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Genetta asked this question about All the Light We Cannot See:
[Spoiler Alert] Why do you think the author decided to add the rape scene? Does it add anything to the characters' arcs? Does it propel the plot forward? Does anything result from that scene? Frau Elena, Jutta, and the other three girls were already obviously miserable. The reader has already experienced the cruelty of war. Why was the rape scene necessary?
Jessica I think the author's intention was to show that even though the Russians were on the "right side" of WWII and the Germans were the "bad guys", that no…moreI think the author's intention was to show that even though the Russians were on the "right side" of WWII and the Germans were the "bad guys", that not all of Germany's citizens were bad and that plenty of Russian (and I'm sure American, British, French, etc.) soldiers were not really good people. While it did feel like an unnecessary chapter and an awful, unnecessary scene to have to read, as others have mentioned it lends some historical accuracy to the atrocities many innocent citizens were facing immediately following the war.(less)
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All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author)
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