The Marrow Thieves

by

Cherie Dimaline

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The Marrow Thieves: Found Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
That night, Frenchie jerks awake to the sounds of a fight outside his tent. He pokes the gun out, but another person points a gun in at Frenchie. The man takes Frenchie's rifle and Frenchie feels furious with himself. Frenchie stares down his captor and yells for Chi-Boy. He ascertains that everyone is fine, and the captors herd everyone into a group. The captors all wear kerchiefs over their faces. Miig tells Frenchie that these are the people who left the syllabics, and Frenchie says that he's been looking for them. He sees that the people are Indigenous. The captors suggest that Frenchie is working for the schools. Frenchie says that he's killed "snitches." The captors confer and one woman jogs away. Frenchie puts his arm around Rose, who's shivering.
While Miig gives Frenchie information, Frenchie is the one to actually address the captors and dictate how they deal with them. This suggests that Miig is beginning to let Frenchie test himself in a leadership position and effectively pass the torch to the younger generation so that if he's taken, like Minerva, the kids will have the skills and the confidence to take care of themselves. It's comforting that the captors seem just as nervous about Miig's group as Miig was about Lincoln and Travis; this suggests they're genuine.
Themes
Family and Coming of Age Theme Icon
The woman returns with an older man not wearing a kerchief. He looks vaguely familiar. When Miig introduces himself, the man looks shocked and says that Miig's group should be treated like guests. He instructs his followers to help them pack up camp. Frenchie steps toward the man who disarmed him earlier, and he pulls his kerchief off to reveal that he's not much older than Frenchie. The young man (Derrick) says he'll help Frenchie, but is more interested in talking with Rose. When Frenchie finishes packing his tent, he helps Miig and asks who these people are. Miig isn't willing to say, but he says he recognizes the older man. Frenchie feels frustrated and approaches Rose. She sits Frenchie down and re-braids his hair. Frenchie happily notices that Derrick watches jealously.
That Derrick stirs up Frenchie's jealousy reminds the reader that Frenchie is still in the throes of puberty and is dealing with the emotions, good and bad, of his first love. While he can act mature and speak with their captors, he's also still in a stage where Miig feels it's necessary to withhold information and where his jealousy rises up out of nowhere. Braiding Frenchie's hair for him gives Rose the opportunity to connect with Frenchie through something that allows them to connect to their roots and their culture.
Themes
Family and Coming of Age Theme Icon
Trauma, Identity, and Pride Theme Icon
The guards lead Frenchie and the group to a hill. Guards appear out of the bush and into a cave. Frenchie feels panicky and aggressive, afraid that this is a trap. The cave opens into a low room filled with blanket tents and people. They head out the back of the cave, and Rose reassures Frenchie. He grabs her hand and thinks that he might be happy enough about Rose to be okay with dying. They emerge in a valley surrounded by rock cliffs, and the smell of tobacco, cedar, and sweetgrass makes Frenchie forget his anxiety. The older man from the woods approaches, greets Miig, and says that they'll talk when the Council gets out of the lodge.
Frenchie's comment about being possibly okay with dying because of Rose continues to illustrate the liminal space he's in because of his age: he's thrilled because he's madly in love for the first time, while also scared to trust and knows that his life depends on his ability to take care of himself. Forgetting his anxiety because of the smells suggests that these are soothing smells for Frenchie, and that they signal safety and home for him.
Themes
Family and Coming of Age Theme Icon
Frenchie can barely breathe—he's never seen a real sweat lodge. Men begin to pour out of the lodge and they all smile at Miig. The 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 learns that Mitch is gone, they cry and grieve. Later, Frenchie sits between Miig and Dad. Dad introduces his Council: Clarence, Mint, Bullet, General, Jo-jo, and Rebecca. Miig introduces his group and explains losing RiRi and Minerva. Bullet sits up at this, and Dad says they've heard of Minerva. General says she's in Espanola.
Finding Dad confirms that this group is safe and trustworthy, and it continues to expand Frenchie's understanding of what home and family can mean. Now, he has access to two different families (his chosen family with Miig and his biological connection to Dad), as well as the possibility of a romantic, chosen family with Rose sometime in the future. This complicates Frenchie's understanding of family and allows him to see that he needs multiple people to fill various roles.
Themes
Family and Coming of Age Theme Icon
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