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Chapter 52
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
The final phone call Julia receives that evening is from Nathalie, who says she has found Sarah’s final letter, in which she writes that she will be married to a man named Richard Rainsferd. Julia immediately calls Charla and asks her if she can help track someone for her. Before she can give Charla Richard’s name, Julia hears the door open and realizes Bertrand is home. She hangs up, telling her sister she’ll get back to her.
The name of Sarah’s husband is an important clue to helping Julia track her down. This chapter establishes Charla as sympathetic to (though not fully informed about) Julia’s cause. The fact that Julia instantly hangs up upon hearing the door open shows how dedicated she is to keeping Sarah’s story a secret from Bertrand. Given that the novel has already established the destructive power of secrets, it seems likely that this will have negative consequences for Julia and Bertrand’s marriage.
Themes
