In Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, the theme of enlightenment is explored through the triple meaning of the word itself. Foer shows how lighting can mean to clarify or explain, to produce real light or to beautify something. These multiple meanings of enlightenment, coupled with the book's threefold narrative, help convey that knowledge about the past is often sought, even if answers are rarely found. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe first sense of illumination that Foer plays with is to clarify. This broad term turns into a narrower path when Foer asks one of the main characters, Jonathan, to return to a small town called Trachimbrod to find himself through his past lineage. His travel guide, Alex, finds this confusing and doesn't see the point in trying to delve into a horrific past to find answers. Jonathan explains to Alex why he wants to go back: “I want to see Trachimbrod… To see what it is like, how my grandfather grew up, where I would be now if it hadn't been for the war. » (59) Jonathan tries to get out of his real life and put himself in a fairy tale land about which he will never know anything. Jonathan attempts to understand the mysteries of his past by searching for a town that no longer exists called Trachimbrod. By coming across the last woman to have lived in Trachimbrod, Jonathan thinks that he will finally have clarity on his past. Jonathan shows his interest in the woman when he says, “Ask her to tell us everything.” I want to know how she met my grandfather, and why she decided to save him, and… if they were in love. (148) In order to find out facts about his grandfather, he must ask more questions about the woman than about his grandfather. Jonathan hangs on every word because, as far as he knows, it's because of her that he's alive today. But when Jonathan finally learns the story of his grandfather and Trachimbrod, he declares: "I don't want to hear any more about it." (184-186) Foer shows that when given the enlightened truth about his past, Jonathan would rather hide from it than face it. The use of illumination to clarify the past is refuted by the inability to accept the truth. The second meaning of lighting is to produce real light. Foer incorporates this when he uses the image of a "sexual light" saying: "from space, astronauts can see a person making love as a small point of light...the glow arises from the sum of thousands of loves. » (95) Foer highlights Trachim Day, a day when “everything is tied up with strings” in memory of the past, of which no one knows all the details. Having this light tied to a day meant to commemorate an uncertain past actually ends up bringing people together, sexually, and producing light. This light of love is repeated again when Foer writes: “[Brod's] belly lit up like a firefly's bulb – brighter than a hundred thousand virgins making love for the first time. » (98) Here Foer compares all the light of past love to the light of Brod's unique love. In doing so, he suggests that the present is more important and more urgent than the past. In speaking of Brod as a firefly, Foer gives way to many different symbols. Butterflies often imitate each other to attract mates, just as Foer has current generations imitating past generations and each producing a light with its partner. Fireflies also communicate with each other through light, just as people who make love communicate with their light. This lightis projected into space when the astronaut looks above Trachimbrod, sees the light and says, "There's definitely something there." » (99) Once again, "what" exactly exists is unclear, and he will never find it. Additionally, it will take time to see anything in space from Earth, so whatever was illuminated by the astronaut is actually happening in the past. Finally, Foer uses lighting as a means of beautification. Alex plays with the exaggeration of his past history, which causes a discrepancy in the past. Trying to justify why he does this, Alex says, "I'm making up untruths for little Igor." I want him to feel like he has a cool brother and a brother whose life he wants to embody one day. (144) Foer, once again, makes the future more important than the past by letting it change in the hope of a better life. Just like Jonathan, this change in the past, even if it is to make it better, will break the knowledge on which little Igor will base his life. This also insinuates that Igor, like Jonathan, will choose to base his future on lies rather than the truth revealed by the past. During the novel, Jonathan writes a fiction book and Alex responds to Jonathan to criticize his writing. Once again, Foer shows Alex's desire for embellishment when he asks Jonathan, "If I could make a proposition, please allow Brod to be happy... You will have to change your story a lot …but could it be wonderful that way? (143) Foer asks whether truth or deception is better to prove the past. Even though Jonathan's book is fictional, Alex still insists that changes are made to the book to make the characters seem happy. Foer shows that any work needed to change the past would pay off because of the beautiful “picture” of the past it would create. Alex is also writing his own book, the story of how he, Jonathan, and Grandpa searched for Trachimbrod. Alex sends all of these writings to Jonathan for feedback in the same way Jonathan sends his writings to Alex. After learning that Jonathan had ignored a fabrication in the story, Alex writes, "I'm glad you were in a good mood about the part I made up about ordering you to drink the coffee until so I could see my face in the cup, and how you said it. was a clay cup. (142) Here, Foer enhances Alex's writing with a comedic touch, while trying to show that Alex is a more competent writer than Jonathan. Changing the past to appear tougher proves silly to Alex, as it is said that "it was a cut of clay" - not giving Alex the right answer he was looking for. Here, Foer shows that even altering the past does not provide adequate answers to the questions posed. Foer shows that while most things can “be illuminated,” the answers are not guaranteed. Lighting done to clarify may not prove anything. This is illustrated when the men find "Augustine" and ask her to take them to see Trachimbrod, and she says, "There is nothing." I already told you. Nothing." (154) Once the men have found the closest thing to an answer, there is still no proof; they walk away without ever really understanding what Trachimbrod was. That is seen again with the "light of love" when the astronaut says, "There's definitely something there" (99) As noted previously, the "what" is never explained or understood; leaves it as a mystery Finally, Foer explains that maybe enlightenment through embellishment isn't such a good idea when Alex asks, "We're very nomadic with the truth, yes... Do you think." that this is acceptable when we.