Florian has stolen the amber swan from the shipping containers which hold the disassembled Amber Room. In addition to stealing the swan, Florian has taken a map to the location of the Amber Room and a key to the secret cellar where it is hidden. Stealing the swan is Florian’s revenge against Hitler for the death of Florian’s father, who participated in an assassination attempt against Hitler. More specifically, however, the swan represents “the endless circle of revenge.” Florian eventually realizes that answering pain by inflicting further pain will never bring him peace.
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The Amber Swan Symbol Timeline in Salt to the Sea
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Amber Swan appears in Salt to the Sea. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
53. Florian
Florian goes through his backpack and considers his special parcel: a tiny amber swan, stolen from the disassembled Amber Room. The Amber Room was stolen from Russia in 1941,...
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97. Florian
...Amber Room is the “greatest treasure of all.” Florian knows Hitler will look for the swan first, but Florian is the only one with a map to the cellar where the...
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124. Joana
...that he isn’t really carrying anything for Koch, but that he is carrying the amber swan. He stole this out of revenge after Nazis killed his father. To try and explain...
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