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144. 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
A sailor running through the ship instructs everyone to put on their life vests. He tells Alfred Russian submarines have hit the ship. The floor of the ship begins to tip, and a little girl is crushed by a piano. Alfred takes her life vest and begins to evacuate, leaving the rest of the refugees in the room behind.
Alfred reveals his true colors in an emergency. Instead of helping those around him, he acts selfishly. Instead of helping the little girl, he steals her life vest, ensuring he will survive while she will not.
Themes
