Fear Is A Hunter Analysis

“Fear is a hunter”, the first statement that foreshadowed the character Alfred in the novel Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Alfred, otherwise known as the Nazi antagonist, began his first chapter stating that fear was his hunter. Although each character was hunted by something different from one another, they all shared the same common refrain. All four of these statements told the reader from the beginning what the character may be portrayed as. Alfred may be fearful, whereas Emilia may be shameful about something that had occured in her life. These statements hooked the reader on the four characters and begin the novel foreshadowing what may come.
Before ever reading past “Fear is a hunter”, It could already be inferred that Alfred was a cowardly character. Because fear was his hunter, Alfred was already portrayed differently from the others. It was not noticed until the end of the first chapter how fearful Alfred really was. “Bang. I abandoned my mental letter and crouched in the supply closet, hoping no one would find me. I did not want to go outside” (Sepetys pg. 8). After reading the first chapter into Alfred’s life, it was apparent that he was not only cowardly, but a soldier. The fact that Alfred was a …show more content…
Without empathy and kindness, Alfred found himself fighting in the last few minutes of his life. During the shipwreck, Alfred found himself aboard a raft accompanied by Emilia, the young Polish refugee. Although Alfred was one of the characters that helped Emilia onto the ship, he still continued to try and murder her once he found out she was Polish. “He wagged a delirious finger at me. ‘Filthy Pole. You liar! Finally, I will serve my country. I am a hero’” (Sepetys 361). The lack of empathy towards Emilia during that stressful time ultimately caused him his life. Because he only wanted to be seen as a worthy Nazi, he made it his mission to kill any non-worthy person he came in contact with, Emilia being one of