All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anthony DoerrAnthony Doerr was sitting next to a man talking on his cell phone, in a train heading towards New York. When the train approached the Penn Station, the signal dropped and the call disconnected much to the chagrin of the man who was talking. That made Doerr think about the things we cannot see - "the idea about all this electromagnetic radiation we can't see that's flying through walls and through buildings". (https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...). Communicating through radio, and cell phones, bridging the huge distance that lay between the two ends was something that fascinated Doerr and he decided to write on the subject. He researched on radios and this research let him to the Nazi era. And the plot for the book All The Light We Cannot See[bookcover:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977] started taking shape.
When I started reading the book, it was a difficult and distracting read. Due to the complex language used, I found myself progressing slowly through the pages. And I would often want to opt for 'easier' works. But there was something that egged me on and I am happy to have finished the book. All in all, it has been a memorable read to me.
The story revolves around two characters - a blind girl Marie-Laure who is French and a young German boy, Werner Pfenning who is driven towards the magic of radio transmissions. There is the presence of that precious 'diamond', the Sea of Flames, which some believe carries a curse. The one who owns it will survive but bring disaster to those who are close to him/her. While he himself has never actually seen the stone, the warder of the museum says, "You have to believe the story." The stone looms large in the novel. Marie-Laure often speculates on the 'curse'. Things happen - events that change the course of her life in a way she had not imagined before. And just like Dr Geffard, the mollusk expert has told her, "You know how diamonds - how all crystals - grow, Laurette? By adding microscopic layers, a few thousand atoms every month, each atop the next. Millennia after millennia. That's how stories accumulate too. All the old stones accumulate stories. ...." Marie- Laure's story also accumulates layers, converging with that of Werner and then, drifting apart, only to merge again later towards the end.
Radio acts as a 'connect'. While it seeks to hunt down the enemy, it becomes way early in the novel, a means of hope. " Open your eyes, and see what you can with them before they close forever." It plays the music that fills the air around Werner with "possibility". It poses questions before curious minds - "So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?" Jutta, Werner's sister, is the voice of conscience that stays with Werner when he moves away from her. Jutta questions her brother about whether a thing that is being done by all "ought" to be done by them too. Her listening to radio broadcast makes her interrogate into the very idea of "purification" for which the Reich stands. She doubts "the staccato voice of the Reich" which "grows like some imperturbable tree". She does not belong to those who consider it as "the lips of God". She tells her brother that they are not "whole" - "We must be half something." What he refuses to hear from his sister, or perhaps hears but lacks the courage to believe in, he will hear from Marie-Laure through the radio. The radio, an instrument that is being used to capture, becomes a means of release.
Claire de lune by Debussy is a rendition of Paul Verlaine's poem with the same title. It is repeatedly referred to in the novel. The piece fits well with the larger theme of the book - a fight against the closed system of dictatorial rigidity. Werner's radio and Marie's adventures in reading are escapes within that closed system. The music of Claire de lune liberates. It lets the German Volkheimer listen not just to the notes but also "the silences between them" taking him to a place where his grandfather is. It gives Marie-Laure the courage to overcome her fear of General Von Rumpel. It brings back to Von Rumpel the memory of her daughter Veronika, who could sing. The world is being made a little human again, until the music lasts. Nothing is straight or simple in this world. As Marie-Laure contemplates:
"What mazes there are in this world. The branches of trees, the filigree of roots, the matrix of crystals, the streets her father re-created in his models. Mazes in the nodules on murex shells and in the textures of sycamore bark and inside the hollow bones of eagles. None more complicated than the human brain, Etienne would say, what may be the most complex object in existence; one wet kilogram within which spin universes."
The world of Nazi brutality, the "greatest project" of "ordering the evolution of the species", of "winnowing out the inferior, the unruly, the chaff" starts shattering. It is a closed world. It does not let the light in. But it degenerates from within. "The entropy of a closed system never decreases. Every process must by law decay." The decline happens from inside, giving way to a different kind of loss and a different kind of gain. Death stares in the face, but it brings with it "sublimity", "the instant when one thing is about to become something else. Day to night, caterpillar to butterfly. Fawn to doe. Experiment to result. Boy to man."
Another significant character in the novel is Frederick, Werner's friend at the military academy. He is according to Anthony Doerr, a version of himself and of one of his sons. (http://tweedsmag.org/interview-anthon...). They belong to that category of people who "pay attention to things others don't", which may be their strong point but is a "social weakness". Frederick is philosophical, a dreamer. He loves birds. And while Werner thinks that he is weak, Frederick knows that " Some people are weak in some ways, sir. Others in other ways." His distraction is his way out of the brutality of war. He imagines the world when it was "one endless garden from end to end" - all connected, without divides.
