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119. Emilia
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
Alfred writes another letter to Hannelore. He relays his conversation with Florian. He confesses his occasional sympathy “for those who are inferior,” but continues, “we are good Germans. It is our birthright” to weed out those whom Hitler has deemed undesirable. Although he was often teased as a child, and was rejected from the Hitler Youth, Alfred explains, “I now understand what it is to feel superior. And I quite like it.”
In his letter, Alfred once again expresses his sympathy for those who are not members of the “master race.” Here, however, his sympathy seems based on his own former feelings of insecurity. Now that he feels powerful and important assisting Florian with his “mission,” he feels less empathetic.
Themes
