Salt to the Sea

Florian, an East Prussian young man around 19 or 20 years old, represents both the romantic and mythic hero. Handsome, self-assured, and independent, he possesses the courage and moxie to survive both the war and the transformative journey into manhood. Although Emilia christens Florian “the knight” after he saves her life, Florian’s heroic deeds are not merely his acts of bravery and selflessness. By allowing himself to be vulnerable and to work through the pain of disappointment and disillusionment when he realizes that the sinister Dr. Lange is using him, Florian develops the strength and integrity needed to survive the largest maritime disaster of all time and claim his true identity.

When Florian realizes his error in trusting Dr. Lange, he learns from his naiveté. While stealing Hitler’s prized crystal swan is dangerous and juvenile, it is also a necessary act of separation from his childhood self and a critical act of rebellion against the government that forces him to venture into the unknown, where he both longs for intimacy and tries to reject it. Ultimately, Florian is unable to deny his brotherly affection for Emilia, and he eventually allows Joana to truly know him. When the ship is struck by missiles, Florian’s newly opened heart gives him the strength to save himself, the little boy, a drowning young woman, and Emilia’s baby—for whom he must give up his precious backpack, which holds the crystal swan. When he and Joana land in the lifeboat together, they become parents of the orphaned baby and little boy, making yet another rite of passage together: They create a family of wanderers who survive against all odds. 

In Florian’s words, Emilia “was fifteen, pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby, pregnant with a vision of freedom. And she was brave” (148). Emilia is eight months pregnant at the beginning of the novel and has suffered more trauma than any of the other characters. Although she feels stalked by shame and the lies she tells herself and others, Emilia is also arguably the strongest, physically and emotionally; in Joana’s words, she is “deep with strength and secrets” (228).

Indeed, Emilia harbors a terrible secret: She was raped by Russian soldiers. Surviving this horror—after losing her mother six years before the war and then losing her father and her homeland during the war—moves Emilia along the hero’s painful path, on which she models unwavering loyalty and unbreakable spirit. Emilia is the glue that holds the group together, and she also represents family and archetypal mothers—structures that were threatened by the war and take new form partly through Emilia herself. Sweet Emilia also symbolizes innocence lost, and her sad story is shared by thousands of European children separated from their families and homelands.

There is also a darkness to Emilia, who considers herself “already dead” long before she dies in a life raft after saving her newborn child and the little boy. While Emilia idolizes Florian because he saves her life when a Russian soldier corners her in a cellar, in the end, it is Emilia whom Florian considers his “savior” (378). Indeed, Emilia can be seen as everyone’s savior, as her character refuses to give up hope for humanity in spite of the extraordinary pain people have caused her. Through Emilia, new life is born, and a new family is formed when she puts her newborn and the little boy in a liferaft with Florian and Joana. 

Alfred is a delusional 17-year-old German soldier. He is the foil to Florian, who, upon first meeting Alfred, reflects, “This guy is a first-class booby” (177). Due to physical weakness, Alfred was picked over for Hitler Youth and was a late recruit for the military. Though he avoids even his lowly duties (cleaning toilets, stocking, moving furniture, etc.), Alfred depicts himself as an invaluable asset to the Nazis. Governed by fear (“Fear is a hunter,” begins his opening narrative), Alfred spends most of his time hiding, both literally and figuratively. Alfred does succeed inhis role as unofficial documentarian of the activity and details leading up to the sinking of the Gustloff, and, through his observations in particular, the fate of the ship is foreshadowed.

Alfred’s point of view is shared mostly in his letters to Hannelore, the former next-door neighbor he has arrested because her father is Jewish. In his deluded mind, Alfred has repositioned Hannelore as his girlfriend, to whom he constantly composes poetic yet sinister letters that mostly celebrate his alleged heroism. Alfred idolizes Hitler and regurgitates Nazi propaganda almost to the point that he becomes caricature-like.

The main question Alfred’s unlikeable character raises is whether or not the reader can—or should—feel sympathy for him. While Alfred is motivated by a desperate need to feel important, he becomes increasingly diabolical in his thinking and actions. Florian says, “This guy wasn’t a sailor. He was a sociopath in training” (280).

