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Both hope and fear with an interconnected relationship they have being that Hope creates space in the mind while Fear restricts it. Fear is a deep, primal emotion that is integral to our survival in times of danger. On the other hand, hope has the capacity to allow great feats to be accomplished. An individual’s interactions with emotions that are seemingly collectively understood, whether they are questioned or internalized, invariably lead to a transformation of the individual. These ideas are brought up in Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See in which two children hope for a better future and fear the current circumstances as they navigate World War Two, and Arthur Miller’s tragedy Death of a Salesman where Willy Loman is simultaneously fearful and hopeful for his circumstances as he fails to live up to his expectations of the American Dream.
Fear can push individuals to behave and act in ways that are uncharacteristic of their usual self, in ways either courageous or cowardly.
Werner is one of the main protagonists in Doerr’s novel and is characterized by his intelligence and strong will, who is driven to become an engineer throughout the novel. Werner’s morals are constantly compromised during his time at the Nazi Institute and in the German Army. Werner’s fear of the mines, the grave of his father before him, is the driving force behind his decision to become an engineer, an initially courageous and well-meaning choice. However, this same fear often paralyzes him into cowardly inaction. Werner’s fear is first established in the constant iterations of his nightmare: “He walks the tunnels of the mines. The ceiling is smooth and black; slabs of it descend over him as he treads. The walls splinter; he stoops and crawls. Soon he cannot raise his head, move his arms.” Werner’s fear of the mines is established with the degradation of the language in the quote from detailed descriptions of the mine to simple actions, this evokes the distress Werner feels being stuck in the mines. The claustrophobic, “black” mines suggest that Werner is helpless to the future that Nazi Germany had been laid before him, forcing Werner to either escape or face his greatest fear. Werner is able to escape his fate in the mines by joining the Nazi Institute, a selective boarding school for the best minds in Germany, despite escaping his fate in the mines, he is faced with great hardship at the school being the tremendous strain it places on Werner’s morals with incidences such as torturing prisoners of war: “When his turn arrives, Werner throws the water like all the others and the splash hits the prisoner in the chest and a perfunctory cheer rises.” Here, the mob mentality exerted by the Nazi Institution forces, the “perfunctory cheer” indicates the social norms being cemented at the school, with their lives being molded by Nazi Germany. Werner is unable to confront the brutality of his peer’s rejection as he is forced to endure horrors to maintain his dream of becoming an engineer, at any cost necessary.
Similarly, in Death of a Salesman, fear is a central driver of the protagonist’s behavior. Fear has the capacity to crush a person’s will and cause people to disillusion themselves with loved ones and themselves. The collective understanding of the ‘American Dream’ in society is the belief that each person’s own internalization of the dream should create a feeling of hope and joy, however, this hope can lead to disillusionment with a person’s dream. Willy Loman is a salesman who struggles to pay bills, and provide for his family and is failing to live up to his idea of the ‘American Dream’ throughout his life as a salesman: “ ’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to… be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?” Here, Willy expresses his desire to live the “satisfying” life of a salesman, which encompasses his dream to fulfill the ‘American Dream’, this is seen through the longing diction of “satisfying”, “remembered” and “loved”. This gives the audience a glimpse into Willy’s flawed view of the American dream as Willy’s mental state deteriorates, with the whole concept of the ‘American Dream’ being the belief that any person from any background is able to find success being questioned through Willy’s tragic attempt to live to his dream.
Hope compels individuals to endure hardships in the face of adversity, and create a belief in a brighter future, however unrealistic it may seem.
Throughout the course of the novel, Werner is faced with great adversity to achieve his goal of becoming an engineer, even forfeiting his morals to achieve his goals, displayed by his friendship with Frederick. Frederick is portrayed as a shy, intelligent, and a patriotic boy who is willing to give up on his own desires for others, however, he is the only German character to actively disobey orders: “Frederick… Who has not been cheering when each bucketful of water hits its mark … The upperclassmen hand him a bucket and Frederick pours it out on the ground.” Normally obedient, Frederick defies the orders from officials, “pour[ing]” the water onto the ground, as he recognizes the despicable actions of his peers while making a statement of rebellion against the Nazi brainwashing. Here, Frederick symbolizes the capacity each person possesses for compassion in the face of adversity is the Nazi brainwashing normalizing the torture of those deemed not ‘pure’. Seen as a cowardly action by most, Frederick’s actions challenge Werner’s integrity as he fights an internal battle between what is right and what the Nazis want. Frederick is able to confront the mindless mob mentality that has caused others to commit atrocities. Near the end of the novel, Werner encounters the other main protagonist, Marie-Laure LeBlanc. Even though their encounter is brief, it has a significant impact on Werner, as Marie-Laure questions Werner if he has truly lived a life of his own: “Not in years. But Today. Today maybe I did.” Werner’s omission of his deception through the negative diction of ‘Not’ gives the audience the true scale of how far the Nazi propaganda was able to brainwash its citizens, with few people having the ability to see through the lies and even fewer being able to break free from it. Marie-Laure and Werner contrast each other with how they have lived their lives, Marie-Laure’s life can be seen as full of freedom with her actions, and Werner’s life can only be seen with irony, as wherever he has gone, he has never had full control over his life due to the Nazi regime ultimately dictating it, however, in talking to Marie-Laure he is rebelling against the Nazis and truly able to take control of his life. By revolting against the Nazi regime, Werner is able to achieve superficial freedom before his death.
Hope – Flawed hope
Hope can be the catalyst for achieving great feats. Throughout Miller’s tragedy, hope is portrayed through the idea of the ‘American Dream’,. Willy Loman is a salesman who is struggling to pay bills, provide for his family, and is failing to live up to his idea of the ‘American Dream’, pushing Willy to contemplate suicide: “That funeral will be massive!. . He’ll see what I am, Ben! He’s in for a shock, that boy!” Here, Willy is experiencing a hallucination, speaking about his ‘massive’ funeral with enthusiasm, heightening the tragedy of Willy’s eventual death. Willy’s mental degradation through the play is on full display as Willy’s fear of inadequacy causes him to become disillusioned with his dream due to his inability to accomplish his ambitions
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