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123. Florian
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
Joana wants Florian to tell her the truth. He explains 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 why he has been deceiving her, Florian asks Joana if she loves her country and family. She does, and he explains that he also loved his country and his family.
Florian has been acting out of a desire for revenge, but also out of love. His love for his father and his love for his native Prussia have motivated him to act out against Hitler, and against Nazi Germany, whom he feels have destroyed his life and stolen his homeland from him.
Themes
Joana is not convinced, even when Florian promises to prove to the blonde Nazi she was not involved by showing the soldier how he forged Joana’s signature from the note she left in the Prussian manor that Florian stole to protect her. Joana leaves, angrily, but first tells him that he should watch out for himself, because the soldier is sending a wire to Koch about Florian.
Although she feels angry and betrayed, Joana cares enough about Florian to warn him about the message being sent to Koch. Although these revelations about Florian are false, she still has to reconsider if he is worthy of her trust, considering how little she knows about him.
Themes