In his final scene, Alfred has a psychotic break and tries to kill Emilia after she admits she is Polish. He ends up falling to his own tormented death when he recoils from Emilia, who tries to help him, sending a final message about Hitler’s prejudice: Those who practice it are hurt the most.

Ingrid, a young German woman in her late teens, dies early in the narrative, but her heroic character nonetheless plays a critical role. Blind since birth, Ingrid was left by her aunt at a train station, where she was found by Joana. Ingrid is another strong female character, whose ability to “hear and smell things the rest of us couldn’t” gives her a power the others lack; her story is one of courage and perseverance, and she demonstrates leadership as well as selfless maternal instincts (13). Ingrid’s violent death on the ice traumatizes the group, and she is remembered as a brave young hero who died trying to lead the others to safety.

“Giant” Eva stands six feet tall, “with hands and feet larger than any man’s” (28). Eva, or “Sorry Eva,” as she is called for her habit of saying “appalling things” and then inserting "the word sorry before or after, as if to soften the blow,” represents truth and freedom, which cannot be silenced or hidden, even under the threat of war (28). Eva is a breath of fresh air in a stifling and oppressive world where people are terrified to be themselves or to trust others. Eva’s forthrightness and bold personality are a stark contrast to the shame, secrecy, and hiding that characterize Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred. Due to her immense size, Eva cannot hide, even if she wants to, and this quality ironically makes her secure and safe in ways that others are not. She is a reminder that being one’s true self is ultimately the path to freedom. Interestingly, Eva does not board the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustloff. Instead, she goes her own way and ends up on the Hansa, a ship that made it safely to Kiel.

The eloquent old cobbler speaks of “nothing but shoes” and with “such love and emotion” that a woman who travels with him christens him “the shoe poet” (13-14). In fact, poetic in his ability to perceive and express the delicate nuances of the human experience, the cobbler is a wise, stabilizing “foot” or root for the group and functions as the tribe’s sage elder or “opi” (grandfather).

The shoe poet perpetuates the motif of shoes and uses them as a metaphor to teach the others about security, survival, ingenuity, possibility, and most of all, connection. He believes that “the shoes always tell the story” and can reveal truths that might otherwise be hidden (14). By studying the shoes of others, he is able to make meaning where there is mystery and develop strategies for survival that prove to be invaluable. His character reinforces the theme that knowledge, wisdom, and sight come from many different sources, which counters the status quo, wartime, fascist propaganda. He also proves that human kindness is inextinguishable, even under the most harrowing circumstances. When he drowns because he gives his life jacket to Florian, Joana says, “Our blessed shoe poet. Our Opi. Our one light in the darkness. He was gone” (338).

The little boy’s role is to show the strong presence of innocence, trust, and hope in the midst of war. He represents the countless wandering orphans who lost their families and homes during the war and somehow kept moving forward. The boy speaks very little, but he notices subtle details that others miss, such as the dead woman buried under snow. He attaches himself to the shoe poet, whom he calls “Opi,” and learns from him. The lens through which he observes reality is transparent; he trusts others and expresses his feelings openly, describing things as they are, without judgment. This sets him apart from the four main characters, who lie constantly. We do not learn his proper name, Klaus, until he introduces himself to Emilia’s newborn baby on the ship. Ultimately, the little boy helps Joana and Florian form a family; in this way, his role is to help create the future after mass destruction.

Florian trains as a restoration apprentice under the supervision of Dr. Lange, who is assisting Hitler in hiding stolen, priceless works of art at the museum in Konigsberg. Florian blossoms as a talented artist and admires Dr. Lange, whom he believes genuinely cares for him. While Florian is attending a training, he shares his thoughts and philosophy in letters to Dr. Lange. Later, he discovers the unopened letters and realizes that Dr. Lange is just using him for his talent, as his father had warned. Dr. Lange works closely with East Prussian Nazi leader Gauleiter Koch, whom Florian describes as “a monster” (44). Together, Lange and Koch help Hitler hide the precious Amber Room, stolen from Poland in 1941. When Florian steals the crystal swan, Hitler’s prized treasure, from the Amber Room, along with the key and map to the Amber Room’s hiding place, he must run for his life.