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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Farming of Bones, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Power of Memory
Dreams vs. Reality
Language and Identity
Death, Grief, and Hope
Home, Family, and Belonging
Summary
Analysis
Amabelle returns to her room and lies down naked on her cement floor; she has taken Sebastien’s advice about being “unclothed.” She does this because she hopes to feel a “flood of perspiration” roll down from her back to her toes. Such a sensation would make her feels as if there is not “a drop of liquid left” in her body “with which to cry.”
Amabelle follows a suggestion from Sebastien, who is often a source of happiness and joy in her life. He is the one who advises her about remaining unclothed—a physical representation of being unencumbered by burdens such as despair. Amabelle’s actions illustrate her ongoing feelings of grief: she is so overcome with emotion that she wishes to be rid of her ability to cry.
Themes
