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Irelle Pradelle
Father Romain is a Haitian priest and community leader. In his sermons, Father Romain prompts his congregants to remember their shared cultural heritage, and to recall Haitian traditions, foods, songs, and stories. In this way, Father Romain personifies the power of memory and recollection: he keeps Haiti’s customs alive through shared memory, despite the Dominican Republic’s disdain for Haitian culture. Unfortunately, Father Romain is captured during the massacre and tortured by Dominican soldiers; the trauma he sustains forces him to lose his memory, and he is only able to repeat racist Dominican propaganda. This is a paradoxical inversion of his former Haitian pride: initially, Father Romain was a key promoter of Haitian culture, but he eventually becomes an unwilling spokesman of racist rhetoric against his own community.
Father Romain Quotes in The Farming of Bones
The The Farming of Bones quotes below are all either spoken by Father Romain or refer to Father Romain. 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:
).
Chapter 14
Quotes
At times you could sit for a whole evening with such individuals, just listening to their existence unfold […] it was their way of returning home, with you as a witness […]. In [Father Romain’s] sermons to the Haitian congregants of the valley he often reminded everyone of common ties: language, foods, history, carnival, songs, tales, and prayers. His creed was one of memory, how remembering—though sometimes painful—can make you strong.
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Chapter 36
Quotes
“On this island, walk too far in either direction and people speak a different language,” continued Father Romain with aimless determination. “Our motherland is Spain; theirs is darkest Africa, you understand? […] We, as Dominicans, must have our separate traditions and our own ways of living. If not, in less than three generations, we will all be Haitians.”
[...] “He was beaten badly every day,” the sister said. […] “Sometimes he remembers everything. Sometimes, he forgets all of it, everything, even me.”
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Father Romain Quotes in The Farming of Bones
The The Farming of Bones quotes below are all either spoken by Father Romain or refer to Father Romain. 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:
).
Chapter 14
Quotes
At times you could sit for a whole evening with such individuals, just listening to their existence unfold […] it was their way of returning home, with you as a witness […]. In [Father Romain’s] sermons to the Haitian congregants of the valley he often reminded everyone of common ties: language, foods, history, carnival, songs, tales, and prayers. His creed was one of memory, how remembering—though sometimes painful—can make you strong.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36
Quotes
“On this island, walk too far in either direction and people speak a different language,” continued Father Romain with aimless determination. “Our motherland is Spain; theirs is darkest Africa, you understand? […] We, as Dominicans, must have our separate traditions and our own ways of living. If not, in less than three generations, we will all be Haitians.”
[...] “He was beaten badly every day,” the sister said. […] “Sometimes he remembers everything. Sometimes, he forgets all of it, everything, even me.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
