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摘 要

《所有我们看不见的光》是安东尼多尔的第五部作品,并在2015年获得普利策奖。小说以二战为背景，向我们讲述了一个法国盲女的人格独立过程和德国男孩的人性挣扎过程。两个人的生活看似两条平行线，但最终却交融在一起。本文试图从成长小说文本出发，从主题、人物和叙述方法三个角度来论证《所有我们看不见的光》的成长小说视角。首先论文就主人公的自我发现和情感成熟两方面从主题上展开论述。其次通过分析主人公维尔纳和对主人公的成长起积极作用和消极作用的人物分析该小说是如何在人物上体现成长小说的特点的。最后就典型的成长模式和第三人称叙述两个方面从叙述方法角度上展开分析。

关键词：成长小说；主题；人物；叙述方式

Contents

1. Introduction...................................................................................................1

2. Initiation Story...............................................................................................2

2.1 Definition and development of initiation story..............................................2

2.2 Characteristics of initiation story...................................................................4

2.3 Study on Chinese initiation story...................................................................5

3. An Analysis of Theme as An Initiation Story..............................................6

3.1 Self-discovery................................................................................................6

3.2 Emotional maturity........................................................................................7

4. An Analysis of Characters as An Initiation Story......................................8

4.1 Initiation protagonists: Werner......................................................................8

4.2 Positive characters.........................................................................................9

4.3 Negative characters : Nazi...........................................................................10

5.An Analysis of Narration as An Initiation Story........................................11

5.1 U-shape plot pattern.....................................................................................11

5.2 Third-person narration.................................................................................13

6.Conclusion.....................................................................................................13

7.Work Cited....................................................................................................15

1. Introduction

Anthony Doerr is an American writer. He writes mainly novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All the Lights We Cannot See, which won the Pulitzer for Fiction. He was born on October 27, 1973, growing in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1991, Anthony Doerr graduated from university school, and then he attended Bowdoin college in Brunswick, Marine, where he majored in history and graduated in 1995. Doerr’s first published book was a collection of short stories called the Shell Collector(2002). Many of the stories take place in Africa and New Zealand , where he has worked and lived. His first novel, About Grace, was released in 2004. Then he wrote a memoir, Four Seasons In Rome, published in 2007. Doerr’s second novel, All the Lights We Cannot See, set in occupied France during the second world war, was published in 2014. It received significant critical acclaim and was a finalist for the national book award for fiction. The book was a New York times bestseller and was named by the newspaper as a notable book of 2014. It was runner-up for the 2015 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction and won the 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction. Doerr also writes a column on science books for the Boston globe and is a contributor to the morning news, an online magazine.

Blind Marie-Luare from France and Werner from Germany. In France, Marie was blind at a young age, but under her father"s careful care, she lived a happy and peaceful life in Paris. When the war of 1940 approached, the peaceful life was broken. After the fall of Paris, his father and his museum curator gave him the "Sea Flame" diamond from Saint Malo to visit their loved ones. Soon after, his father was told that he was found guilty of crime and imprisonment because he found drawings and master key. She can only lived with her great father Etienne and Madame Manec in an old house. she felt extremely sad. Luckily, Madame Manec pulled her out from the depression and leads her to the sea where she wanted to go all the time. She went out and made good relationship with neighbors with the accompany of Madame Manec. She even looks after her great-father after Madame Manec"s death. She finishes the anti war task by her own and faces officers directly when trapped in the attic alone. She manages to escape the search of the Nazi Gemologist Sergeant Major Reinhold Von Rumple and survives from bombs and lives on bravely.

Another story is that the young German Werner lost his parents from childhood, and his sister Jutta is dependent on the orphanage in the mining area, waiting for his fate to grow up to become a miner in the mining area. Occasionally, he heard a French children"s radio program on the radio station he collected and opened his door to knowledge. He is keen to get rid of the fate of the bottom line. He turned to a Nazi elite school with a broadcasting talent. He is eager to graduate from here to Berlin to learn electronic machines and become a scientist. But this war shattered his hope. He was trained to serve the war. Warner believes that through his own efforts, he is able to control his destiny, but the war has changed everything. In front of a huge war machine, individuals are restricted and cannot be changed.

