Does blood make a family? Cherie Dimaline explores the concept of choosing one’s family in The Marrow Thieves. In a world where most people have lost the ability to dream, Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow. The shared goal of survival forces the characters to come together to form a tight-knit group to support and protect one another. However, somewhere along the way, the characters become a chosen family rather than just an alliance. This begs the question, what makes the group a family rather than just a community?
When looking at the relationships between characters, there is a clear underlying love and trust that exists between them. Frenchie acknowledges that when he says, “I didn't know that when we shared what could be shared, grief and luck and food and stories, that it was the beginning of what could be a family” (Dimaline 129). This quote shows how family is not always forged by blood, but rather the shared experiences that create a sense of belonging and purpose. Additionally, Frenchie acknowledges that when the characters begin being vulnerable with one another, the group begins to become a chosen family rather than just a community.
Frenchie is not the only one who realizes that shared experiences with love and trust can create a chosen family rather than just a community. Minerva, when reflecting on her relationships, says, “I may have given birth to my kids, but there's something here so tight, so fierce, that it feels like I'm birthing them all over again” (Dimaline 286). Minerva reinforces the idea that one’s chosen family can be as strong, if not stronger, than their given family. While she has given birth to her actual children, Minerva acknowledges that she feels just as deeply connected to those in her chosen family, even without the traditional blood connection.
Overall, Dimaline emphasizes the theme of chosen family in The Marrow Thieves through showing how characters come together out of necessity, but through the formation of deep connections, they create more than just a community. They create a chosen family built on love and trust gathered through shared experiences that runs deeper than blood.
This blog post truly made me revise and analyze the theme of family within The Marrow Thieves. The novel represents a dichotomy between the family Frenchie is born into and the one he chooses. Although the goal of survival pushes these characters together to form an alliance, it is the promise of loyalty and the tangible connection to their past and future lineage that keeps these characters together. The safety and comfort that each character feels within their chosen family allows them to heal from their past trauma and begin to elevate the importance of cherishing those around them.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of family also elicits the idea of home. Frenchie, Miig, Wab, Minerva, Chi Boy, Tree, Zheegwon, Rose, RiRi, and Slopper spend the novel just trying to survive and to find a safe place to call home. As Minerva lay dying after being shot by one of the recruiters, she tells Rose and Miig, “Kiiwen. Kiiwen, promise?” (Dimaline 210). Rose later explains to Frenchie that kiiwen means to go home. When Rose decides to leave the camp, Frenchie follows her and remembers this idea of home. He says, “I took off running, away from camp, the Council, my family: running toward Rose…running towards an idea of home that I wasn’t willing to lose, not even if it meant running away from the family I had already found” (Dimaline 217). Frenchie makes the decision to follow Rose because she has become part of his home – a part he refuses to be without.
Especially in the extreme situations that occur in the novel, the characters must all realize how important relationships are for their sanity and survival. This post shows how a community can turn into a family through experiences and feelings. I agree with the idea of underlying love and trust between characters is a key factor in the group becoming a chosen family. Since most of the characters would be on their own if the group was not there, being with others helps give each character another reason to keep fighting and living. This forms a community. However, once the characters allow themselves to be vulnerable with each other and trust one another which is when they become a family. The characters make several comments about how they feel like they are a family. This shows the strength of the bond within the group. The bond they create may be deeper and more connected than a blood family. Overall, the theme of family is chosen is shown throughout the book and there are many instances to support the idea. The bond is created from the depth of the connections formed, vulnerability, and trust. This bond turns a community into a family.
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