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Chapter 19
Themes
and Colors
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
Back in the present, Señor Pico has granted his wife’s request and begins to bury Rafael’s clothes. Señora Valencia tells Juana she would like to attend the burial, and then pleads for stories of her “Mami.” Juana tells her that Doña Rosalinda was at first nervous to be a wife, but was happy to bear a daughter. Juana then says that Don Ignacio was “so very unhappy” when his wife passed away.
The grief of Rafael’s death prompts the señora to ask for stories of her lost mother. Juana shares these stories, as she is the one who has preserved the señora’s mother’s legacy. Juana’s memories of the mother are stronger than the señora’s own recollections: this fact reveals that it is not always the person closest to—or related to—the deceased that remembers them best. As in other scenes memory is a source of solace to someone who is dealing with grief and loss.
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Juana continues, telling Señora Valencia that her mother was a “good-hearted lady” who treated the staff kindly. The señora then tells Juana that she has had dreams of what Rafael would have looked like throughout the various stages of his life. She adds that she has never felt like “a whole woman,” due to “the absence of Mami’s face.”
The señora finally reveals the extent of her grief for both her mother and son. The señora’s sense of loss is compounded because both her past and her future feel affected. She lost her mother at a young age, which impacted her childhood; she is also losing her visions of the future with her son. This grief diminishes her sense of belonging: her household feels emptier and less welcoming, and she does not feel a complete person.
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Amabelle walks to the compound of Don Carlos, a mill owner. She observes the tired workers and poor working conditions, and then locates Kongo’s room. She notes that there are fresh clothes laid out on the floor “as though Joël had set them down.”
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Kongo explains that Sebastien retrieved the clothes that are laid out on the floor, and claims that they are for his son’s burial. Kongo also says that Sebastien brought a pile of wood for Joël’s coffin. Amabelle expresses her condolences, and then explains that Don Ignacio has requested to see Kongo.
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Kongo is surprised by this request. Amabelle explains that Don Ignacio wishes to pay for the funeral, but Kongo refuses. Kongo laments that he was not able to “bury him in [their] own land,” but says he tried to “give him back to the soil.” Kongo tells Amabelle that he will never forget how his son looked when he was first born. He instructs Amabelle to tell Don Ignacio that he and his son are both men.
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After her talk with Kongo, Amabelle goes to Sebastien’s room. She relays the news about Señor Pico’s deceased son, and tells him not to rejoice in the death, as the Haitians “would not have wanted Señor Pico’s family to rejoice when Joël died.” Sebastien asks if Señora Valencia is like family to Amabelle, and she replies that she is.
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The next morning, Señor Pico and Señora Valencia finish arranging their son’s coffin; Señor Pico places him into the casket, and tells his wife that everything will be well. He does not offer any sign of affection to his daughter Rosalinda, and then drives away. The señora then cradles her daughter against her, as if to feel the “child’s breath against her cheek.”
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The señora makes an altar for Rafael out of flowers and a candle. Señora Valencia then tells Amabelle to ask her acquaintances—cane workers—to come in from the fields and have coffee at the house. Amabelle relays the message to the group and Sebastien tells Kongo that the house is “not a place” where they should go.
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The group begins to talk amongst themselves and debate whether it is worthwhile to accept the invitation. They discuss rumors about “groups of Haitians being killed in the night,” because they cannot pronounce words such as “perejil”—parsley—in a certain way. One woman mentions “a border commission,” which gave “orders to have all Haitians killed.” She claims that Dominicans were told to catch and bring Haitians to the soldiers.
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Some people reject the invitation, but part of the group ventures into the garden. Juana and Amabelle pass around cups of coffee, and Kongo walks into the parlor to see Señora Valencia and Rosalinda. He raises a finger as if to touch the baby’s face, but the señora stops him; instead, he kisses the señora’s fingers, and expresses condolences for her loss.
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Kongo begins to speak of his son’s death. He claims that Joël’s passing taught him about the span of a lifetime, and how it can pass either very slowly or in an instant. He tells the señora to treasure the child that still lives. The group leaves the house, and Amabelle thinks that the señora has regretted her decision to invite the men in. Señor Pico returns later that night, and shatters the cups and saucers used by the visitors.
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