chapter culminates in the discovery of a dented tin can, which they open to find peaches inside. The sweetness of the fruit overwhelms them, symbolizing a rare moment of joy and connection. They share the peaches and syrup, savoring each bite as a temporary escape from their harsh reality. This simple act of sharing food becomes a poignant metaphor for hope and solidarity, underscoring the chapter’s themes of resilience and the fleeting beauty found amid suffering.
FAQs
1. How does the setting of the chapter reflect the broader historical context of the story?
Answer:
The chapter is set during a temporary ceasefire (Waffenruhe) in a war-torn city, with references to bombardment (“Guns boom to the east”) and destruction (“scorched curtains and soot”). This reflects World War II’s Siege of Saint-Malo (1944), where Allied forces bombarded the German-occupied French city. The characters’ confinement in a damaged sixth-floor room, their hunger, and their cautious interaction amid warfare underscore the desperation and fragility of civilian life during conflict. The historical context heightens the emotional weight of Werner and Marie-Laure’s fleeting connection.2. Analyze the significance of the peach can scene. What does it symbolize for both characters?
Answer:
The shared peaches represent a rare moment of joy and humanity amid devastation. For Werner, the taste is “like rapture” and “a sunrise in his mouth”—a sensory awakening contrasting with his wartime numbness. For Marie-Laure, sharing the hidden food signifies trust and reciprocity after loss (“For what you did”). The act of savoring the syrup and scraping the can clean mirrors their hunger for normalcy and connection. The scene symbolizes how small acts of kindness can temporarily transcend war’s brutality.3. How does Marie-Laure’s dialogue about bravery challenge conventional notions of courage?
Answer:
When Werner calls her brave, Marie-Laure rejects the label: “It is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life.” Her response critiques how society romanticizes survival under adversity. By contrasting her blindness and father’s absence with Werner’s assertion that he hasn’t “woken up to live his life” in years, she implies that courage isn’t extraordinary—it’s the daily resilience of those who endure. This exchange reveals her pragmatic worldview and subtly prompts Werner to reflect on his own agency.4. What thematic role does the radio broadcast connection play in Werner and Marie-Laure’s interaction?
Answer:
The revelation that Werner listened to Marie-Laure’s grandfather’s science broadcasts as a child (“That was the voice of my grandfather. You heard him?”) creates a poignant narrative symmetry. It ties their fates together before they met, suggesting shared humanity across enemy lines. The radio—a symbol of knowledge and connection—becomes a bridge between their pasts, contrasting with its wartime use for propaganda. This moment underscores themes of chance, memory, and how prewar innocence persists even in conflict.5. How does Doerr use sensory details to contrast the characters’ experiences with their environment?
Answer:
Vivid sensory contrasts emphasize their emotional states: Marie-Laure’s fingers “flutter through space” (tactile exploration) and the peaches’ “outrageously sweet” perfume clash with the room’s “soot” and “scorched curtains.” Werner notes her “milk”-filled pupils (visual) but finds them “belle laide” (beautiful-ugly), showing his shifting perspective. These details heighten the scene’s intimacy against the auditory backdrop of shells screaming. The juxtaposition of taste/smell with war’s destruction makes their temporary respite more visceral and tragic.
Quotes
1. “But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?”
This quote captures the blind girl’s profound perspective on resilience—rejecting the label of bravery as something extraordinary, instead framing survival as an innate human response to circumstance. It challenges Werner’s understanding of courage and agency.
2. “Everything transient and aching; everything tentative. To be here, in this room, high in this house, out of the cellar, with her: it is like medicine.”
This lyrical passage marks a turning point where Werner finds unexpected solace amid war’s chaos. The contrast between destruction (“transient and aching”) and healing (“like medicine”) encapsulates the chapter’s theme of fleeting human connection.
3. “That first peach slithers down his throat like rapture. A sunrise in his mouth.”
The visceral description of sharing canned peaches becomes a powerful metaphor for joy and sustenance in desperate times. This moment of sensory transcendence represents the chapter’s emotional climax and the characters’ temporary escape from war’s brutality.
4. “The uniform makes him an accomplice in everything this girl hates.”
This concise statement encapsulates Werner’s moral awakening and the central tension of their interaction—his growing awareness of how his military role conflicts with his humanity, particularly in the eyes of someone who represents innocence.