43 pages • 1 hour read
Ian SerraillierThe Silver Sword
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1956A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
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Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Silver Sword
The silver sword-shaped letter opener is a symbol of hope for the reunion of the Balicki family. Joseph finds it in the ruins of their home and gives it to Jan in the hopes that the young orphan might encounter his children. When Ruth sees the sword, she makes the connection between Jan and Joseph, which jogs Jan’s memory that Joseph has gone to Switzerland. This information initiates the main action of the plot, whereby Ruth, Edek, Jan, and Bronia travel from Poland through Germany, and, finally, to Switzerland.
The importance of the sword as a talisman for the children is illustrated when Jan decides to return to the Wolffs’ farm when it is left behind: “we’ll never find your father either. He gave me the sword and it’s our guide and lifeline. We can’t do without it” (85). The sword is pivotal in allowing the family to be reconnected in the camp on the Swiss border; the ITA uses it to confirm the children’s identity based on the information in Kurt’s and Joseph’s letters. This enables the children to cross into Switzerland, where they are finally reunited with Joseph and Margrit. It is treasured by Margrit for the rest of her life: “in a velvet-lined drawer of her jewel box, Margrit Balicki keeps her proudest possession—the silver sword,” illustrating its ongoing status as a symbol of the family’s hopes for a reunion, which were joyfully realized (101).
Correspondence at the Camps
The tragedy of the separation of children from their families is alluded to through the correspondence which reaches the ITS: “the index of missing children was growing all the time, as each day brought more and more inquiries. […] Inquiries like these arrived by every post” (91-92). This correspondence at the camp on the Swiss/German/French border, which comes from all corners of Europe, illustrates the mass displacement caused by the war. This displacement is part of the broader theme of Trauma, Displacement, and Destruction During and After World War II. The correspondence is a motif that reminds readers of this broader, tragic theme. Furthermore, the excerpts help to illustrate the scale and impact of the displacement of children and families. The reader sees that, while the Balicki family may have a happy outcome to their search, the many historical families symbolized in these fictitious character letters were never reunited with family members, so many of whom were killed during the war. Nevertheless, the letters also show the abiding connections among refugees and displaced people after the war. Despite the devastation and against all odds, people write to anyone they can think of in hopes of finding their loved ones again, or at least of learning their fate. Their persistence illustrates The Importance of Family and the Resilience and Determination in the Face of Immense Hardship that the survivors of World War II demonstrated.
Jan Abandoning Ludwig to Save Edek
For most of the novel, Jan is most loyal to the animals he collects on his journey, including his cat; his rooster, Jimpy; the chimpanzee, Bistro; and the Wolffs’ dog, Ludwig. These animals take the place of family for the orphaned Jan, as is illustrated when Jan implies to Captain Greenwood that the pets are his parents: “‘Jan, have you any parents?’ said Captain Greenwood. ‘The grey cat and Jimpy, but they're dead, and Ruth's my mother now,’ said Jan, sullenly” (59). Orphaned amid the chaos and violence of war-torn Warsaw, Jan learns that animals offer him more safety and love than human beings do.
After meeting the Balicki children, however, that changes. Jan’s loyalty to Ruth and her family as his own family is confirmed during the storm when Jan abandons his search for Ludwig in favor of helping Ruth and Bronia save Edek. This decision saves not only Edek’s life but Ruth and Bronia’s as well, as is suggested when Jan tells Joseph that, “they would all have drowned if it hadn’t been for me” (99). Jan’s choice to sail out onto the lake with Ruth and Bronia is symbolic of Jan coming to see the Balickis as his own family and learning to trust people again. His loyalty is repaid when Margrit and Joseph adopt Jan as one of their own children, caring for him lovingly and patiently despite his challenging and rebellious behavior. Jan symbolizes the experiences of the thousands of war orphans across Europe, as well as the hope that those who lost their families in the war will be able to find safety and love with new, chosen families.