The thesis aims to identify that All the Lights We Cannot See is an initiation story and it has the characteristics which initiation story owns. The theme of the initiation story is distinctive, with a single narrative model and a certain regularity. But the spiritual growth is often the inner emotional experience. All the subtle changes in the heart will only be clear to the hero who experiences it. So this article aims to analyze All the Light We Cannot See from the point of view of the novel, so that young people and even adults who are experiencing this growth experience can get a more real and deeper life experience.

In the terms of the overall structure, the article analyzes it from four chapters. Chapter one is made up of three parts. They are the definition and development of initiation story; characteristics of initiation story; and study on Chinese initiation story as well. Chapter two aims to analyze the characters as an initiation story which All the Lights We Cannot See has. The characters are not only minor characters but also the protagonists. And the next two chapters are going to analyze the narration and the theme as an initiation story respectively. And the conclusion summarizes the initiation characteristics embodied in All the Lights We Cannot See and the meaning of the thesis.

2. Initiation Story

2.1Definition and development of initiation story

Initiation Story, also called Bildungsroman is a special kind of novel that focused on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood. The Bildungsroman novel depicts and criticizes those vices of the society which cause the protagonist to suffer. The novel conveys a sense of realism because the protagonist is a common sensitive person who is affected by the loss that they suffer and this loss, ultimately, changes the course of their life. A Bildungsroman is a story of the growing up of a sensitive person who looks for answers to his questions through different experiences. Generally, such a novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum. During the journey, the protagonist gains maturity gradually and with difficulty. Usually, the plot depicts a conflict between the protagonist and the value of society. Finally, he or she accepts those values and they are accepted by the society,ending the dissatisfaction. Such a type of novel is also known as a coming -of-age novel or growth novel.(Wikipedia) Mordecai Marcus summarize the concept of initiation story in his What Is An Initiation Story? He writes that an initiation story may be said to its young protagonist experiencing a significant change of knowledge about the world or himself, or a change of character, or of both, and this change must point or lead him towards an adult world. it may or may not contain some form of ritual,but it should give some evidence that the change is at least likely to have permanent effects. (Marcus 222) In addition, the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist gives us a deep insight into their characters and also helps to understand the conflict in their lives. As a result, we can identify ourselves with the coming-of-age characters and feel emotionally attached and interested as we see them pass different stages of their lives until they finally change for the good. Bildungsroman, a literary subject has a long creation history and many classical works. It consists of the archetypal structure of the initial story: innocence --- ordeal ---- epiphany ---- maturity.

Initiation Story originated from German in the late eighteenth century. At first, it was called Bildungsroman. the word Bildungsroman is made up of Bildung and Roman. They means formation and novel. it was very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Above all, the world Bildungsman was introduced by Wofgang Von Goethe in his novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship which was thought of the original model of initiation story. after being translated into English later by Tomas Carlyle, it came into England, and at the same time, a lot of story of this kind appeared. In England, many British authors put this genre into their works. Such as, the Mill on the Floss by George Elitio, and Jane Eyre by Chrlotte Bronte. However, compared the traditional characteristics of the German Bildungsroman, the English Bildungsroman has its own features. German Bildungsroman stories emphasizes much the individual’s self-development while English Bildungsroman stories pay more attention to the cultivation and education of the society. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the concept of Bildungsroman was spread to America where its name initiation story formed. And soon initiation story plays an important role in American literature. As the Britain Bildungsroman, American initiation stories are a little different from that of German as well. America has its own understanding of this kind of novel. American writers lay stress on the growth of their adolescents because of the own growth of the country itself. As we know, Hawthorne is thought to be the first writer to pay much attention to the growth of adolescent in history.

2.2Characteristics of initiation story

First of all ,most of the classic initiation stories are full-length novels, but this is just a general case, it’s not the only standard to judge whether one novel is an initiation story or not.

Secondly, the leading characters are always clever, sensitive, and full of courage. The growth novel usually starts from their youth or childhood to describe the main characters’ experiences and their psychological development. They are trying to look for the answer to life or what they are interested. Now that talking about growth, the process becomes very important. At first, they are innocent and their values have not formed yet. However, most of them get hit by life which makes them feel unhappy, and hopeless. Therefore, they want to run away from their status quo. Fleeing away is one of the typical characteristics of the growth novels. After suffering different kinds of the pain or things, the leading characters will gradually become mature and start to know the meaning of life. They have to experience the process of facing themselves, facing their society.

