Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Salt to the Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Agency, Willpower, and Fate
Storytelling and Fantasy
Memory and Survival
Family and Community vs. Selfishness
Summary
Analysis
Florian thinks of home, of his mother who died of tuberculosis, of his little sister. He wonders, “Would I recognize her if I passed her on the street? Where had she been and what had she experienced?”
Florian loves and misses his family members. He feels guilty that he has been separated from his sister for so long.
Themes
Alfred interrupts his thoughts with a meal delivery. He tells Florian the ship will depart soon. Alfred shares some Nazi doctrine, and Florian suggests that Alfred might be better off thinking for himself. Alfred remarks that he finds Hitler’s writing to be beautiful, but Florian is disturbed. He believes Alfred to be “a sociopath in training.”
As Alfred tries to connect with Florian he only alienates the Prussian more. The advice Florian gives Alfred is advice from his father, which Florian himself had originally ignored.
Themes
