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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Bone Sparrow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dehumanization, Invisibility, and Refugee Camps
Childhood
Family and Friendship
Storytelling, Escapism, and Hope
Summary
Analysis
Nasir died earlier. Subhi is sitting in the corner, waiting for Jimmie and thinking about it. It didn’t feel real when Harvey told him, and Harvey hugged Subhi in response (which he’s not supposed to do). Then, Harvey said that tonight, there will be a new star in the sky, and it’ll be Nasir looking out for Subhi. Harvey then led a new boy to Nasir’s bed. The boy looked like a “head-whumper,” so he’ll probably keep everyone up all night. Subhi told him that Nasir died in that bed earlier, and the boy ran and cried at the fence. Maá didn’t move when Subhi curled up with her. Subhi is sad that Nasir died here. He never got out. But Subhi is also sad for himself: Nasir never called Subhi “Aussie Boy” like other people do.
Harvey and Subhi are clearly grieving for Nasir. However, when Harvey almost immediately assigns a new boy to Nasir’s bed, it reminds readers that the camp doesn’t stop just because someone died—there will always be more people who need the beds. This cheapens Nasir’s life and his death, turning him into a statistic instead of a person. His death hits Subhi especially hard because Nasir treated Subhi like one of the refugees, rather than someone who’s fundamentally different because he was born in Australia instead of Myanmar.
Themes
Subhi notices Jimmie’s flashlight and considers not flashing back. He does, though, and Jimmie knows immediately that something is wrong. She just pours Subhi some hot chocolate. After a long while, Subhi shares what Harvey said about people turning into stars when they die. Jimmie points out a bright one above them. Then, she pulls a phone out of her pocket. The screen says “EMERGENCY ONLY” at the top. Jimmie presses buttons and a picture of a white rat appears. It’s her pet, Raticus. Subhi’s face falls. He admits that he killed a baby rat once. Now, all the other rats here hate him. Jimmie suggests leaving them chocolate to say sorry. She then shows Subhi pictures of her house, the garden, her bedroom, and a bathroom. She pulls up pictures of her dad, Jonah, and trees Outside. Then, she pulls Subhi in so they can take a selfie.
Unlike people in the camp, Jimmie is able to provide Subhi the support and compassion he needs right now. Though Subhi doesn’t share that he’s grieving for Nasir, Jimmie recognizes that Subhi needs someone to listen and tell him it’s going to be okay, particularly when it comes to the guilt he feels about killing the baby rat. She also seems to recognize that he needs hope, which she gives him by showing him pictures of Outside. Their selfie highlights for readers that these are just two kids—there’s little difference between them, aside from where they were born and how their families ended up in Australia.
Themes
Jimmie then pulls the book out of her pocket and asks Subhi to read just a little bit. The story picks up with the soldiers arriving at night. By morning, only Oto and Mirka are left alive; everyone else has been murdered or marched away. Mirka nurses Oto back to health and then gives him the Bone Sparrow necklace. She tells him that the Sparrow will recognize Anka’s soul and gives him directions to find Iliya, a healer and her grandson in the mountains. Oto thinks of Anka and his unborn baby as he searches for Iliya. The same wind that brushes Oto’s face later brushes Anka’s, and she smiles as she feels his tears on her cheek.
The novel is ambiguous about what conflict it describes here, but the passage again positions the Bone Sparrow as a symbol for hope and as something that brings people together. Jimmie wants to draw the story out so she can essentially spend more time with her mum’s memory, highlighting her grief and her desire to escape into happy memories of her mum.
Themes
Subhi closes his eyes and can feel the wind, which has perhaps brushed his ba’s cheeks. He opens his eyes to Jimmie putting the Bone Sparrow in his hand. It’s hot—and Subhi is certain Queeny is wrong. Maybe the sparrow on his bed was keeping him safe. Jimmie says she has to leave, and she invites Subhi to join. He refuses, but she insists on showing him the weak spot in the fence anyway. Subhi tells her to be careful, but she quips that she’ll be fine since she’s a kid. He doesn’t tell her about Beaver, or that in here, it doesn’t matter if you’re a kid. Jimmie points out the weak spot, which is 16 steps from a spikey shrub. Sure enough, the fence gives.
As Subhi comes around to Jimmie’s way of thinking about the Bone Sparrow, he momentarily finds it easier to hope that things will get better. However, this hope is almost immediately overshadowed by Jimmie’s clear naivety. In the camps, it doesn’t matter if you’re a kid—Subhi describes suffering the Jackets’ violence as though it’s normal, and he only just turned 10. In this sense, he’s certain Jimmie doesn’t stand a chance in here if she’s caught.
Themes
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Jimmie shimmies under the fence and then Subhi passes her the book. When his hand brushes the dirt outside, his hand feels like it’s on fire. Subhi holds the fence up for a long time, enjoying the air outside the fence. Jimmie whispers directions to get from her house to here, and then she walks to the perimeter fence and squeezes under. The wind begins to blow, and it almost seems as if the wind picks Jimmie up and flies her through the stars.
Inspired by touching brand-new dirt, Subhi sees more magic happening around him. This reflects his excitement and his conflicted thoughts about Outside: he wants to go and experience the magic he’s certain is out there, but he’s afraid to step out of the fence.
Themes