Thirdly, in the terms of initiation stories’ plot contents, although the growth novel puts focus on the growth process of the main characters, it does not lay stress on the characters only. In the initiation stories, as the growth background, ideology, social values are profoundly significant. After reading them, readers will not only just have the impression of the main characters but also they will think about life, fate, society or something profound. So that the leading characters may be not special people, sometimes they are just the representatives of the era they belong to. It highlights the universality of the protagonists" growth. It gives readers or fans more room to think.

Fourthly, in terms of the time span, the novels of growth are often written from the young age of the protagonists’ mind. And they always come to the end when the sign of mature appears. Even the leading characters sometimes are not in the inner part of an era, but at the intersection of two eras and at a turning point from one era to another . According to this, we know that the leading characters always experience two different aspects time span dimensions. They are the time dimension of individuality and the time dimension of spare.

Fifthly, in perspective of themes, the initiation stories often have two different kinds of themes. Self-discovery and reconciliation are the two common themes of initiation stories.

2.3 Study on Chinese initiation story

Initiation story originated from Germany, and it became popular in Britain and America. In the 20th century, China has formed its own initiation story with its own unique features. When it was brought to China, the name of it has not been unified in the theoretical sense for a long time. It always depends on the scholars themselves. They call it development novels, educational novels and so on. And in 1943, Feng Zhi translated Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship into Chinese and translated the Blidungsman into Eutuicklungsroman. Till now, some scholars still think that there is just like initiation story instead. In 1979, Lou BanJiu translated it into educational story when his transition of Green Henry. After that, the aspect of education became the important component of initiation story. It means a condition of tabular rasa which means white paper status. There are four basic elements of Chinese initiation.The leading hero who is in his adolescence or growth; the personality of the growing hero; with a certain length of narration and the completeness of adult ceremony. It is undeniable that growth novel has a long history as a type of fiction in western literary traditions, and it has also experienced the development of nearly a century in modern china. Compared with the fiery and hot trend of creation, domestic scholars have apparently lagged behind in the study of growth novels. As for the study of the modern Chinese novels produced during the period of time, it is a long-term neglect and despair. Although modern growth novels used to be relatively luxuriant, their literary criticism and research did not pay enough attention to this new thing and did not respond. The reason for this is that the corresponding theoretical and critical resources are still not available. Until recent years, a number of thesis have emerged, which only reversed the embarrassing situation that the study of growth novels lags behind creation. As the theoretical resources for research have gradually become abundant, the theoretical threshold has become more and more diversified.

3. An Analysis of Theme as An Initiation Story

The main themes of initiation story are self-dicovery and emotional maturity. In Marcus What Is An Initiation Story, he describes initiation as an important self discovery and a resulting adjustment.(Marcus 22) At the same time, Coyle claims that the most popular perhaps has being the agonizing self-consciousness caused by a variety of dignity and the reconciliation of the problematic individual, guided by his lived experience of the ideal with concrete so Lao reality. (Coyle 55) And the novel All the Lights We Cannot See meets the characteristics of the novel.

3.1 Self-discovery

Self discovery means that one finds out the basic nature of life. But different initiation stories may have different perspective of self-discovery. They may be the discovery of life meaning and the formation of personal values. It depends on the initiation protagonists themselves. In All the Lights We Cannot See, as an orphan boy, the leading character is trying to realizes his dream but gradually lose himself. Therefore, self discovery is a process to find who he is and find out a way of searching for the truth of real life. Werner who lives in a mine country dreams of running away all the time, when he was little, Werner is full of innocent and kindness. Even though living in a lifeless city, Werner can still keep pure. However, after realizing his dream to go to the Nazi"s school, he becomes numb step by step, just in order to finish his dream of being a scientist. He keeps his head down and puts all his efforts into the study of science. Werner tries to lie to himself. At the same time, he feels puzzled as well. After suffering all kinds of pains, Werner finally picks up his lost kindness with the sacrifice of his best friend Frederick and many other pure people. He saves instead of helping Nazi arrest her. Although his process of self discovery lasts too long, it succeeds on matter what. Werner"s dream makes him just want to realize it, even ignoring the truth of the world. Obviously, he once suspected the war, but he has been blinded by his dream. That"s why he keeps persuading himself that all of these are just something related to maths, and keeps lie to himself on purpose. During this period, Werner must think that the nature of life is to make one"s dream come into being. However, it doesn"t, does it? On the battlefield of the world war second, seeing the death of a pure girl, Werner finds out the nature of life. It"s just like living as a common people. And it shouldn"t succeed at the cost of the lives of others. And so does the war. For Werner, self-discovery is both painful and lengthy. But it works, it saves Werner , and he realizes his value by his death. So I also call Werner"s self- discovery self- redemption, which is quite in accordance with one of the characteristics of initiation stories" theme.

