I definitely think your interpretation of "salt to the sea" is one way to look at it. I also think that salt is essential to the sea and the book could be stressing elements that are essential to love, loss, forgiveness, and humanity. At one point, I remember thinking about crying into the sea too--the sea represents hope and unfortunately, it also symbolizes getting lost into the sea (just as these women and children were lost in history).

Salt to the Sea Summary | GradeSaver Salt to the Sea Summary | GradeSaver

Salt to the Seais a title that I have quietly avoided for years. Drowning is one of my worst nightmares, and I struggle to read sinking ship stories. Chalk up this fear to a life of terrible swimming skills and awful childhood pool memories. Plus, boats make me yak. I had expected everything to end, But now, I began to think that maybe the sign had been wrong. I had fought so hard to overcome so much. Something changed when the knight arrived. Maybe he truly saved me, had pulled my burning wreath form the water. After all, in Poland, Saint Florian was fighter of fire. Emilia Stożek: A 15-year-old Polish girl from Lwów who was raped by Russian soldiers not far from Nemmersdorf. She is caught in an illusion that a boy named August, a member of the family she was working for, was the source of her pregnancy. She planned on finding him after the war. She gives birth to a daughter, Halinka, whom she saves and hands over to Florian during the sinking before dying and being washed up in Bornholm, Denmark. Emilia and Florian meet when Florian saves Emilia from a Russian soldier. The couple runs into Joana as she is traveling with a group of refugees. Everyone is attempting to make it to West Germany to board ships and save their own lives.She also told the Tribune [3] that she wanted to write the story from the refugees' point of view. She says, "The concept of "refugee" is something frightening, it's something foreign. So I wanted to write from that point of view, which is why I have four alternating main characters, all young people from different nations, seeing life from four different cultural lenses on this refugee trek."

Emilia Stozek Character Analysis in Salt to the Sea | LitCharts Emilia Stozek Character Analysis in Salt to the Sea | LitCharts

Sepetys uses the metaphor of a pregnant ship that will give birth to draw a parallel with Emilia's pregnancy. Emilia gives birth on the ship. While giving birth should represent life, for Emilia it signifies death. She feels certain that she is doomed, and that she will die in childbirth just like her mother. Moreover, Emilia’s baby is the result of her rape by Russian soldiers. Therefore, giving birth forces Emilia to confront this traumatic experience and the shame it has left her with. Although a young adult novel, I knew Salt to the Seawould be graphic and tragic, especially since Sepetys focuses on children and teens during WWII. Not to mention that the sinking of the IRL Wilhelm Gustoff is at the heart of this story. One only has to read the author’s note at the end to realise that Sepetys has written about an often-overlooked historical disaster so that the memory of those who lost their lives in this tragedy are never forgotten. “When the survivors are gone, we must not let the truth disappear with them” she writes, “Please, give them a voice.” The hard-hitting conclusion is testament to this, when the characters are forced to forget their own personal struggles in a horrific struggle for survival. While the four main characters are all fictional, the events in this novel are all real and, needless to say, the historical accuracy is exemplary. Without cramming the novel with too much historical information or dull explanations, Sepetys is able to transport her readers to another time. Thank you, sailor.” Her warm whisper lingered in my ear. She was quite pretty and smelled like fresh eggs, but there have been many grateful and pretty girls. Oh, do not be concerned. You and your red sweater are foremost in my thoughts. How fondly, how incessantly, I think of my Hannelore and red-sweater days. Please join our community as we wander around the tipsy world reading books and watching movies to inspire travel.

August is the eldest child of the Kleist family, which took Emilia in on their farm in East Prussia. When he visits home he defends Emilia from his mother's cruel treatment. Emilia likes August. When Russian soldiers rape and impregnate her, she invents a story to make it easier to deal with. She says the baby is August's and that she is on her way to meet him. Martin Kleist It’s a letter from the doctor in Insterburg saying you’re good at dealing with blood and guts, Joana. I’m sorry, but I don’t call that an opportunity,” she said. The Gustloff should represent life, since it is supposed to save the refugees by helping them to escape the war. However, Emilia feels that the ship was born of death, since it was named after Wilhelm Gustloff, a Nazi leader in Switzerland who was murdered. Emilia sees the ship as sterile and lifeless, a boat that is not made to appreciate the sea. Her sense that the ship is born of death foreshadows the tragic fate of the Gustloff.

Salt to the Sea Book Review | Common Sense Media Salt to the Sea Book Review | Common Sense Media

While there are many important stories of World War II, Sepetys chose to focus on the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, because even though it is the deadliest disaster in maritime history, most people have never heard of it. Often, stories of war focus on great battles or famous historical figures. Yet Salt to the Sea brings to life the stories of the war's refugees, especially those who are not usually the focus of narratives about World War II. In this way, the novel questions which elements of history are preserved and which are forgotten. She insists that it is important for us to preserve the memory of those who perished and to give a voice to the survivors of historical tragedies. Wasn’t a person supposed to feel better after telling the truth? Perhaps there was no peace because Joana hadn’t understood or hadn’t heard me. Was it enough to admit the lie to yourself and the heavens, or did you have to tell someone who listened? Before reading Salt To The Sea, I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff, questioned why this was the case since its sinking surpassed Titanic tragedy numbers, and wanted to know more. Mcnary, Dave (25 May 2016). "Universal Boards World War II Disaster Drama 'Salt to the Sea' ". Variety.The book concludes with a glimpse into the future, 1969. Joana and Florian live in the United States. They have Emilia's baby, the boy Klaus, and a child of their own. In a letter sent by Clara Christensen, a Danish woman, it is told that Emilia's body was found washed up on shore, and she was buried. I had no idea the historical event this book was based on, and I'm glad I didn't find out before I read this book. It made the events and the lives of the refugees caught in the middle come to life. You are able to see the worry and the suffering these people went through. Also, you get an accurate portrait of the cruelty perpetrated against innocent people. There is the usual violence that goes with war, but the book leaves you with the notion that the human spirit is something that is stronger and more hopeful than you've ever imagined. Great read! a b "Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals: US double in children's book awards". The Guardian. 19 June 2017 . Retrieved 21 June 2017.

Salt to the Sea Study Guide | GradeSaver Salt to the Sea Study Guide | GradeSaver

Six years ago, the day our stork left, Mama left too. She died giving birth to what would have been my younger brother. Salt to the Sea takes places in East Prussia in January 1945. Thousands of refugees try to evacuate as World War II draws to a chaotic close.As they make a long and difficult trek, the refugees suffer many physical ailments. However, while Joana can cure the blisters, wounds, and frostbite of her fellow travelers, she has no treatment for their fear. Despite the physical troubles the refugees experience, fear is what ails them most. Throughout Salt to the Sea, Sepetys indicates that while war's physical impacts are terrible, it is often the psychological consequences of war that are the most permanent and difficult to deal with. While the characters may recover from their wounds, they will likely live with their trauma forever.