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Sea of Flames
The Sea of Flames was used to represent possessiveness and greed. Legend has it that the person who possesses this diamond would live an eternal life while the person's loved ones will suffer and die. The Sea of Flames symbolizes Germany's greed of wanting to take over so many countries and its thirst for power/eternal life. It symbolizes how the greed leads to the country's self-destruction/death of loved ones.
The Sea
The sea is seen as the safe place. Both Werner and Marie were enchanted by its beauty and time seemed to stand still when they were there (both by themselves and together). They visit the shoreline to escape the harsh realities of the war. After her dad goes missing, Marie found comfort from the sea. Werner writes many letters to Jutta wishing she was there to see how magnificent the ocean is.
The Radio
The radio symbolizes hope. The Nazi soldiers gave orders that banned the French from owning radios in their home because they feared the French would hear news of the war. If the French heard the Allies coming, they could form a resistance. Etienne banned Marie from listening to the radio because he feared the Germans would trace the signals to them (which they did). The longer they lived without the radio the more miserable Etienne became. When Etienne made the decision to use the radio, his house was filled with dancing and happiness. They even gained hope that the French would win the war. When Werner was little, he was passionate about technology and fixing radios gave him hope that he had a future in it instead of coal-mining. When Volkheimer and Werner were trapped under the House of Bees, they lost hope in finding a way out. However when Werner fixes their radio and tunes it to listen to Marie and Clair de Lune, they soon gain the will to fight for survival.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
This is a book that Marie owns when she was in Paris. Her father forgot to pack it when they fled for Saint-Malo when the war began. Etienne bought her a new copy in the middle of the war. Marie reads it in both Paris and when von Rumpel is in her house. It has been with her through the good times and the rough and symbolizes normality. While the things around her changes the book does not. As time passes, her interpretation of the book changes but the book does not.
Models of Paris and Saint-Malo
They symbolize the damage the Germans have done to these two French cities. When Marie's father creates both models, both of the cities were safe from German occupation. When the Germans takes over Paris, von Rumpel comes into Marie's old house to look for the Sea of Flames. When he can't find it, he destroys the Marie's model of Paris. When the Germans were sent to look for illegal radio transmissions within Saint-Malo, von Rumpel also comes in to look for the Sea of Flames-this time in Etienne's house. He tears apart the model of Saint-Malo but finds nothing.
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