3.2 Emotional maturity

Emotional maturity is also one of the important characteristics of initiation story in theme. The leading roles of initiation story finish their growth by getting mature whether physically or mentally. In All the Lights We Cannot See, the protagonist Werner completes his growth through mainly three steps. At first, he is innocent during juvenile period. And this is the shared feature of initiation story. Living in a hopeless country, boys are bound to work at the mine well when they grow up. People there are like walking dead. However, Werner is not affected by this environment. He stays pure, innocent and curious. He makes things by his hands. He wanders in the sea of knowledge everyday. Then, he becomes a little rebellious. In some case, Werner betrays his younger sister Jutta before Werner goes to the Nazi’s school, they stick together every day, hiding in the bed and listening to the radio every night. However, everything changes with the coming of the war. In order to finishing his own ambition, Werner ignores persuasion not to enter the Nazi’s school. Jutta tells him that the German broadcasts are lying, but he dose not believe her. During this period, Jutta feels very sad about her brother. Finally, Werner becomes mature after being in Nazi’s school. When he gets into the school, Werner feels very excited because he can touch what he wants to learn. But soon this feeling of joy is broken. The coolness and inhumanity here let Werner finds out the truth of Nazi. And it is because of this, Werner looks forward to feeling away. But it is not finished. This is the first step to be mature. Then he is sent to the battlefield. Deprivation, hardship and fear caused by the war make him truly awake. As the last sentence that narrates Werner in this novel says’ but Werner has cross the edge of the field, where he steps on a trigger land mine set there by his own army three months before, and disappears in a fountain of earth.’(Doerr 483 ) Werenr achieves his self-salvation.

4. Analysis of Characters as an Initiation story

4.1 Initiation protagonists：Werner

In the typical initiation stories, Buckley concluded the characteristics of the initiation protagonist, ‘ a child of some sensibility grows up in the country or a provincial town, where he finds constrains, social and intellectual, placed upon the free imagination. His family proves doggedly hostile to his creative instincts or flights of fancy, atmosphere of home to make his way independently in the city. There his real education begins, not only his preparation for a career, but the direct experience of urban life. It involves at least two love affairs or sexual encounters, one debasing’(Buckley 17)

In All the Lights We Cannot See, Werenr is one of the leading characters. He is a young orphan German boy with unset world view. As a child growing up with his younger sister Jutta in the children’s house, Werner wants to flee away to Berlin and study under the great scientists. He is full of wonder and is fantasy about the world. The appearance of broadcast let him get in touch with the outside world, which makes Werner and Jutta’s life a little bit more interesting in the attic where they live in than before. Scientific programs from french becomes the enlightenment of him. He realizes that ‘it’s happening beyond the mills, beyond the gates’.(Doerr 55) in order to make his dream come true, Werner stays up late to learn the knowledge and skills of science, and he shows a great talent in repairing radios and becomes a real repair man. Therefore, he was praised for his flair by Herrsiedler and has the opportunity to the Nazi’s school.

4.2 Positive characters

Positive guides are called positive characters as well. Rui Yuping narrates positive guides as below: firstly, they can treat the young protagonists as equals and are willing to make friends with them,; secondly, they are sympathetic and willing to offer help; thirdly, their identity and personality are somewhat special, which cause them to keep distance from the main stream of the society; fourthly, like the young protagonists, many of them are marginalized figures in the society who have not yet been assimilated into the mainstream society.( Rui 126) Positive characters often influence the leading characters in a good way and they are the helper no matter in mental or in physical to the main characters.