The model house that Marie-Laure carries with her is a dominant symbol in the novel. It is a powerful antidote to the Nazi system that is closed and impenetrable. Whether it holds the real diamond or not is something that is not disclosed till the latter half of the book. The inspiration for the house lay in a Japanese puzzle-box the author received as a gift when he was eight or nine years old.(http://tweedsmag.org/interview-anthon...) He was not told how the box opens. He was expected to figure it out on his own. The model house is also like a puzzle box. Whether it opens or not, whether it holds the 'real' thing or not, is something one needs to find out. It is the opposite of "certainty". It is the representation of "disorder" and "randomness". It is an expression of "imagination". It is a proof of "minds" working - minds, which are "not to be trusted" because they are always "drifting toward ambiguity".
All The Light We Cannot See is a brilliant work. It has been praised much for the its lyrical prose, and that is definitely justified. And despite my initial difficulty with the novel, I found it mesmerizing and beautiful and would strongly recommend it to all.
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In 2012, I sat in front of my TV anxiously awaiting the judgement that would be meted out to Dharun Ravi, an Indian immigrant student at Rutgers University, New Jersey. He had through a webcam witnessed his room-mate Tyler Clementi's private moments with his boy-friend and later on had invited other friends and Twitter followers to witness the same through his web-cam. (The second part however never happened.) The entire incident resulted in Tyler Clementi's suicide.
As I sat watching the trial on my TV, I was at loggerheads as to where my sympathy should lie. I saw Tyler's mom waiting for a fair judgement. Her son would never return. Her loss was irreparable. On the other hand was this boy whose immaturity had landed him and his family in such a terrible situation. Dharun's mother sat in a corner weeping silently, praying for minimum punishment possible for her son. Dharun was charged on account of invasion of privacy. His crime was not categorized under 'hate crime' or 'discrimination' since nowhere did he show bias towards Clementi's being gay.
The case reflected how a foolish use of technology had ruined so many lives. It highlighted how important it was for us as parents, and for the society as a whole to act responsibly. If only, kids like Dharun knew that they had no right to invade the privacy of others. If only, kids like him realized that whatever they do could have serious consequences. And also, if only kids like Clementi had the love and unconditional support of their friends and family. If only kids like him knew that they would be accepted and loved for who they were.
The Story of a Suicide
I began my post with the case of Dharun and Clementi because when I read The Story of a Suicide by Sriram Ayer, I was reminded strongly of that tragedy. But the book however has more issues to deal with then just this. The key players of the story are Hari, Mani, Sam, Aditya, Priya, Charu and Alex. Hari's parents, 'He', and the twitter friends are important too in the role they play in the development of the plot. The title of the novel is well-chosen. This is the narrative of not a man or a woman committing suicide. It is the story of suicide itself - how it happens, what factors or forces are responsible for shaping it up. It is not as if an individual decided to end his/her life and went about doing it. There are circumstances that make it happen. The novel is an exploration of those determinants at work.
I am going to divide my post according to the themes I felt are crucial in understanding the story as a whole. Then, I will conclude showing how each theme intertwines in the plot to bring about a completion in the narrative.
Insubordination
The narrative of the novel hinges on the thread of insubordination. There are different levels of disobedience that are examined in the story. To begin at the beginning is Sam and his relationship with Priya. As becomes evident quite early, Sam is driven into technology so much that he can see nothing else around himself. His inattentive involvement with Priya ends their relationship. Tweets are more important than a meaningful conversation. But when Priya calls it off, Sam's ego is hurt, really hurt. If we begin to feel that he might really be in love, Charu enters and Sam is floored by her beauty and confidence. But Charu is a very different woman. It is never clear how committed she is with Sam. There are points of confusion, moments when she wants to fully surrender to Sam, and then when she completely cuts him off. Sam is a typical male in this regard. The conversations he has with Aditya, and the tweets he makes about women, reveal how he objectifies the female body. The disregard he meets at the hands of Charu and the rejection from Priya are way too much for him to handle.
Then, there is the failed disobedience of Hari with 'He'. The way 'He' traumatizes Hari as a child and the inability of Hari to oppose it is very poignantly handled in the novel.
Mani's failed attempt to commit suicide as he is unable to cope with the pressure of studies is another example of insubordination - his refusal to accept the standards set by society due to his 'inabilities'.
These three are different kinds of non-compliant behaviors at work in the novel.
