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49. 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
Florian examines his own identification papers. He has forged them to say “Gonderausweis,” or “special pass.” He originally had forged soccer tickets as a young man, but has grown more skilled since then. Florian wonders if Dr. Lange has discovered the object Florian has stolen, in which case he likely would have alerted German authorities to look out for Florian.
Florian is able to manipulate his papers to change his perceived identity. This changes the way he is treated, which changes the possibilities in his future. Still, he knows he has potentially doomed himself by stealing something from Dr. Lange, which, if discovered, will lead to Florian’s death.
Themes
The German soldier at the checkpoint cannot let Florian cross the ice because it is full of holes from the airplane fire, but tells him he can cross in the morning. The soldier salutes Florian with “Heil Hitler!” and Florian responds in kind, but feels ill as he says it.
Florian has no allegiance to Hitler or Nazi Germany, although he looks Aryan and his papers say he is on a special mission for the Nazis. In fact, he actively dislikes them, but fakes compliance.
Themes
