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 a scene from her childhood, where she eagerly lifted the lid off a pot of beans her mother was cooking. She gets scalded by the steam, and recalls her father laughing; he tells her that there will be a time in her future when she will “have to be near a pot every day.”
Amabelle’s memories of her parents continue to preserve their true character into the present. Her sharp recall brings them to life, making it seem as if they are still alive; this reveals the power that memory has to protect the past. The familial warmth of her memories also illustrates the sense of belonging that pervaded Amabelle’s childhood. The loss of Amabelle’s parents’ took away her sense of home, and this childhood scene offers a stark contrast to her present circumstances, in which she feels that she doesn’t really belong.
Themes
