The Marrow Thieves Themes
- Humans' relationship to nature. The Marrow Thieves takes place in a not-too-distant future in which humans have destroyed the earth.
- Trauma and Indigeneity. Most of the Indigenous characters in The Marrow Thieves have experienced significant trauma. ...
- Family. ...
- Loss. ...
- The power of language. ...
- Climate crisis. ...
- Adulthood and manhood. ...
- Dreams. ...
What is the main idea of the Marrow Thieves?
The Marrow Thieves introduces the reader to a horrific post-apocalyptic world in which the majority of the population has lost the ability to dream—everyone, that is, except Indigenous populations, which are being targeted, kidnapped, and taken to residential schools where their bone marrow (which holds the ability to dream) is harvested.
How do I Track themes in the Marrow Thieves?
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Marrow Thieves, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
What is the Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline about?
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline is a science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic Canada where climate devastation ravages the world and the Canadian government’s Recruiters hunt Natives for the dreams that are woven into their bone marrow.
What is the topic of maturity in the Marrow Thieves?
In the novel The Marrow Thieves the topic of maturity is represented by Francis and his incapability to do so as he grows up.
What do dreams symbolize in The Marrow Thieves?
Dreams symbolize hopes, fears, and ideas. The lack of dreams symbolizes hopelessness that drives people mad. The fact that Native Americans are the only ones who actually have dreams is symbolic of their heritage and of connections, maybe spiritual...
Is The Marrow Thieves LGBT?
The Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline - In this futuristic novel, Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow, which contains the cure to the dreamlessness sweeping North America. In addition to being a powerful read about Indigenous rights, the main mentor figure in the book is gay and also fully accepted.
What are some motifs in The Marrow Thieves?
Cyclical Histories, Language, and Indigenous Oppression.Family and Coming of Age.Humans and Nature.Trauma, Identity, and Pride.
What does the moose symbolize in The Marrow Thieves?
He lowers the rifle. For Frenchie, the moose symbolizes the natural world that's unchanged, watching the world change around it.
Who are the main characters in The Marrow Thieves?
The Marrow Thieves CharactersFrenchie. A sixteen-year-old Métis boy and the protagonist of the novel. ... Miig. The father figure of a ragtag group of Indigenous children. ... Wab. Wab is an eighteen-year-old woman in Frenchie's family. ... Minerva. The Elder of Miig's family. ... RiRi. ... Rose. ... Dad. ... Travis.More items...•
Is there a sequel to The Marrow Thieves?
Hunting by Stars, out on Oct. 19, 2021, takes place in the world of The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline's bestselling and award-winning YA novel.
What do braids symbolize in The Marrow Thieves?
For Frenchie, his long braid is a source of pride. As far as he's concerned, it signifies his identity as an Indigenous person and within the safety of his family with Miig. The braid allows him to show off this pride and use his pride to connect with others, as when Rose fixes Frenchie's braid.
What does the pink boot symbolize in The Marrow Thieves?
Pink boot. This object symbolizes the loss of an innocent life. When Frenchie and his group encounter a pair of men who turn out to be both Recruiters and Indians, the situation goes awry rather quickly.
What is the main conflict of The Marrow Thieves?
While the immediate conflict of The Marrow Thieves is Frenchie and his friends' attempts to evade Recruiters and protect themselves from human antagonists, it's important to keep in mind that this conflict arose in the first place because of the devastating effects of climate change.
What is the significance of Frenchies dreams?
Frenchie dreams of the moose, thus making peace with his choice to refrain from killing an animal that would serve as sufficient food for over a week's time. Dreams also function as a form of resolution and affirmation in the text, a space where the mind grapples with ethical life choices.
How does Frenchie change in The Marrow Thieves?
Over the course of his journey, Frenchie grows from a scared kid to a leader, ultimately making decisions that affect the group in a good way, and taking charge when Miig finally lets his exhaustion overtake him.
Why did Frenchie not shoot the moose?
In contrast to the white peoples' unsustainable approach to land, portrayed in the novel, Frenchie displays great wisdom during hunting. When he sees a large moose, he does not shoot it because of the following thoughts, “So we'd be leaving half, at least half, behind to rot” (31).
What are some quotes about the government In the marrow thieves
I saw both of the Recruiters now: high-waisted navy shorts, gym socks with red stripes pulled up to their knees above low, mesh-sided sneakers, the...
What does water mean to them what are some quotes about water
Water is the lifeblood of the people and now it is dying fast, I came from a long line of hunters, trappers, and voyageurs. But now, with most of...
lost and found and lost
They plan to wait for the convoy and attack them. Frenchie meets Derrick's eyes and sees that he looks like Frenchie did after he shot Travis . I...
How does the language in The Marrow Thieves help?
Throughout The Marrow Thieves, author Cherie Dimaline presents language as a powerful tool for preserving identity, memory, and culture, as well as for resisting an oppressive system. A key example is one of the novel's most powerful moments: when Minerva destroys the Recruiters' marrow-harvesting system through a song in her native language. The song is made up of dreams which are recounted in her native language. Through Minerva’s miracle, Dimaline suggests that language is much more than a means of communication and expression. It is a carrier of cultural memory and ancestral wisdom, capable of confronting oppression and bringing down a “broken system.”
