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Chapter 25
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
Doctor Javier examines Rosalinda, and whispers to Amabelle in Haitian Creole that she must leave the house. He has heard rumors that the Generalissimo has ordered soldiers to kill Haitians. Amabelle once again mistrusts these rumors; she claims there are always ongoing disputes, where “one side of the island [plans] to invade the other.” Amabelle believes that because the Haitians are working the land, the Dominican Republic would not wish to interfere with them.
Amabelle’s interaction with Doctor Javier subverts expectations about cultural boundaries. First, the doctor speaks in Haitian Creole, revealing that he is capable of moving between cultures with ease. Secondly, Amabelle does not initially believe the rumors of Dominicans assaulting Haitians, nor is she suspicious of the Dominicans. Rather, she believes that the cultures can coexist, as the Dominicans rely on the Haitians for labor. Both characters refuse to adhere to their community’s beliefs, demonstrating that people’s cultural groups do not necessarily dictate their viewpoints.
Themes
Doctor Javier tells her that he will be crossing into Haiti with a large group later that night. He says he will make space for Amabelle’s lover, Sebastien, and his sister. Before she can answer, Señora Valencia interrupts the conversation. Amabelle wishes to ask her for help, but wonders if her employer will be “brave enough to stand between [Amabelle] and her husband” if a deadly situation arises.
The doctor’s plan to cross into Haiti illustrates his comfort moving between Dominican and Haitian cultures, as well as his willingness to transcend cultural boundaries. Doctor Javier does not subscribe to the narrow thinking that separates cultures from one another; rather, he is able to fit in amongst different groups. Amabelle’s belief in the Dominican Republic as her home begins to waver, particularly because she starts to doubt that her employer will support her. Her family with the señora—which was once welcoming—now seems unstable, again showing how one’s sense of home and family can shift unexpectedly.
Themes
Amabelle tries to concoct a plan, but is unsure of what to do. She makes a sack in case she decides to flee: she packs Joël’s mask and a change of clothes. She hides the bag near Juana and Luis’s house, and then returns to Señora Valencia. She asks Amabelle if Don Ignacio has returned, and tells Amabelle to direct Luis to go looking for him. Amabelle does so, and follows Luis out as if she is pretending to help; she then leaves to find Sebastien.
Amabelle packs Joël’s mask to memorialize him. Carrying the mask is a literal version of the act of remembering someone: she physically carries his legacy with her as she travels, so he cannot be forgotten. Amabelle’s lies to the señora reveal how her sense of home in the Dominican Republic, already unstable, is eroding further. She is unwilling to tell the truth to her childhood friend, as she no longer feels certain the señora will treat her like family.
Themes
Amabelle and Sebastien discuss their options. Amabelle thinks they should go to Haiti together; she says that if they are wrong, they can always return. Sebastien confronts her, telling her that she “never believed those people could injure [her].” Amabelle admits that she may have trusted blindly, and that she had been living inside memories and her dreams to avoid the present, which is “truly frightful.”
Sebastien, who has always helped Amabelle to better understand herself, forces Amabelle to confront her unhealthy coping mechanisms. She admits that she has substituted dreams for reality, as she was unwilling to see her true circumstances clearly. Sebastien also gets Amabelle to realize that her belief in her Dominican home was also at least somewhat a dream. She fantasized about belonging with the señora’s family, at the expense of seeing the cultural tensions that frame her actual circumstances.
Themes
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Sebastien and Amabelle agree to talk to Kongo before making a decision. They search for him and find him sitting with Yves; Kongo tells them that Don Ignacio visited him in order to talk about his son. Yves claims that he should not have wasted his time, and that only death would even things out. Kongo replies that they will never be even, until his life and Don Ignacio’s life are the same.
Don Ignacio’s visit to Kongo reveals the aristocratic man’s willingness to cross cultural borders and reject the nationalist sentiment of his countrymen. Still, Kongo acknowledges that this act of intercultural peace is not enough to fix the prejudice that is rampant in the Dominican Republic. Only when the two cultures are equal—when no one faces discrimination—will Kongo and Don Ignacio be truly alike, without being defined by cultural labels.
Themes
Kongo then recounts how Don Ignacio talked to him about killing other soldiers in the war. Kongo tells the group that Don Ignacio feels as if his son’s death and the death of his wife are retribution for the men he has slain. Kongo insists that they spoke man to man, and that discussing these topics helped the two understand each other better.
Don Ignacio’s memory torments him with guilt. He remembers killing other men, and the details are so raw and burdensome that he shares them with a complete stranger. Don Ignacio also reveals his philosophy about the inevitability and power of death: it can take away loved ones as a type of revenge. Put simply, death has overpowered Don Ignacio’s life; he is perpetually grief-stricken and remorseful as result of the deaths he has caused and experienced.
Themes
Sebastien informs Kongo that after hearing the rumors, they are thinking of leaving the Dominican Republic. Yves wants to stay, thinking the rumors are meant to scare Haitians away. Kongo draws an image on the floor, and tells Sebastien and Amabelle that their path will be a “trail of rivers and mountains.” Sebastien and Yves seem “content” with this response; they act as if their “dead fathers” have offered them a “benediction.”
