Previous
Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood in All the Light We Cannot See is contemplative and serious, while simultaneously maintaining an air of dreamlike remove. Werner and Marie-Laure's respective imaginations serve as a focal point of the novel, influencing this dreamlike state despite the horrors and traumas each character endures. Even as tragedies of war pile up, Werner and Marie-Laure refuse to allow themselves to be cowed, retreating to their respective imaginative landscapes as a final stronghold against the deluge of pain surrounding them.
Notably, both Werner and Marie-Laure are children—they understand everything that is happening to them, but they are not given over to the griefs of adulthood. They cling to a rosier view of the world, a holdover from childhood. They hold tight to their hopes and dreams, to their imaginations and the objects that spark them. It is no wonder, then, that such a war-ridden landscape would feel foreign and dreamlike to both Werner and Marie-Laure. If one lives one's life almost wholly through the imagination, as kids (especially Werner and Marie-Laure) are wont to do, reality would naturally appear as a dream. The unwanted, incomprehensible reality of war and mass atrocity likely feels even less real to Werner and Marie-Laure, hence the dreaminess of the mood throughout the novel.
Related Themes:
