Salt to the Sea

Salt to the Sea is the story of the biggest maritime disaster of all time. The motif of water in its various forms appears throughout the text, including the title. The setting is January 1945, and temperatures are bitter—snow covers everything. It slows the movement of the evacuees on the frozen roads. The characters eat snow to avoid dehydration. The open waters of the Baltic Sea promise freedom to those desperately fleeing the region. The frozen lagoon provides a shortcut to the coast.

Ice also becomes a weapon of warfare when the Russians shoot holes in it to kill refugees crossing the lagoon. When the Gustloff sinks, over 9,000 perish; some drown, others freeze to death in the icy waters. Thousands of dead bodies float in the water after the ship sinks. Water gives life and also takes it away. For the survivors, water is a place of freedom. For the deceased, the ocean is an icy grave. 

The motif of memory closely relates to the theme of Reinventing the Familial Unit. The four main characters are as ensconced in memories of the past as they are engaged in the present. Memory is a source of comfort and also a source of suffering. Each is “hunted” by memories (the memory motif is related to the motif of the hunter) and must come to terms with what memories will not allow them to forget. For Joana, Florian, and Emilia, even the most painful memories ultimately inspire change and help create new relationships and hope for the future. For Alfred, who refuses to remember his real life and instead lives in a fantasy world, disconnection from memories of his troubled past indirectly leads to his death.

The hunter is a symbol of war, and it is also a symbol of the mind. Each of the characters justifiably feels pursued by Hitler and Stalin as well as by his or her conscience. Each of the main characters begins their first section referencing the hunt: "Guilt is a hunter" (1); "[f]ate is a hunter" (3); "[s]hame is a hunter" (5); and "[f]ear is a hunter" (7). In some ways, being “hunted” by one’s conscience is shown as positive. Joana’s guilt motivates her to help others. Emilia confronts her shame and tells the truth about being raped to achieve inner peace. Florian, facing how his theft of the crystal swan puts himself and Joana at risk, questions his actions. Alfred, hunted by his own fear, cannot muster the courage to face his personal hunter. Instead, he lives in a fantasy world, so consumed with fear that it manifests in a hideous rash on his hands and ultimately kills him.