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.
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Themes
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BetaThemes
Trauma, Displacement, and Destruction During and After World War II
Serraillier draws the reader’s attention to the devastation of Poland and Germany caused by active combat, bombing campaigns, and the intentional destruction of civilian and agricultural infrastructure by the German Scorched Earth policy and similar policies of the Russians. The destruction of Warsaw is conveyed through Joseph’s shock, having not seen the now-destroyed city in years: “there was hardly a street he recognized and not an undamaged building anywhere […] instead of proud homes, he found crumbling walls; instead of streets, tracks of rubble between mountains of bricks” (13). Streets of proud houses, connoting peace, and civilization, are juxtaposed with imagery of crumbling walls and rubble after years of war, illustrating the extent of the destruction and devastation of war. Similarly, Berlin, once a city of culture and grandeur, is filled with rubble and destruction: “buildings that had stood for generations had been wiped out” (46). As in the case of Warsaw, Serraillier conveys the devastating loss of historical and cultural sites in the city.
This destruction causes mass displacement throughout Europe. The chaos of living in partially destroyed cities and towns, amid compromised infrastructure and massive worker shortages, is exacerbated by the influx of refugees. The inability of strained refugee organizations to cope with starving and traumatized masses is illustrated in the chaotic scene in the Berlin train station: “Most of [the refugees] hung about or sat down on their luggage […] in the hope that they would be given food or told where to go. A few UNRRA workers appeared, shouting orders in broken German, trying to make them stand in a queue” (46). The trauma inherent in warfare and displacement is characterized by the despondency and listlessness of the refugees, who have no idea where to go or what to do.
The immense job of the overwhelmed aid organizations is also illustrated at the border camp, as the administrative branch is flooded with letters from family members desperately looking for lost children. The chaos of post-war Europe is emphasized by the snatches of correspondence, which serve as a motif of the broader theme of Trauma, Displacement, and Destruction During and After World War II. The ongoing trauma of countless individuals and families is emphasized; the reader considers that many of the individuals will either never receive news of their loved ones or may receive tragic news of the deaths of loved ones. Serraillier demonstrates that the devastation of war does not end with an armistice. Rather, the trauma, displacement, and destruction of war continue to shape the landscapes and lives for decades to come.
Resilience and Determination in the Face of Immense Hardship
Extraordinary resilience is shown by the story’s characters, as well as the determination to survive and to be reunited with loved ones. Joseph demonstrates his resilience as he endures “bitter” nights, constant illness, and near starvation in the work camp. Yet his determination to return to his family never wavers. This determination is illustrated in his ingenious escape from Zakyna, achieved with a slingshot fashioned from objects found around the camp as well as his own shoes: “He had a smooth round stone and a catapult in his hands. He had made the catapult from pine twigs and the elastic sides of his boots” (4). Joseph’s determination to return to his family is also shown by his trek to Warsaw after the days of mountain crossing, which takes four and a half weeks. Joseph tolerates extreme stress and discomfort to return to his family, a journey that continues as he jumps onto the goods train to go to Switzerland in search of his wife.
Edek and Ruth demonstrate similar determination and ingenuity in surviving in the ruins of Warsaw and the forest. Despite the lack of resources or infrastructure, Edek and Ruth manage to build shelters and support systems for themselves and other children. Edek scavenges materials from the ruins of bombed-out buildings in Warsaw. Ruth, recognizing that children have needs beyond just shelter and food, begins to run a school for other displaced children, providing them with structure and education. Edek’s ingenious shelters show him to be an exceptionally capable and intelligent child, foreshadowing his future career as an engineer. Likewise, Ruth shows determination to survive alongside psychological resilience through their challenging conditions.
Most of all, the Balicki children’s determination is illustrated in their journey to Switzerland. When a welfare officer observes Edek’s immense inner strength and determination to keep going despite his worsening tuberculosis, he suggests that he and his family will survive the journey based on their psychological strength alone: “there’s a sort of fierce resolution about the boy—about all of them—which saves them from despair” (42). The children survive punishing distances on foot, illness, near arrest, food scarcity, poverty, and, finally, a storm that almost drowns them. Their determination to find Joseph and Margrit, and their resilience through incredible challenges, make the moment of this reunion even more satisfying for the reader, who is positioned to hope for a happy conclusion for the children. For both Joseph and his children, the most important quality for surviving the post-war chaos is their mental fortitude: the fact that they never give up, whatever obstacles they face.
The Importance of Family
The Balickis’ love for each other and their desire to be reunited drive the plot of the narrative. Imprisoned as a political enemy at Zakyna camp, Joseph spends his days longing for his family, as is illustrated by his constant looking at his photos of them: “He would sit around the hut, thinking of his family and staring at the few tattered photos of them that he had been allowed to keep” (3). The “tattered” nature of the photos implies that they are often handled by Joseph, elucidating his pain and sadness at being forcibly separated from his beloved wife and children. Joseph’s desire to be with his family motivates his journey in the luggage cable car, through the mountains, and through Poland, a journey which takes months. Joseph leaves a message with Jan in the hopes that he will one day be reunited with his children: “if ever you see Ruth or Edek or Bronia, you must tell them about our meeting. Tell them I'm going to Switzerland to find their mother. To their grandparents’ home. Tell them to follow as soon as they can” (15). He then journeys on to Switzerland, determined to find his wife. Joseph’s escape from Zakyna, his decisions after escaping, as well as his instructions to Jan, illustrate a person motivated above all by his love for his family.
Joseph’s children share this love. Ruth shapes her and her siblings’ lives around reuniting first with Edek, and then their parents after learning of her brother and father’s locations: “Edek had been traced. Her father had escaped from prison and been seen alive and free. How different must their future be now” (34). Ruth’s change to their plans, motivated by finding their family, demonstrates that family is a cornerstone of Ruth’s desired future. For all the Balickis, the source of their resilience and determination is their faith in and loyalty to each other.
The Balicki family provides Jan, an orphan, with both an example of the power of familial love and the opportunity to find a new family after losing his parents. After losing his parents in the bombing of Warsaw, Jan learns to put his love and faith in animals rather than human beings. Yet Jan proves to be the key to the Balickis’ reunion. Jan’s decision to retain the silver sword enables the family to eventually be reunited: “he remembered two things—the determination on Joseph’s face, and the name of the country he was bound for, Switzerland” (34). Jan chooses to join the siblings on their journey. His belonging to the family is confirmed during the traumatic events of the storm, in which Jan demonstrates his loyalty to Ruth by helping her to rescue Edek instead of pursuing his beloved dog Ludwig. His choice saves the siblings’ lives: “He had lost Ludwig, but he had not lost Ruth. And the treasure box was still safe under his arm. He threw the box into the boat, jumped in and seized the oar. Sliding the oar over the stern, he shoved the boat into the current” (97). This moment confirms Jan’s place as an honorary member of the family, but it also demonstrates that through the Balicki family, he has learned to trust and love people again. In the final chapter, the reader learns that though Jan’s parents are never found, “Margrit Balicki treated him as lovingly as she did her own children” (102). Jan proves that the Importance of Family extends to families of choice as well as families of blood.
