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Chapter 19
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
Jimmie gets home from school—it’s her third day at school this week. She pulls a book out of her bag. She lied to her teacher that she had someone at home to help her read it. Jimmie tries to read it herself, but she gets distracted by the picture on the front page of the newspaper. It’s of Subhi’s camp. There are six men with their mouths sewn shut, and a boy a bit older than Subhi holding a sheet. Maybe it’s Eli. Jimmie feels the same way Subhi did: like something bad is coming.
Things are looking up for Jimmie at first (she’s attending school), but things begin to feel out of control when she sees the picture of the men on a hunger strike. The picture, in this sense, has the desired effect: Jimmie is disturbed. After seeing it, it’s impossible to believe that things in the camp are fine.
Themes
Jimmie’s dad appears over Jimmie’s shoulder and observes that it’s so sad these people feel like they have to resort to hunger strikes. Those people, he says, just want to feel seen. Jimmie wants to know how to help, why those people have been locked up, and why it’s illegal for them to try to live. Her dad, though, flips to the sports section. Jimmie’s mum would’ve known what to do, but for now, Jimmie feels so alone.