4.2.1 Jutta as a companion

Jutta the younger sister of Werner is a pure girl and is full of justice. Before Werner’s going to the Nazi’s school, they spend everyday with each other. Gathering in the attic, they enjoy the scientist’s voice from another country, dreaming of the outside world. However, Werner has not paid much attention to the Hitler Youth yet, and he just wants to put head down to read more and learn more. Jutta’s opinion and persuasion were neglected. Instead, Jutta keeps pestering him and tries to make Werner look what is happening. She does not want her brother become just like Hans and Herribert. Jutta follows her heart in the war and stays sober all the time. Her soberness makes Werner maintain the right direction to life. In this novel, Jutta services as a positive companion who leads the right direction to Werner.

4.2.2 Frau Elena as a supporter

Frau Elena is a protestant nun who is more fond of children than of supervision. She takes cake of the children at children’s house. Frau Elena says to Werner they’ll say you’re too little, Werner, that you are from nowhere, that you shouldn’t dream big, but I believe in you. I think you’ll do something great. Frau Elena plays as the mother of Werner and she plays the role of mentoring teacher of him. She takes care of these children carefully, telling stories to them and tries her best to protect them.

4.2.3 Radio wave as an invisible guider

In this novel, radio wave is an important part which connects the German boy Werner and the french girl. And also it is the radio wave that encourages Werner. When Werner was a little boy, he wants to flee away from the mine well. At that time, the radio wave services as the light in the darkness. It lights the hope of Werner. And also because of this, Werner comes to the general Heissmeyer’s school. However, tutors in the school are cruel and brutal, the students’ frenzy situation breaks him down, especially the death of the pure girl, which makes him totally crashed. He feels fearful. While hearing the irradiation voice of his childhood again, Werner reconsiders himself and is inspired once again. Therefore, he makes his kindness into action and brings of Marie-Laure with congenital cataracts. She is trapped in an attic, facing the searching from Germany. It is the radio that rescue Werner again and again. If it is not the radio wave, the leading role may keep deceiving himself, and keep burning his head down so as not to see what is going on.

The radio wave, and also the voice of the french scientist, plays an important role in this novel. It provides the inner strength for Werner and helps Werner face the reality so as to make to right choice.

4.3 Negative character: Nazi

In any kinds of novels, we can say it will be the existence of negative characters. We cannot imagine there will be a novel without a negative person. Negative characters are those who stand at the opposite side of the main characters, and they may have negative influence on the leading characters. Meanwhile, negative characters will also lead the protagonists to the right direction in an indirect way. Chinese scholar Rui Yuping states what are negative guides as this: (1) those who lead the adolescent to the wrong way;(2) those whose word and actions make the adolescents form a clear distinction between what is good and what id evil in the complex world;(3) those who, like Satan, inform the adolescents of knowledge and wisdom but also deprive them of their innocent and happiness.

  As for All the Lights We Cannot See, the biggest negative guider is no doubt the Nazi. Werner"s great talent in repairing radios and he even becomes a real repair man. He is praised by Herr Siedler so as to have the opportunity to the Nazi"s school. At this school, Werner wins the trust through his talent. He fells quite hopeful in the lab and buries himself in studying wireless. In the lab, he can do what he always want to do and he feels much closer to his dream life. However, Werner overlooks what the school actually is. At that time, Nazi blindfolds his eyes. It is what the scholar Rui Yuping says in her book. Nazi leads the adolescent Werner to the wrong way. On the other hand, joust because Nazi"s tyranny, Werner gradually realizes what is Germany doing, what is Hitler Youth doing and what is Nazi doing. He realizes the school whose order is sever can not sand the existence of personality but only similarity. Students here are trained to be the same and trained to step into the same direction. They are asked to overcome Tears, weakness, and even sympathy. Just because of Nazi"s coolness, Werner gradually finds and realizes that her sister Jutta is right. The death of his best friend Frederick and the little girl who are both pure leave hits an him. Finally,he knows that he is totally wrong, Nazi is totally wrong, and German is wrong.  

Negative guides play the roles as important as positive guides do.

5. An Analysis of Narration as An Initiation Story

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