Death, Grief, and Hope Theme Analysis

In The Farming of Bones, various characters die as a result of violence or misfortune, and these tragedies illustrate how widespread and sudden death can be. The lives of those left behind are inexorably altered by the deaths they have experienced; in fact, these characters’ lives often lose meaning and happiness. As the novel unfolds, Danticat illustrates how death has two victims: it impacts the deceased, as well as those who remain. Despite the persistence of grief, however, these surviving characters gradually rebuild their lives. Ultimately, the novel demonstrates that death, despite its power, does not completely extinguish hope.

Various characters in the story experience the death of a loved one. These losses are traumatic and unexpected, demonstrating that death is a powerful and omnipresent force. Early on in the novel, Amabelle recalls the deaths of her parents in a flood. After a commonplace shopping trip, her parents had waded through a river just as a storm began, and were swallowed by the waves. Seeing this, Amabelle screamed until she could “taste blood,” and tried to “throw” herself “into the water.” In this way, a joyful family outing turns into a tragedy, demonstrating that death is ever-present. Furthermore, Amabelle’s chilling responseher willingness to follow her parents into deathshows the immediate impact that death has on its witnesses.

In Danticat’s novel, death is merciless towards everyone, regardless of class. For example, Señora Valencia’s newborn son, Rafael, passes away unexpectedly. Distraught, she says it is “too soon” for him to go; she is later consoled by another parent who has recently lost a child. The bereaved parent tells her that when his son died, “the ground sank” beneath his feet, and he learned that life is as “sudden as a few breaths.” A child’s death teaches painful lessons about how fleeting and unfair life can be; moreover, it illustrates how everyoneeven a new, happy parentis subject to the pain of loss.

Additionally, death’s impact can also manifest as guilt. When Amabelle accidentally drowns a fellow refugee, Odette, to keep her from drawing the attention of soldiers, she is haunted by the loss. Amabelle notes that no matter where she goes, she will “always be standing over [Odette’s] body.” Amabelle’s perpetual remorse illustrates the never-ending effect that death has on the living.

In order to persevere through the crushing weight of loss, many of the novel’s characters use different coping mechanisms. For example, Amabelle begins to treat her life as a “living death,” even though she has escaped the brutal Parsley Massacre. Despite her survival, her life is forever altered: she has lost her lover, Sebastien, and witnessed numerous atrocities. Grief-stricken, she tries to create a routine where “every day” passes “exactly like the one before.” Amabelle’s exposure to death has numbed her to the privilege of life; she looks for comfort in monotony, as this lets her avoid confronting her sense of loss. Yves, another survivor of the Parsley Massacre, loses himself in work to avoid dealing with his trauma. As a dedicated farmer, he is constantly “working the earth,” which lets him “believe that he had forgotten” what he has experienced. Furthermore, he confesses that “empty fields” remind him of the “dead season,” explicitly acknowledging that his workaholic behavior is a way of coping with his past and sense of loss. Yves’s work is a hollow distraction: he turns his life into a cycle of drudgery to cope with sadness, which suggests that he does not value his survival. Both Amabelle and Yves’s methods of distraction are unsuccessful, and drain the characters’ lives of significance or meaning.

Ultimately, however, these characters realize that they must confront their grief, and they begin to move on and allow hope and happiness to reenter their lives. For example, Amabelle begins to recall lessons about life continuing in the wake of tragedy. She notes how “the dead” leave “their words” for “their children’s inheritance,” and discusses wanting to “pass on” her memories of the “slaughter,” so that they do not “remain forever buried.” Amabelle’s thoughts indicate that she is becoming more comfortable with the idea of grief, and the concept of moving on. In fact, she even acknowledges that her grief should not be repressed forever; rather, it should be passed down, and become part of her future.

Amabelle joins a “parade of survivors,” noting that it is a “celebration of the living and the dead.” When someone compliments her on her dancing, she realizes that she has joined the festivities unconsciously. She sees people crying in the midst of dancing around her, and begins to understand that joy and sadness can coexist. Amabelle’s involuntary dancing indicates that she is ready to reckon with her loss; she has begun to treasure her survival, and celebrate life.

Near the novel’s end, Amabelle ventures down to the river where her parents drowned, and where she has witnessed the death of her loved ones. Amabelle reveals that she relives the moment of her parents’ death frequently, in order to look for an “answer” about how to “go on living” without them. This revelation confirms that death has not overtaken Amabelle’s life. Although she is burdened with loss, she searches for signs of encouragement about surviving without her parents, lover, or friends by her side.

In The Farming of Bones, fatal tragedies occur repeatedly. These pervasive tragedies prove that “there are cures for everything except death,” and illustrate how loss is an ever-present threat to life. In order to withstand this overwhelming sense of tragedy, multiple characters choose to avoid or suppress their sadness; in doing so, they are left unsatisfied, or are unappreciative of their existence. Eventually, however, the novel ends with scenes of recovery, acceptance, and optimism. Danticat crafts a gradual shift from despair to hope, illustrating how death is pervasive and how loss can sharpen one’s appreciation for life. Moreover, Danticat proves that despite its power, death cannot prevail fully over life.