Salt To The Sea Quotes

Florian is one of the four main characters in "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys. He is a young Prussian art restorer who is fleeing from the Soviet Union during World War II. Throughout the novel he experiences both internal and external conflicts. These experiences teach Florian that he has to learn to trust and rely on the other characters. These experiences lead Florian to change from being a solitary, independent person, to learn to trust and rely on others.

In the beginning of the book, Salt to the Sea Florian, who is one of the main characters, is shown to be very solitary and independent. Florian meeting Emilia provokes the decisions of the characters as Florian cannot decide whether to leave or stay with Emilia. The text stated that

Florian is shown to be helpful as he comforts Joana when she spills out her secret of killing her cousin. The text stated that “Her cousin was probably dead. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I wasn’t good at this kind of thing.” and “Stop talking about her in the past tense. She could be back in Lithuania soon.” This quote helps propel the action because it shows that Florian has changed and he wants to be able to take care of Joana by trying his best to comfort her as she believes that she killed her cousin. This quote makes readers believe that Florian genuinely wants to comfort her and it is not just for his own good. The text also stated that “A young girl kicked and shrieked in the water next to our lifeboat. I removed my life vest and threw it to her. “Grab my hand ,” I told her. “No!” yelled a woman in our boat. “She’ll turn us over!” This external conflict shows Florian’s true self at the end of the book as he risks the life of himself and the dozens of others in the lifeboat just to save a little girl that is struggling in the water. This conflict shows Florian’s true self to the readers as a very caring young man who wants to save people even if it means putting his own life in danger. This event propels the action because later in the book the text states that “A lifeboat near ours was sandwiched full of crying women and children. Florian saw them and stood up. “They need someone to brown their boat.” My free hand grabbed at his back. “Stay,” I begged him. “Please, Florian. Stay with me.” This quote shows that Florian is willing to leave the love of his life to help helpless and crying women and children. This propels the action as it shows Florian’s true self at the end of the book and how he has changed for the better as he is willing to risk his life for the lives of others. This teaches readers that