A major theme that is signified through island is the development of close knit communities which does not happen on mainland because of people constantly coming in and out. All though Crete is a relatively large island most of the population shares a very strong culture which is why they came together to hold off the Germans during WWII.
During WWII the Germans decided that taking over Crete would be strategically important so they decided to air raid the island. They sent tons of paratroopers that landed on the island and steadily took over the whole island. The British troops left the island because they could not fight against the Germans. The natives decided to start guerilla warfare against the Germans which proved to be a huge hassle to the Germans.
The Germans decide to start burning down whole villages to try to stop them from fighting. They did not stop fighting which shows how close everyone is cause they are willing to give up there life for there culture.
The Cretans have always been overseen by other countries like Romans, Germans, Austrian, and Greek. They are known for being rebellious, which is shown by rebelling against the Germans and more recently for the starting of the movement to segregate from the Greek government.
The Crete island shows how people are close together, even tho it is a large island.
