Theme Park

I was wrong.  Previously I had noted that my novel lacked themes, I realize now that this assumption was false. After reading further in the novel and analyzing what I had already read, there were definitely some points where I did not catch on.  So, as I had assumed before hand it was all my fault that I portrayed the book so poorly.  This most likely came about by my own stupidity, but also my inherent bias towards themes as a whole.  Being in AP English has given me the perspective that there are a variety of themes that seem to repeat themselves, that is not to say that I did not know there were others, rather that I unconsciously chose to dismay them because of their "lack of worth". Once I recognized the bias I was able to overcome it, which led to my light bulb moment.

As I backtracked through the book after leaping over my stupidity a glaring theme popped out at me, entrapment.  You may be wondering what led me to this conclusion, the answer is not quite as complicated as you may think.  Starting with the main characters, Werner and Marie, what are they trapped by? Marie is obvious, she lacks sight which would make her trapped inside her own mind. She must conceptualize all of her surroundings, making her mind her setting.  This traps her because the mind can only visualize what it has already seen and heard, without others to guide her she is lost. As when Marie and her father cross into Saint-Malo, "he narrates what he sees: a portcullis, defensive walls called ramparts, granite mansions, a steeple above roof-tops." (pg.118) The question arises on what does the author want to tell us from the entrapment and does it bring about escape.  For Marie what entrapment does is bring the worst  upon her. Hope and love is what keeps her going when she is lost and scared.  The memories of her father, the ocean, and the ones she has lost tell her that there is hope for her, she must keep going. I think the entrapment is a way to bring out the light from the dark.

Where Marie's is based off of blindness, Werner's is with the Nazi Youth and literally being trapped under ground. Although you could relate Marie and Werner's entrapment by the fact that Marie was also literally trapped in the wardrobe hideout. However, back to the point so why would Werner's time spent as student at the Nazi Youth program and as a soldier. In Nazi Youth he is unable to make any of his own decisions, you would think as a young German boy in 1940's this would be his ideal world, one where he could best support the Fuhrer. Furthermore it is the chance to leave Zollverein and escape the mines. What we come to find out is this setting is the direct opposite of what he had assumed. There is death, torture, ruthless competition, and more of all no compassion.  Werner finally sees this is not the place for himself and attempts to leave, but the Nazi Youth have already trapped him, he is theirs.  The Nazi officer tells Werner,  "You are eighteen years old. Not sixteen, as you have claimed. Werner puzzles. The absurdity is plain: he remains smaller than most of the fourteen-year-olds." (pg.286) Werner is unable to leave, trapped you could say.  His morals have shown one side of him, but the physical force of the Nazis keep him a "chained" man. Like Marie, the entrapment is based upon love and hope for better. Werner stays in the Nazi Youth because his sister, Jutta, is trapped in the town he came from. Becoming a scientist and joining the Nazi army may allow for him to gain wealth and better her life. The thought of Jutta keeps him going when things are at its worst. The thematic idea of entrapment is complimented by the motif of love and relationships.

Finally, another thematic idea that presents itself throughout the book is the radio. Throughout the book the radio comes up with Werner and Marie. For both it has different significance.  In the beginning the radio symbolizes excitement and progression as with the radio Werner made, but it also leads him to the Nazis. This can be shown with the French broadcasts,  "What do we call visible light? We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible."(pg.63) This leads Werner on the track to the being a scientist and ultimately joining the Nazis. When he meets with Heir Siedler, the Nazi officer in his town, the knowledge of the radio changes his view of his role in the Reich.  This is shown with a quote from Siedler, "You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are." This statement by Siedler post fixing of the radio is what leads him to accept his role and work for the Reich. As we go on through the novel the radio represents stability in both Werner and Marie's lives where stability is not really present. Furthermore the radio identifies a key theme about interconnections. The radio bring Werner and Marie together when they seem so far apart. In addition the radio connects their lives because the broadcasts that Werner was listening to were actually broadcasted by Marie's grandfather, Daniel LeBlanc. An interesting point is that Werner and Marie are two completely different characters by the way they are described and their attitudes, the common link is the radio.