Abuse and Negligence
In the stories of Hari and Mani are hidden the accounts of countless kids and teenagers who suffer due to parental negligence and social expectations. The pressure to stay within the bounds of conformity are too much to handle. The inability to see that abuse is lurking right under their nose is the cause of much misfortune. Hari is unable to overcome the childhood trauma even when it is not physically present. The scars left on his soul are sore wounds that refuse to heal. For Mani, it is the expectations society has from toppers that intimidates him and threatens to undo him. Both the boys find in each other a possibility of a relationship that will be based on trust and understanding. But past blemishes are not so easy to rid of, and so their relationship too walks on a tightrope.
An intruder called 'Technology'
It may well be argued whether it is technology or its senseless use that is the cause of all the trouble. I feel, that it is both. Technology has entered so much into our lives, it seems to have invaded our sanity too. The addictive spell of technology and the rashness of youth is not so great a combination. The urge to post our 'status', to lure of remaining 'anonymous', the ignorance of thinking that with anonymity we can also wash our hands off our mistakes, to live more in the 'virtual' rather than the 'real' world around us - all this remains central to the plot.
At the same time however, we can not overlook the larger patriarchal forces at work. The hegemonic ideas we conform to, the disciplines we consider 'normal' and 'normative' and the standards we maintain to 'judge' and 'punish' people go a long way in determining why we act the way we do.
Conclusion - Punishment and Patriarchy
The 'disobedient' women in the novel, the docile child, the failed student, the enraged boyfriend, the unhappy parents - they all work in a given social set-up. They have become what they are in a society that has certain rules of decorum, certain definitions of respectability, certain stereotypes based on which men and women are expected to behave. Although homosexuality is not directly attacked in the story, the fact that it remains closeted in the novel speaks volumes about the homophobia at work. The tragic end of the novel is shaped by forces which were working on getting some other results, but which may very well have brought about a similar fate if homosexuality was directly targeted. As Gayle Rubin has rightly said, " The suppression of the homosexual component of human sexuality, and by corollary, the oppression of homosexuals, is .... a product of the same system whose rules and relations oppress women." The bonding between Sam and Aditya, the fetishizing of the body of the woman in the conversations they have, and the 'desire' to 'correct' the 'aberrant' behavior of the beloved are instances which reveal a sadist misogyny at work. When Charu writes the FB post where she boldly uses words that would be taboo in a polite society, she is breaking the rules of patriarchy that does not expect a woman to have a voice. The "homosocial" (borrowed from Eve Sedgewick's book Between Men ) planning of Sam and his friends is very much in keeping with the ideology of patriarchy that sits on dominance, discipline and punishment. The 'dominant' absolute male considers it his right to punish the intractable 'body' of the woman. She will remain an object of desire, a spectacle, and also a subject of punishment.
This same 'patriarchy' maintains a structure and places individuals accordingly. In such a set-up, it leaves no room for what it considers 'deviant' and hence there is no place for the 'third sex'. This provokes an 'indifferent' mentality towards homosexuality. It cannot be 'recognized' because no-body in the patriarchal set-up will acknowledge it. Hari's parents are the representatives of this very ideological positioning in the society. The dream sequence that Hari's father, Mr. Hegde has reveals that he is somehow aware of his son's 'different' leanings. The author insinuates that even through the account of Haridas, the labourer, who is revered in the theater but condemned outside. It is through the imagery of 'dance' that Mr. Hegde feels that his son's life is in 'danger'. The dream reflects the opposing forces Mr. Hegde is caught in between. There are 'beasts' out there who will kill his son, he screams. But what or who those beasts are is something he does not ponder over, or may be he does not want to.
He, like most of the heterosexual, hegemonic, homophobic society, refuses to acknowledge its presence. And for that reason, even in the book, the theme of homosexuality rests on the hinges of the narrative. It is there, very much there for us to probe, to understand, if only we are sensitive enough to give it its deserved space.
Abuse becomes the tool of 'discipline' and 'punishment'.
The illustrations of the book are hazy yet powerful. They reflect the confusion and chaos of a society that wears the pretense of politeness. Like the dream sequences in the story, they are at times blunt and catch you off-guard. They tease us out of our oblivion. They mock, they prick, they interrogate.
Time to interrogate
Each chapter of the novel has a set of questions for the reader to brood over. These questions are exercises of introspection and analysis. They are meant not just for those who suffer a heart-break, or are abused. They are also meant for the supposed power-holders of the society - those who wish to judge, discipline and punish others. The relevance of this kind of interrogation is crucial since the way we handle the incidents in our life can make or break us. These questions are meant to evoke a response that can help us handle rejections, promote and practice compassion, and develop an understanding for those who are 'different' from us, but still as human as we are.
