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Chapter 4
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 claims that Sebastien is haunted by the sounds of pigeons. He believes that pigeons’ moans sound similar to how “ghosts cry” especially when the ghosts “have been dead so long” that they cannot remember “their own names.”
Even the most commonplace sounds induce feelings of sadness in Sebastien, an example of death and grief’s pervasive ability to alter a person’s life. Furthermore, the pigeons’ sounds evoke images of ghosts who cannot remember their names. These images provide a warning about the importance of memory: without remembrance, one’s legacy disappears, and grief is all that is left after death.
Themes
Amabelle describes Sebastien’s past, noting that they are both from the “north of Haiti.” Sebastien’s father was killed in a 1930s hurricane. His father’s demise, and the loss of most of his possessions, prompted Sebastien to leave Haiti and look for opportunities in the Dominican Republic. Amabelle emphasizes that their lives’ paths entwined as a result of deadly winds that killed many people and “destroyed” homes.
Sebastien’s exit from Haiti was prompted by the death of his father and overwhelming feelings of grief. As such, Sebastien’s past illustrates how loss and sadness can facilitate a newfound conception of home. His emigration to the Dominican Republic forces him to rewrite his sense of belonging: after losing his physical home in Haiti, Sebastien redefines his emotional home when he crosses paths with Amabelle.
Themes
Sebastien’s mother is still alive in Haiti, and he is often saddened by the thought that she lives there alone. The pigeons’ cries, which continue “night after night,” make him lament for his past. When he hears them, he often mutters, “My poor mother.”
Once again, everyday sounds like pigeons’ coos are capable of triggering intense sadness, revealing how grief is an all-encompassing feeling. Furthermore, the pigeons sounds’ are perpetual, demonstrating how loss and grief are never-ending, and, for Sebastien, a fact of day-to-day life.
Themes