What are the traumas of the Marrow Thieves?
Most of the Indigenous characters in The Marrow Thieves have experienced significant trauma. On the broadest level, they are persecuted for being Indigenous. Many have experienced physical and sexual violence and have lost their loved ones. These terrible, traumatic experiences have left lasting psychological and physical impacts on the characters' day-to-day lives. Moreover, the novel tracks how trauma does not only happen on the individual level but is also transmitted from generation to generation. Many characters, including Miig, French and Rose, have heard stories of their families' histories in Canada's residential boarding school system. These schools tore Native children from their families and prohibited them from speaking their languages or practicing their cultural traditions. Physical and sexual abuse was also common, and the characters are still dealing with the legacies of these traumas, generations later.
What is the relationship between humans and nature?
Humans' relationship to nature. The Marrow Thieves takes place in a not-too-distant future in which humans have destroyed the earth. Yet the government shows no interest in trying to change or improve humans’ relationship with nature. Rather, humans continue to extract nature’s resources for the immediate benefit of a few, ...
What does dream represent in the book?
Dreams represent the possibility of hope in the novel. In an interview with CBC, author Cherie Dimaline explained: "Dreams, to me, represent our hope. It's how we survive and it's how we carry on after every state of emergency, after each suicide. Hope is the backbone of our survival, and it's the core of our strength. Our grandparents survived residential schools and still brought through the stories, still carried our language, still made sure that we had ceremony and it was because we had that hope that there was going to be survival and revival. So I think dreams are the epitome of the hope that we carry."
What is Dimaline's dream song about?
It is a carrier of cultural memory and ancestral wisdom, capable of confronting oppression and bringing down a “broken system.”.
What is Dimaline's goal?
They are sure to not be wasteful with nature’s precious resources. And their long-term goal is to heal the land from the damage that humans have done to it.
What does French realize when he finds his father?
French ultimately realizes that found family is just as important as blood family. When he finds his father, the group believes that he will leave them for his "real" family. But French tells them they are just as real as his blood family.
How old is Riri in Dimaline?
Dimaline illustrates this by allowing the reader to follow seven-year-old RiRi 's journey as she transforms from innocence, to being forced to grow up before she's ready because of this information, to her brutal death as she sees Story come to life in front of her eyes.
What is the world presented in The Marrow Thieves?
The world presented in The Marrow Thieves is one in which Indigenous people have been reduced and flattened—in the eyes of the white government—to be nothing other than a commodity. Those who are on the run must contend with the horrific, dehumanizing fact that to many, they're something less than human.
What does Dimaline argue about Indigenous people?
Despite this bleak picture of life for the Indigenous community, Dimaline ultimately argues that Indigenous identity deserves to be celebrated, and that having pride in one's identity as an Indigenous person can be a powerful thing.
What does Miig believe about Riri?
Put another way, Miig believes that once RiRi becomes aware of the violence in the world and the ways in which she's susceptible to it, she must know the whole truth. Being Indigenous is, in this sense, inherently traumatizing—Riri’s initiation into the narrative of her own culture is unavoidably painful.
What happened to Wab?
Wab grew up in a situation in which it was almost impossible to avoid sexual abuse and was ultimately tricked, gang raped, and suffered horrendous physical violence that left her with a huge scar across her face and neck and only one eye.
Why is Wab's scar a reminder of her?
For Wab, her scar is a constant reminder of the violence and trauma that she experienced because of who she is as an Indigenous person. Her identity and sense of pride as an Indigenous person is taken away from her and perverted into the very thing that is used to target and oppress her.
Who was Miig's husband?
For some, the trauma is mostly emotional. Miig and his husband, Isaac, were tricked by other Indigenous people who were in cahoots with the government—and for most of the novel, Miig believes that he lost Isaac to the residential schools.
What is the study guide for The Marrow Thieves?
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
What happens to Frenchie and Miig in the book?
However, hope remains as Frenchie reunites with his father (though Frenchie chooses to stay with Rose), and Miig reunites with Isaac.
How old is Francis in the book Frenchie?
At the beginning of the novel, 16-year-old Francis—nicknamed Frenchie for his Métis heritage—is on the run from the Recruiters with his brother, Mitch. The Recruiters locate them, and Mitch sacrifices himself so that Frenchie can escape.
Why do recruiters detain Indigenous peoples?
The Recruiters forcibly detain the Indigenous peoples in facilities modeled after residential schools for the purpose of marrow harvesting; the goal is to restore the ability to dream to non-Indigenous people.
Who is the leader of the group in the movie "The Recruiters"?
Miigwans , an Anishinaabe man, steps up as the leader of the group, although he is still processing the trauma of losing his husband, Isaac, to the Recruiters. The other wise elder, Minerva, has a voice so powerful that her singing results in the breakdown of a marrow extraction machine.
