Dad Character Analysis in The Marrow Thieves

Frenchie's biological dad. Frenchie spends much of the novel believing that Dad died in the residential schools. Dad left Mom and his sons with his Council to speak to the Canadian government about the necessity of shutting down the residential schools, which Miig—who showed Dad the way—sees as proof that Dad foolishly believed in the ability to create a dialogue, foster understanding, and demand respect. He and Frenchie reunite in the resistance group, and Dad explains that while his heart stayed with his biological family, he also recognized the importance of being a true part of the community formed by the resistance group. Though Frenchie is a teen, Dad is still able to make him feel safe and secure like he was able to when Frenchie was a child. Dad ultimately gives Frenchie permission to chase after Rose. He shapes Frenchie's definition of family by making it clear that, while he'll always be around for Frenchie, Frenchie needs to forge his own path.

Dad Quotes in The Marrow Thieves

The The Marrow Thieves quotes below are all either spoken by Dad or refer to Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Cyclical Histories, Language, and Indigenous Oppression Theme Icon

"We're all dead anyway. I should make a shish kebab of your kids."

I didn't mean it. I looked at their round eyes, wet and watching but not nervous enough for the threat of a human. Their dad was there, after all, and they knew they were safe. I felt tears collecting behind my own eyes like sand in a windstorm. I opened my mouth...to say what? To apologize to a group of wild guinea pigs? To explain that I hadn't meant what I'd said? To let them know I just missed my family?

Related Characters: Frenchie (speaker), Dad, Mom, Mitch

Page Number and Citation: 8

Explanation and Analysis:

It was painful, but I didn't really mind. The more I described my brother, my parents, our makeshift community before Dad left with the Council, the more I remembered, like the way my uncle jigged to heavy metal. Instead of dreaming their tragic forms, I recreated them as living, laughing people in the cool red confines of RiRi's tent as she drifted off.

Related Characters: Frenchie (speaker), RiRi, Mom, Dad, Mitch

Page Number and Citation: 43

Explanation and Analysis:

In them, there is always this feeling, an understanding more than an emotion, of protection. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt, and scout, and build camp, and break camp, to protect the others. I winced even thinking about it. My failure. I'd failed at protecting, and now, as a result, I failed at remaining myself.

Related Characters: Frenchie (speaker), Dad, Mom, Rose, Minerva, RiRi, Mitch

Page Number and Citation: 179-80

Explanation and Analysis:

I took off running, away from camp, the Council, my family: running toward Rose, who was somewhere beyond the birch-beaded edge of the woods, 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.

Related Characters: Frenchie (speaker), Dad, Miig, Rose

Page Number and Citation: 217

Explanation and Analysis:

Dad Character Timeline in The Marrow Thieves

The timeline below shows where the character Dad appears in The Marrow Thieves. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a forgotten tree house a few hours from Southern Metropolitan City (formerly Toronto) and though Dad told them that they needed to keep moving to stay safe, the tree house feels... (full context)

...he’ll be taken to the school with Mitch and might be reunited with Mom and Dad too, but he knows this is impossible. (full context)

About a year before, Dad met a man named Miig who escaped from the residential schools and who shared what... (full context)

Frenchie struggles to sleep for a week. He has nightmares about Mom and Dad when he sleeps, so he spends time with RiRi and tells her about Mitch. It's... (full context)

...if he'd have been able to torture a child for marrow if Mitch, Mom, or Dad had gotten sick. (full context)

...and told him about the small Anishnaabe settlements sprinkled around. This is when Miig met Dad. Miig promised to show Dad and his Council to the capital in exchange for a... (full context)

Frenchie thinks of how Mom changed after Dad didn't come back. Frenchie knows that Dad went into the city because he loved Mom,... (full context)

...last man is missing half of his right leg and calls, "Francis?" Frenchie realizes it's Dad. He throws himself in Dad's arms and feels like everything will be okay. When Dad... (full context)

Frenchie helps Dad to his living space. He lives in a corner of the cave, so two walls... (full context)

...and Zheegwon seem surprised and relieved that Frenchie chose to sleep with them, not with Dad, and Frenchie asks Miig if they need to figure things out. Miig agrees that they... (full context)

...Rose asks if Frenchie is okay, remarks on how crazy it is that Frenchie found Dad, and says that Miig seems worried about Frenchie, not finding Minerva. She points out that... (full context)

...and tell her that he'll never leave, but he thinks of his memories of Mom, Dad, and Mitch. In those memories, Frenchie feels like there was always an understanding that his... (full context)

...Frenchie gives her one-word answers. He wonders why things feel so uncertain since he found Dad. Rose stops and asks if Frenchie wants her to come. Frenchie says it's her choice,... (full context)

...Miig about the social dance in the cave later. Frenchie wanders on and knocks at Dad's room. Frenchie sits down next to Dad on the mattress, and Dad asks Frenchie what's... (full context)

Frenchie realizes that he resents Dad for leaving him with Mom and Mitch. Dad puts his arm around Frenchie and says... (full context)

A young man calls Dad and Frenchie to the social and Frenchie hears the drum starting. He hasn't heard drums... (full context)

...won't chase after Rose. Rose starts to cry and Frenchie feels ashamed. He meanders to Dad's room and flops facedown onto Dad's bed. (full context)

Dad returns to his room about an hour later and when he's sure Frenchie is awake,... (full context)

Dad and Frenchie hear someone shouting for Dad and they make their way out of the... (full context)

...at eleven in the morning, head down to hide in the trees alongside the highway. Dad reminds Frenchie before he heads out that the Recruiters think of him as a commodity... (full context)

...dusk. He hates himself for it, but thinks that he can't leave his family or Dad. He reasons with himself that going back on the run is silly, and fingers Miig's... (full context)

Frenchie heads back to camp and wanders to Dad's tent. As soon as Frenchie sits down, he starts to cry. Dad puts down his... (full context)

...considers joining the expedition, but he decides to stay back and work on maps with Dad. Frenchie teases them about being old, but he feels strangely pessimistic to have two dads... (full context)

The Marrow Thieves

Dad Character Analysis

Dad Quotes in The Marrow Thieves

Frenchie's Coming-To Story Quotes

Haunted in the Bush Quotes

Loss Quotes

Kiiwen Quotes

Dad Character Timeline in The Marrow Thieves