The men’s decisions here reveal how complex the idea of home can be. To Yves and Kongo, home is the Dominican Republic—they wish to remain there, despite the rising sense of doubt and danger. For Amabelle and Sebastien, the Dominican Republic is no longer welcoming; they instead see Haiti as their true home. Furthermore, Yves and Sebastien both value Kongo as a father figure, demonstrating that their conception of family has evolved beyond just biological ties.
Themes
Amabelle returns to Señora Valencia’s house, and is wary of revealing her plans to her employer. Amabelle realizes there is an unsolvable tension between their two countries, as “two different people” are attempting to share “one tiny piece of land.” Amabelle decides that she will not say an official farewell to the señora; instead, she will send a message once she is settled in Haiti.
Amabelle finally begins to accept that cultural identity is a source of tension in the Dominican Republic. Her realization results in her decision to not bid farewall to the señora. This unwillingness to say goodbye shows that Amabelle no longer sees the Dominican Republic as home: she no longer values it enough to pay her respects, and wants to leave as soon as possible.
Themes
Beatriz arrives, and Amabelle serves them water. Señora Valencia continues to worry about her father, and Beatriz speculates that he has a mistress. Beatriz then tells the señora that Mimi is leaving their household, and Amabelle feigns surprise. Beatriz once again changes the subject, and asks what the señora will paint nexther last work was the portrait of Trujillo.
The conversation between Beatriz and the señora contrasts with the gravity of Amabelle’s situation. The two upper-class women, protected by their privileged place in Dominican society, worry about relatively trivial things. Meanwhile, Amabelle and Mimi, who fear persecution due to their Haitian identities, are contemplating whether to leave their homes for good. As a result of their differing cultural identities, the two groups of women live totally separate lives even within the same house.
Themes
Beatriz and Señora Valencia begin to talk of travel. Beatriz wishes to travel to Spain, in order to escape and expand her horizons; she claims all the girls in the Dominican Republic only have aspirations to study domestic science. Señora Valencia says she will never leave, as it is the country of her family’s graves.
Beatriz and Señora Valencia’s conversation also offers new perspectives on the idea of belonging. Beatriz’s sense of home in the Dominican Republic is not strong enough to temper her wanderlust. She wishes to travel, indicating that she does not feel beholden to her home country. The señora, on the other hand, feels connected to her home in the Dominican Republic through her family. For the señora, home is defined by familial relationships and loss: the deaths of her relatives and her grief keep her tied to the Dominican Republic. She does not wish to abandon her home, because it has emotional significance for her.
Themes
Suddenly, Señora Valencia begins to have trouble breathing, and Beatriz and Amabelle carry her into the house. Amabelle sees blood on the señora’s dress, and tells herself that she will only leave for the church after the Señora is safely in bed. Señora Valencia grips her hand tightly, and Amabelle asks to be released to find medicine. In the pantry she finds Don Ignacio, who has placed a wooden cross with Joël’s name on the floor.
Amabelle’s ongoing concern for Señora Valencia—a character who represents Amabelle’s home in the Dominican Republic—is indicative of Amabelle’s conflicting feelings. Despite Amabelle’s overall plan to return to Haiti, which illustrates the evolution of her idea of home, she is still emotionally tied to the Dominican Republic and the household in which she grew up. For Don Ignacio, the cross symbolizes and memorializes Joël’s death, while also hinting at the grief he feels for the deaths he has experienced throughout his lifetime. Joël’s cross is yet another burden that Don Ignacio bears, as well as a physical manifestation of his remorse.
Themes
The household staff hears voices and trucks outside the house, and they walk outside to investigate. They see a line of soldiers standing in front of Unèl’s armed brigade; Señor Pico is standing by one of the lead military trucks, watching the interaction. He tells the men to “kneel or sit,” and claims he will take them to the border.
The simmering tensions between the two cultural groups in the Dominican Republic begin to flare. The two groups of men—Dominican soldiers and Unèl’s brigade—are facing off in two lines; their formation is a physical embodiment of the strict societal boundaries that separate Haitians from Dominicans. Señor Pico then offers to take the Haitians across the border. By making this offer, he reinforces the idea that national borders—and cultural heritage—are immovable dividing lines that separate people from one another.
Themes
Unèl says they will not kneel, and Señor Pico claims that the Haitians’ work in the cane fields is “worse than kneeling” as they work “like beasts.” The men of the brigade curse at him, and the soldiers merely laugh at the Haitians’ response. Doña Eva, Doctor Javier’s mother, interrupts the standoff by asking Señor Pico if he can talk about her son, who has been arrested along with Father Romain and Father Vargas.
The soldiers’ taunts and the Haitians’ outrage further illustrate how cultural prejudice has fragmented society in the Dominican Republic. Narrow-minded ideas about Haitian culture allow the Dominican soldiers to feel unjustly superior and separate from the Haitians, despite the fact that both groups are part of the Dominican Republic’s society. Doctor Javier’s arrest, however, reveals how certain people can transcend cultural boundaries. The doctor is so entwined with Haitian society in the Dominican Republic that he has been arrested alongside Father Romain, a Haitian priest. The doctor’s ability to bridge cultural groups is seemingly too revolutionary, however, and gets him into trouble.
