Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Farming of Bones, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Power of Memory
Dreams vs. Reality
Language and Identity
Death, Grief, and Hope
Home, Family, and Belonging
Summary
Analysis
Amabelle remembers Sebastien talking to her while he is asleep. She feels “masterful” when she gets him to talk, and claims that a sleeping person responding is “like a miracle.” He claims his dream is to fly a kite. She says she will offer him a ribbon for his kite, but she receives no response.
Amabelle and Sebastien have a conversation while he sleeps, and Amabelle treasures the details he reveals. Amabelle seems to highly value dreams—possibly prizing them over reality—as she feels particularly triumphant when she hears about them. Still, Sebastien’s lack of response to Amabelle’s question reveals how fickle dreams can be. Despite her wish to bring Sebastien’s dreams into reality, she is not always able to do so; in the same way, Amabelle’s fantasies often remain disconnected from her real life.
Themes
