The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline tells the story of a group of Indigenous people struggling to survive in a dystopian United States destroyed by the effects of climate change. In this world, the Indigenous are the only people who remain able to dream, so they are hunted by 'recruiters' who wish to steal the source of their dreams: their bone marrow. This catastrophic turn of events is what causes the characters of the novel to be separated from their original families and eventually coalesce into Frenchie's group. But it is evident that this collection of Indigenous survivors is not just a survival group, but a close-knit and loving family. The family may not be related by blood, but their shared culture is enough to forge loving bonds that are just as powerful as biological relation. Dimaline conveys through this redefinition of family that the cultivation of culture is a necessary ingredient for a connected community, and that a feeling of belonging within that community is all one needs to form a true family.
The cultivation of Indigenous culture within Frenchie's new family is the glue that holds them all together despite their vastly different backgrounds. Separated from Indigenous culture all his life, Frenchie finally finds belonging in the language of his ancestors: "[n]ishin. I turned the word over in my throat like a stone; a prayer I couldn't add breath to, a world I wasn't willing to release" (Dimaline, 39). Frenchie's strong identification with the culture is what allows him to connect so closely with his new family members that also strongly identify with that same culture. That powerful connection of people through culture is the exact thing that the Residential schools were trying to destroy, as Miigwans states "[b]ut we got through it, and the schools were shut down. We returned to our home places and rebuilt, relearned, regrouped" (24). By relearning their culture once again through the 'coming-to' stories and the general 'Story' of their people (just as the Indigenous did after the first round of Residential schools), Frenchie's group is reforging the unity that a shared culture can provide. This sense of community manifests itself in the group becoming extremely close, so close in fact that it would be hard not to describe them as a family: "[t]hey slept in a spare room, all three of them, even though we offered the youngest the pullout couch in the front room" (103). And when Frenchie is finally reunited with his biological father, he is faced with a choice of whether to stay with his father or continue on with his new family to fight for his people. His newfound identification with Indigenous culture triumphs over his old identity, causing him to leave the father that he loves for the community that he loves even more: "'[d]ad?' '[y]es, son?' 'I have to go.' 'I know'" (217). This moment conveys Dimaline's theme that family is not ordained by blood, but by community made possible through shared culture.
Community ties undoubtedly run just as thick as blood ties in The Marrow Thieves. These ties hold immense importance, as they provide much-needed support and a sense of belonging in a world where threats lurk around every corner. When Frenchie finds his father, his community fears that he will leave them to instead stay with his father. Zheegwon asks if Frenchie will leave them for his real family. Frenchie, shocked, replies, “[r]eal? What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not real?” then chucks a rock at Zheegwon (177). By throwing the rock, Frenchie emphasizes that their relationship is just as real and valuable as any blood relationship.
ReplyDeleteFrenchie’s dad also acknowledges how significant community ties are. Frenchie mistakenly gets mad at his father, thinking that his father abandoned the search for his blood family in exchange for the community he found along the way (188). Frenchie’s dad is quick to correct his son, telling him “I brought these people together to find our community. But eventually, that’s what we became in the absence of the other” (188). Humans, by nature, are social creatures and are proven to go mad without company. For this reason, it is crucial for everyone to have a community that they can call their own. Under the constant threat of danger, individuals naturally rely on each other and become family to each other in a way that is just as valuable as blood relations.
Dimaline emphasizes the meaning of family through community and the many different ways a group can become one. When French finds his new group, Miig becomes a father figure for the group. He watches over them and sees them as his own sons and daughters. However when French finds his dad, the whole meaning of family changes for him. He has survived and spent the last 5 years with the people he met along the way. The environmental issues also plays a big role on how each of them find each other and the common goal to survive. Dimaline also compares the many tribes of indigenous Indians to the community that French found. Many indigenous tribes lived in groups with many others who were not blood related. By finding his dad French was able to see that it doesn't matter if you are blood related or not. He found a community who share the same goals and wants. They all love each other unconditionally and to French thats all the matters.
ReplyDeleteIn The Marrow Thieves, Frenchie reinforces the importance of family continuously throughout the book as he works to protect and take care of them, just the same way he would’ve worked to protect his blood family, such as his brother Mitch. In the beginning of the book, when Frenchie and Mitch are discovered by Recruiters, Mitch sacrifices himself to save his brother (Dimaline, 4). Frenchie takes similar actions to protect the family he has chosen rather than related to through blood. When the group finds the Four Winds Resort, Frenchie is afraid to lose Miig and his knowledge and leadership, so Frenchie risks his own health to test the electrification of the fence surrounding the hotel (57).
ReplyDeleteWithin the family everyone takes similar actions to prove they will look after their family. As Minerva sacrifices herself to the Recruiters, she is looking out for her family, clearly demonstrated in allowing herself to be captured and hiding the ladder in the barn to prevent the rest of the family from being discovered (151). The concept of family is what keeps Frenchie and the rest of the group motivated. They are looking after one another and living together as a family, because they are all connected through culture and a shared mission to escape the Recruiters. They all experience loss and happiness together. As Frenchie realizes he’s found Isaac, he can’t hold back the excitement that Miig will be reunited with his husband after all this time (229). Despite the characters of The Marrow Thieves experiencing loss of loved ones, they also experience joy from reuniting with family – both blood and not. These positive experiences remind readers to keep dreaming and hold on to hope.