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Sparrows, and specifically the Bone Sparrow necklace, represent hope and change. The novel first introduces sparrows when Subhi finds one sitting on his pillow, and his sister Queeny insists, terrified, that this is an omen of death. This outlook is one of many things that then changes over the course of the novel, as Subhi learns to see the Bone Sparrow as symbolizing hope. This begins to happen as Subhi meets Jimmie, who wears the Bone Sparrow necklace that’s been passed down through her family for generations. She explains that her mum gave it to her before she died, and that her mum always said that it held their family members’ souls and keeps them safe. Gradually, Subhi comes around to Jimmie’s way of thinking as he reads the story Jimmie’s mum recorded in a notebook. In the story, the Bone Sparrow necklace guides Jimmie’s great-great-great-grandfather, Oto, to his wife, Anka, when the two are separated due to a war. Mirka, the elderly woman who gives Oto the necklace, suggests it has magical powers to guide him to his wife—and it seems almost magical when the two finally find each other again. The story impresses upon Subhi that it’s essential to keep hoping for better.
When Jimmie and Subhi say goodbye at the end of the novel, she passes the necklace on to Subhi. Having finally recovered from her grief over her mum’s death, Jimmie decides that it’s time for Subhi to take advantage of the Bone Sparrow’s protection and guidance. At this point, she also helps Subhi reframe the first living sparrow’s appearance on his bed, as well as Eli’s death. While Subhi suggests that the sparrow foretold Eli’s death, Jimmie proposes that a sparrow in one’s house actually heralds change, not death. And change, she suggests, doesn’t have to be a bad thing. While some changes are inarguably tragic, such as Eli’s murder, others are positive—for instance, it’s implied that due to his choice to tell aid workers the truth about the circumstances surrounding Eli’s death, Subhi and his family are going to be released from the detention center. His life will change in the coming months and years after the novel ends, and some of these changes might even be good.
Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow Quotes in The Bone Sparrow
The The Bone Sparrow quotes below all refer to the symbol of Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow. 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:
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Chapter 3
Quotes
Her mum had written down each and every word in that book, and one day Jimmie would read them and hear her mum’s voice again. So she didn’t pack the book into the boxes with the other things.
That was three years ago. She still can’t read the words. Still can’t hear her mum’s voice.
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Chapter 35
Quotes
‘The sparrow in the house. Queeny was right after all. It did mean death. Eli...’ But Jimmie hears me. She hears and her eyes go soft and she shakes her head and brings my hand up to her cheek.
‘No, Subhi, you’re wrong. A sparrow in the house doesn’t mean death. It means change. Waking up new and starting again. Subhi, a sparrow in the house is a sign of hope.’
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Get the entire The Bone Sparrow LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow Symbol Timeline in The Bone Sparrow
The timeline below shows where the symbol Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow appears in The Bone Sparrow. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...to Family Three, there are a bunch of children standing still and silent. There’s a sparrow on Subhi’s pillow, staring at Subhi. It whistles and flies away. Pulling Subhi close, Queeny...
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Chapter 3
...of the fourth year. It’s now been three years since Jimmie’s mum gave her the Bone Sparrow necklace and died the next day. Jimmie held the necklace at the funeral so hard...
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Chapter 4
When Subhi tells Eli what Queeny said about the sparrow, Eli scoffs: tents and houses aren’t the same thing. But since Subhi has only ever...
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Subhi and Eli are walking the fences when a sparrow hops right up to Subhi. Eli scoffs when Subhi points it out and says they...
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...Slowly, Subhi turns and can tell immediately that it’s Beaver. Queeny was right, and the sparrow was a sign of death. Subhi is going to die.
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Chapter 10
...Subhi can only see the bird sitting on his pillow as Jimmie says it’s a sparrow carved from bone. Subhi reels backwards, hitting his head on the brick. He feels clammy...
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Chapter 11
...10 places to visit before you die. Jimmie is crying as she looks at the Bone Sparrow . Subhi asks if he should keep going, but Jimmie says it’ll be better to...
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Chapter 12
...crawled in with her mum, her mum told her the stories. Now, Jimmie kisses the Bone Sparrow and heads home to bed. She sleeps well for the first time in three years.
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Chapter 14
...remarkable child; even Guntis grudgingly agrees. She often sits on Mirka’s lap and rubs the Bone Sparrow necklace around Mirka’s neck. Everyone in town loves Anka, and the girl has a unique...
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Chapter 17
...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...
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...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...
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Chapter 18
...the sky bursts into color and Oto listens to Anka’s “love song.” He holds the Bone Sparrow and wonders if he’ll ever meet his baby. Two days later, Oto finds Iliya and...
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One day, the Bone Sparrow necklace falls from Iliya’s neck. As Oto picks it up, Iliya steps on a land...
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Chapter 19
...grown-up. Subhi puts his face next to Eli’s so they’re crying together. Just then, a sparrow lands next to them. Thinking of Jimmie’s story, Subhi starts to tell Eli how to...
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...how to get past the fence. Before Subhi can tell Eli about Jimmie and the Bone Sparrow , a man from Alpha walks up carrying some string. Eli tells the man that...
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Chapter 24
...she rips the paper and finds a dark blue blanket with black birds—birds like the Bone Sparrow . Her dad says that he doesn’t want her to get rid of the monkey...
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Chapter 27
...he boards the boat, he’s certain he’s leaving Anka forever by leaving his country—maybe the Bone Sparrow lost its magic when it lost its coin. But then, he hears a baby crying...
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...how the story ends, and that it ends happily. She has to know that the Bone Sparrow is still lucky, as long as she believes in it. Then, he looks out and...
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Chapter 29
...to tell her stories don’t matter right now, he decides that maybe hearing about the Bone Sparrow will keep her calm and will make her better. This time when he reads from...
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Chapter 35
...he wants to tell her. He starts to say that Queeny was right about the sparrow meaning death, since Eli died. But Jimmie says sparrows in the house mean change, as...
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Chapter 36
...knows none of this. He just feels lucky, perhaps because he ended up with the Bone Sparrow ’s green coin.
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Chapter 37
The Bone Sparrow burns in Subhi’s hand. Everything will change tomorrow (the duck, which Subhi rescued from the...
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