Themes
Señor Pico brushes Doña Eva aside, and once again tells Unèl’s men that they will be taken to the border, to which the men reply, “Never!” Señor Pico tells one truck to drive forward, and a man from the brigade throws himself in front of it. The truck crushes his knees and legs; other men try to help him, but they back away as the truck continues to move towards them. Amabelle runs into the road as her “countrymen” are thrown into the back of the truck, and Señor Pico tells her to get out of the road. She feels a soldier’s whip strike her back as she runs away.
Unèl’s brigade continues to reject the señor’s suggestion of being brought to the border. Unèl’s men consider the Dominican Republic their home; like the Dominicans, they have a right to live there and treat it as their own country. Still, the señor and his men cling to their narrow views of identity: they feel as if Unèl’s men are outsiders from another culture. As a result, they begin to forcibly push them out: the car’s physical impact against a Haitian protestor is symbolic of cultural prejudice turning into literal violence.
Themes
Unèl is surrounded by a circle of soldiers and throws his machete; he cuts one of the men’s faces. The soldiers try to grab him, and Unèl yells that he has never lived on his knees. The soldiers grab his arms and hold them behind his back, and one of them uses a bayonet to injure him. Unèl is tied up and thrown into the back of the truck, while Señor Pico watches. Amabelle thinks that to the señor, this “seemed to have been regular work.”
Once again, narrow-minded beliefs about separating people by culture turn into full-fledged violence. Unèl is forcibly overpowered by the Dominicans—a physical representation of how Dominican society oppresses Haitians in order to reinforce their own sense of superiority. The señor is unmoved by this, revealing that he fully believes in the importance of maintaining cultural boundarie by any means. Señor Pico’s actions here—and his personality more generally—illustrate how nationalism and cultural borders help to maintain societal divides.
Themes
Amabelle travels to the church where she was supposed to meet with Sebastien and Doctor Javier. It is empty, so she begins to travel through a cane field, hoping to escape detection. The “spears” of cane cut up her legs, the marsh beneath the cane sinks under her feet, and she feels bugs crawling all over her body.
Amabelle’s flight through the cane field is treacherous. The fields are unwelcoming and even physically dangerous. Although the fields are inanimate, they act in humanlike ways: it is as if even the Dominican Republic’s land is unfriendly and hostile to Amabelle, just like its people.
Themes
Amabelle gets through the cane field and arrives at Kongo’s room; he cleans up her wounds, and tells her that Sebastien and Mimi were taken by army trucks. She asks where the trucks will take them, and he tells her there is a prison near Dajabón. She decides this is where she will go, and he explains the best location for her to cross the river. He tells her that Yves is at Doña Sabine’s house, and she decides to stop there before she leaves.
The prison where Amabelle’s friends will be taken is in Dajabón, a border town between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The river—a site of violence between the two countries—is emblematic of the cultural boundaries that separate the two nations. Amabelle plans to cross that river and return to Haiti at last; in doing so, she is illustrating how she is relinquishing her connection to Dominican identity and culture.
Themes
She knocks on Doña Sabine’s door, and Félice greets her. Amabelle asks where the watchmen and guards have gone, and Félice tells her that they were sent away, as the doña was afraid they would switch allegiances and “turn on them.” Doña Sabine and Don Gilbert, who are awake, ask who has been let in; they tell Félice to be careful. The two supervise their property, and realize they will “not be able to save everybody.” Amabelle thinks they may not be able to protect themselves.
Doña Sabine and Don Gilbert’s doubts illustrate the consequence of the cultural tension between Dominicans and Haitians. The Dominican Republic is no longer a place in which any Haitians feel safe: cultural boundaries have led to outright violence. Although the doña and don live a life of privilege, their Haitian identity still prevents them being treated with respect. As Haitians, they have been singled out for prejudice, despite their wealth and integration into Dominican society.
Themes
Amabelle finds Yves and tells him her plan to travel to Dajabón, and he agrees to join her. Félice, however, chooses to stay behind; she is afraid, and does not wish to “die walking.” Amabelle gives her Joël’s death mask for safekeeping, and she caresses it lovingly. She claims it is a “good likeness of him.” Félice says goodbye, and wonders if she will see the two of them again some day.
Félice and Yves’s decisions—to stay and leave the Dominican Republic, respectively—illustrate how the idea of belonging can change, and how it is different for each person. Félice elects to stay out of fear; she no longer feels connected enough to Haiti to risk the trip. For Yves, however, Haiti is still a place that he values: he did not feel like a part of the Dominican Republic, and so is willing to journey back despite the dangers. Félice also keeps Joël’s mask, a physical emblem of his legacy. By owning it, she is taking on the responsibility of preserving his memory: she will continue to recall him and gaze upon him, thereby keeping him alive despite his death.
Themes
