Salt to the Sea Lesson Plan

Analyze Alfred’s characterization. What are some signs he may be untrustworthy - either as a narrator or as a person?

Alfred's first red flag is that he’s a Nazi, admiring and celebrating Nazi ideology. Alfred is also an unreliable narrator: he lies and exaggerates his power in his internal missives to Hannelore, in stark contrast to the lowly position the reader knows he holds. Alfred is a hypocrite: he wants to avoid work but longs for glory and power. As students progress through the book, they may notice less and less ambiguity about whether Alfred is just an ignorant brainwashed fool or whether he’s a truly malicious character. Most telling is the way he treats other...