The Hunter (Motif)
At the beginning of the novel, Sepetys introduces each of the four narrators through the metaphor of the hunter. Each narrator feels that his or her prevailing emotion is like a hunter persecuting its prey. Joana feels guilt is a hunter, while for Florian it is fate, for Emilia shame, and for Alfred fear. The recurrence of this metaphor becomes a motif that symbolizes the controlling emotional state of each character.
At the end of the novel, the motif returns, as the four narrators continue to feel that the same emotions are hunting them. This motif is significant because it refers to the long-lasting trauma of war. Throughout Salt to the Sea, Sepetys indicates that while the physical impacts of war are horrible and may change peoples' lives forever, it is often war's psychological consequences that are most permanent and difficult to deal with. While the narrators face many physical hardships, even those who survive the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff must contend with their emotional burdens for the rest of their lives.
"Bang" (Motif)
The “bang” that each narrator hears at the beginning and end of the novel is a motif that works alongside the motif of the hunter. At the beginning of Salt to the Sea, each narrator hears the "bang" of gunshots or artillery. Toward the end of the novel, each narrator hears the "bang" of Russian torpedoes hitting the Wilhelm Gustloff, eventually causing the ship to sink and thousands of people to die.
The motif of the bang highlights the similarities between the narrators' experiences, despite their important differences. The Nazis view the characters as superior or inferior depending on their different identities and social positions. Yet each is in danger, afraid of death, and separated from their families due to war. Similarly, each is equally powerless as the ship sinks. In this way, the bang also refers to death as a great equalizer.
Shoes (Symbol)
Heinz is an old German shoemaker who insists that “The shoes always tell the story.” He is called the "shoe poet" because he contends that it is possible to glean everything you need to know about a person from their shoes. Thus, shoes become a symbol not just for the true character or hidden secrets of others, but also for the trust that different characters put into their own philosophies and methods for determining the value of others.
The Wreath (Symbol)
In Emilia's hometown, each girl makes a wreath with flowers and candles. She then sends it floating down the river, and the boy who catches the wreath downstream is the boy you will marry. The year Emilia’s mother died, she made a wreath with her mother’s favorite herbs. She followed the wreath downstream and saw a candle topple. The whole thing lit on fire and sunk.
The wreath symbolizes Emilia's fate and her certainty that she is doomed. She is an orphan and is on the run for being Polish. She was raped by Russian soldiers. She was sure she would die in childbirth, just like her mother. Toward the end of the novel, Emilia begins to feel that when Florian killed the Russian soldier, perhaps he saved her from this doomed fate, pulling her burning wreath from the water.
Yet the burning, sinking wreath also symbolizes the burning, sinking ship. When Emilia hears the "bang" of torpedoes hitting the Gustloff, the image of the wreath flashes before her eyes, and she realizes the sign was right after all.
The Amber Swan (Symbol)
The amber swan comes to symbolize fate and the vicious cycle of revenge. Hitler's regime killed Florian's father and fooled Florian. Thus, he steals the amber swan, Hitler's favorite piece from the Amber Room, in order to take revenge on Hitler. Yet as the Wilhelm Gustloff sinks, Florian again feels that fate hunts him, and he feels certain that both he and the amber swan will end up at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. He reflects that revenge is a useless cycle, since it tries to answer pain by inflicting more pain.
