The shoe poet is the wise old man who has lived a long fulfilling life and is reinvigorated when he starts taking care of the recently orphaned wandering boy. He mostly tries to help the group by trying to keep them positive through small gestures like dancing with Joana, teaching the wandering boy about shoes, and helping a soldier’s with his foot pains to distract the guard enough to get the others pass a registration point. He also gives words of wisdom to try to keep them joyous, such as, “Yet amidst all that, life has spit in the eyes of death. We must find her some shoes.” The shoe poet cares more about the others’ well being than his own, which is shown when “The shoe poet leapt feet first off the ship, plummeting into the sea.” but he sinks because “The sack of coins. The old man tied the bag to his belt. He gave [Florian] his life vest.”(337) He was able to give the ones he loved a future, by sacrificing himself...The shoe poet cared so much about the others because he wanted others to have a long, happy life, he was fortunate to have.
The many deaths on the refugee's journey was not in vain as it allowed those who survived to be able to endure the hardships. Although it may not be as drastic as what happens to the characters in Salt to the Sea, real families need to sacrifice for the well being of the group. This would include compromising