The havoc that is wrecked in the novel happens much with the aid of social media and the brutally indifferent use of technology. Thus it is imperative for the care-givers, the parents, the teachers and the guardians of our society to teach well the kids and the youngsters on how to use it to achieve harmony and not create chaos.
Following are some important points I feel we need to go over:
1) We need to understand and respect everyone's right to privacy.
2) We need to realize that whatever we do has consequences. Responsibility for an act, done anonymously or otherwise, can never be done away with.
3) We need to teach the kids from an early age that the desire to possess can only bring about ruin. Freedom, and space in a relationship are the foundation of healthy relationships.
4) If someone says No, we need to respect that decision.
5) We should assert our refusal powerfully if our dignity is threatened. To hide the matter, no matter how much we are afraid, can only bring more abuse. We have to speak up before it is too late.
6) As friends, we need to pay attention to each other when we are low. A confident and caring person is all we need in times of crisis.
7) Virtual life, no matter how addictive, remains just that. It can never replace the authentic, committed relationships we can actually have if only we are willing. What is not out there is just a chimera. It can create illusions, and hallucinations, and can take you away from the real world. It can ruin you.
8) Conversations - talking and listening - can really help someone in need.. We ought to pay attention to signs and words. Don't overlook just because you don't like it. Our likes and dislikes are less important that a life in pain. That life can be saved if we are vigilant.
9) Accept who you are, even when you are different from others. Be proud of yourself.
This post is written in response to Indiblogger IndiChange Topic - Review the book The Story of a Suicide by Sriram Ayer
Ravish Mani is well-known in the blogosphere. His insightful comments on blogs reflect his philosophical personality. His own writings are inspiration and food for thought. He has an acumen for reading in between the lines. If you want your work to be critically appreciated, you would want him to read it. And this is no flattery. I make this statement based on the comments I have received for many of the short fictional pieces and poetry I have written.
Make Success Your Way of Living by Ravish Mani is a compilation of personal anecdotes, examples and experiments from the animal world and quotes from famous people. The author philosophically reinforces his ideas by repeatedly stressing on the significance of adopting the right 'attitude' towards success. Doubt and failure are considered stepping stones rather than hindrances. Success is measured against failure, and not along with achievement. It is emphasized again and again that winning does not make you a winner just like losing does not make you a loser.
The beauty of the central thought of the book is captured in the lines from Bhagwad Gita that serve as the epigraph to the book. Let me quote the lines here:
He who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction is wise among human; he is successful, who has accomplished what one has to. (Bhagwad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 18)
Achievements are not defined necessarily by what the final outcome is. Success is a journey, not an end-point. Accomplishments are meant to be glorified in the way they came about, and not in isolation. Ravish throughout the book, by way of different examples, reiterates this point. True success is desire matched with integrity. What one really wants is important, but what is also important is modelling a correct conduct. The classic example Ravish gives in this regard is that of Reuben Gonzales who chose to lose his racquetball match in order to keep his integrity intact. That does not mean that one ought to fail to succeed. Failures are experiences. They are proofs of the hard work and the effort required to reach the final goal. One who does not strive does not learn.
The author begins by telling about his own stint with success. No, he did not become a celebrity overnight. He did not achieve the glamour associated with stardom. But within a limited span of time, he was able to achieve something he desired. All he did was take the right steps. He was willing to take the risk, and with this willingness came the idea that helped him reach his goal. That was success to him in the true sense of the word. He did not do any "preparation" but was rather "prepared" to take action. Ravish aptly differentiates between the two:
"Preparation means mechanical activity while preparedness means conscious activity. Preparation is a state of sleeping, in which you do things unconsciously. You cannot do anything new. You can only do the things that you were taught while preparing for the situation. You cannot think out of the box. On the other hand, preparedness is state of awareness. It can think new solutions because your mind is alert."
Success according to the author, is not just a record of goals achieved. It gels with a happy personality. Happiness is crucial for success because an unhappy heart can seldom reach success. An unhappy person cannot comprehend the meaning of accomplishment for he is not in harmony with his inner self. To be able to achieve goals that are worthy, one has to first adopt a healthy attitude. Ravish writes:
"Success means having such a personality that every effort will lead towards the achievement of a worthy goal."
Ravish uses a haiku written by Kokila Gupta to explain how our interpretation of life, and the events that happen around us define us, or rather how we give definitions to the events around us, and hence to the life we live. I have a different interpretation for the haiku but the way the author describes two contrary meanings of the haiku reflect how we are tuned to think. The thought-processes we are habitual of often trap us and limit our scope. We ourselves enfeeble us and blame it to some external source. The truth is that we choose and we are the doers, no matter what. Our perceptions can become our traps.
