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Chapter 34
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sarah’s Key, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Remembrance and History
The Power of Silence
Guilt
Identity
Bravery
The Limits of Love
Summary
Analysis
The evening after Rachel’s capture, Sarah sleeps poorly, unable to take her mind off Michel. The next morning Sarah announces to Jules and Geneviève that she is leaving for Paris to find her brother. Jules and Geneviève do not initially respond to her rescue plan with enthusiasm, and for the first time Sarah feels “fed up with trying to be an adult.” She asks Jules and Geneviève not to try to stop her, to which Jules responds: “We’re not stopping you, you silly, stubborn girl. We’re coming with you.”
Sarah becomes frustrated and slightly petulant when Jules and Geneviève do not initially respond to her rescue plan with enthusiasm. That she feels “fed up with trying to be an adult” underscores the fact that she has been forced by her circumstances to grow up prematurely. This chapter attests to the deep affection Jules and Geneviève have for Sarah, as they agree to help her return to Nazi-occupied Paris.
Themes
