Theme and message

Nostalgia 

The theme of the short story “That Same Sea” by Adrian Markle is nostalgia for one’s past, when faced with the notion that things have changed. 

The woman feels great excitement at the thought of returning to her native village (ll. 19-21). In her mind, she expects it to be the same as it was when she last saw it, and she is very happy to find some places unchanged: “ ‘It’s the same.’ She beamed. ‘It’s all the same as I remember.’ ” (l. 63). She also appears very confident in her knowledge about the local ways, explaining things to the man and naming the flowers along the way (ll. 49-50). When the man points out that she is not exactly a local anymore, she answers that “ ‘it doesn’t leave you’ ” (l. 31). 

However, the discovery of the lo...