"We can never know what others say; we can only know what we hear.”
Our fears are our allies too, according to Ravish. It is fear, as the author notes, which awakens our consciousness. There is a great example the writer gives which I would like to share here. A man had fear of heights. He went to a saint so that the latter could help him achieve a state of consciousness. The saint asked him to climb a tall tree or go home. The man despite his fear started climbing. As he was about to reach the top, the saint asked him to be brave. On his way down, as the man neared the ground, the saint warned him to be careful. The man was angry and asked the saint why when he was so near to the summit and to the ground did he feel the need to warn. The saint replied that when he was going up, he was fearful and conscious. But as he neared success, there was danger of going back to the state of drowsiness and he might have quit. While coming back, he was overconfident and it might have been harmful to his conscious state of mind.
Through this example Ravish has clearly brought out the significance of remaining on a sound foothold even while succeeding. It might be the last but one illusive step that can be disastrous and cause our doom. Success comes to those who choose to remain awake.
Doubt has often been a stumbling block for many. It is a paralyzing force that slows us down and eventually makes us quit. That is what we feel. But for the author:
"Doubt is an indication of a somewhat disturbed belief system which needs immediate attention and some remedial action."
Doubt is that moment wherein questions need to be asked. It is a state of consciousness not lulled by blind faith but active interrogation. Hence it has power. It has strength which can be aptly challenged towards creativity. Ravish gives fine examples to prove his point. Towards the end of the book, he even quotes one of his reader who is an avid believer but is often assailed by doubt. The reader finds relief in the assertion that to doubt is not bad. Mindless following ought to be shunned.
In order to succeed, one ought to be ready to embrace everything one would usually not relate to success - fear, doubt, and failure.
The author ends his book asking his readers to dwell on the concept of the Penrose Triangle. It is a concept new to me. But after reading the book, I thought that the 'impossible' triangle is the metaphor for the thought process that seeks to achieve a state of harmony between the doer and the action - a harmony wherein both blend into each other inseparably, a state where they exist but they are not there. It lies at the root of Hui Neng's example cited in the book wherein the disciple on being asked, "What is enlightenment?", replies “There is no mind and there is no mirror, so where can the dust gather? One who knows this is enlightened.”
Success can come only in this state of purity.
I also asked Ravish to clarify his point of view on the Penrose Triangle in regard to his book. Let me quote what Ravish says:
"A defining characteristic of impossible object is that each part makes sense but the whole does not; local geometry is satisfied but the figure’s global geometry is ambiguous or contradictory, and the viewer must constantly revise their understanding of the figure as their eye travels over it."
I highlight the last part of the answer given because this is integral to our understanding of success too. What our mind perceives as success at one point of time might not when viewed as a whole be success in conventional terms. But if we take it apart, it might be success indeed. Viewed from different perspectives, success may appear as failure and failure may appear as success. It depends on where we position ourselves.
The last chapter of the book is crucial to understanding the whole book for that matter, and it is difficult too. I am not very philosophically-grounded to comprehend all that Ravish has written. But the duality between the doer and the action, the requirement of harmony, the necessity to reach a point of unity so that the stage of 'no-consciousness' (see Post-Script as the end)is achieved are according to the author significant in understanding wherein lies success.
There is a lot to learn from the countless examples given, from the action steps provided at the end of each chapter and from the impressive quotes from various sources Ravish uses throughout the book. The book is not just about success, but about making a habit of success - a habit that comes as an individual develops a happy personality that is eager to live with passion and integrity. The classic example of the saint enjoying the strawberries while his death is ready to devour him is cardinal to the point raised by the book. Live in the moment with a fully awakened consciousness, and overcome failures and hindrances by negating their debilitating forces.
Those who love to read self-help books will enjoy reading this book. Those who like to learn from examples will find a lot in this book that is to their taste.
My only concern is that it has not been edited well. I hope the author makes note of it and makes necessary changes.
To download a copy of Ravish's book and to visit his blog, click ravishmani.com
Post-Script - After reading the review, Ravish had a question as to what I meant by 'no-consciousness'. It was something he had never meant anywhere in his book. I need to clarify that by 'no-consciousness' I meant reaching a stage of, what the writer calls, 'no-thought', when all thoughts are shattered. It is a state of mind that is free of ego and its co-relates. It is the point at which ultimate harmony can be attained.
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Tomichan Matheikal's The Nomad Learns Morality
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Linking to
Day 3 of Write Tribe Festival of Words # 5
