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12. 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
Sitting in the barn, Emilia thinks back to before the war, when her mother was pregnant with her younger sibling. Emilia’s mother had been certain she was going to have a son. Emilia notices many of the refugees have their possessions with them, but Emilia left her home with no time to pack.
Emilia’s mother’s premonition turned out to be correct. Memories of Emilia’s family in happier times comfort her, and make the present moment marginally more bearable. While other people have belongings that connect them to their homes or loved ones, Emilia carries nothing but her memories.
Themes
Joana comes over to Emilia to check on her. Joana can tell something is wrong, but Emilia refuses to be examined. Joana notices Emilia’s accent, and Emilia offers her a potato in exchange for her silence.
Emilia constantly worries that the discovery of her Polish identity will turn her fellow refugees against her.
Themes
