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Chapter 42
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sarah’s Key, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Remembrance and History
The Power of Silence
Guilt
Identity
Bravery
The Limits of Love
Summary
Analysis
It is revealed that Julia has scheduled an abortion, which will take place on July 16th, the same day as the Vel’ d’Hiv’ commemoration. Zoë has left for the States to stay with Charla for the summer, and Julia will join her later. Without her daughter, Julia feels lonely. Though she feels that “Paris without its Parisians” finally belongs to her, she also misses America like never before.
The fact that Julia’s abortion will take place on the anniversary of the roundup underscores the interconnectedness of the past and present, and the connection between Sarah’s and Julia’s stories. This chapter is also significant because it foreshadows Julia’s decision to return to America later in the novel.
Themes
