“Historical fiction tells stories of ordinary people living in extraordinary times,” as quoted by Ellen Klages and it is through these stories of ordinary people that we are able to deepen our understanding of the human experience. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Stories that expose our clouded view of history allow us to restore righteousness and empower marginalized voices that need to be heard. History itself is a complex story written by the powerful with the intent to influence and shape our sense of identity and belonging. It is through historical narrative that interviewees are invited to reevaluate what they were told by the victors and, recognizing that it is not the only story, are pushed to engage with marginalized individuals. Throughout Anthony Doerr's postmodern novel, All The Light We Cannot See, we see an exploration of the true complexity of human nature as he highlights that dichotomies such as "powerful" and "powerless" do not show true representation of minority groups. Similarly in the film Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni, we see the use of the fable form to transform the story into a fable, therefore reconstructing the story into one of hope rather than one of desperation. The representations of minority groups displayed in these texts allow us, as audiences, to deepen our understanding of individual and universal experiences and, in doing so, break down the single story of our history. It is through dichotomies that macronarratives are able to harness the power to blind audiences to the true complexity of human nature. Doerr hopes to convey this complexity by showing that there is always more to a story than the dominant powers tell us, as foreshadowed in the title of the novel All The Light We Cannot See. Throughout the novel, there is constant recognition of light and darkness, particularly through the characterization of Marie-Laure who is physically sightless. Though beyond the literal depiction of light and darkness, Doerr explores the connection between light and darkness, good and evil, and how much these themes overlap in the characters. Although Marie-Laure is physically blind and in the dark, unable to see intricate details such as facial expressions, she very strongly represents the pure and moralistic side of the story, looking for the good in everyone she meets, despite being told otherwise or having doubts herself. This expression of resistance to a character's classification can be similarly seen through the characterization of Jutta who finds herself questioning whether the morality of the Nazi regime is not as pure or good as she is told, even though she is unaware of the evil deeds and has no reason to oppose this. By implementing situations where a character is given a path that leads them strongly towards light or darkness but chooses to falter, Doerr positions the audience to recognize that not everything is as simple as dichotomies like "heroes" and "villains " and the story is much more complex than the dominant stories we have been told. By creating a direct link between fantasy and reality, stories are given the potential to empower the powerless and create a new reality for rescuers. Benigni constructs Guido as someone who is consumed by the imaginary world, to the point that he is able to manipulate himself and the people around him into believing that their life is more than the oppressive situation they are facing. The Charlie Chaplin-like nature of Guido Gli.
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