Marrow Thieves Essay

In a nightmare come true, a young boy named Frenchie faces a world that has turned against him and he must find a way to live through the adversity and conflict that has become his daily life. The protagonist of Cherie Dimaline novel “The Marrow Thieves” has faced more conflict in his years of adolescence than many adults will ever have to in their entire lives. He’s continually evolving throughout the novel to overcome the conflict being tossed his way. Throughout the story, French goes through stages of a rebirth. Starting as a beaten broken down boy and growing into a caring young man who is capable of survival These are all steps in his life that helped him overcome the conflicts and struggles constantly being thrown his way. French …show more content…
He is protected by the head of the group Miig and is able to nurture his survival skills, language and understanding of his ancestry. When Miig first found French he was broken down, starving, sick and all alone. He was able to slowly bring French back to life by introducing a new family to him. He is able to learn new techniques that he wouldn’t have had the time to learn if he was with his brother or wandering alone. Survival skills or hunting skills help French learn that he is capable to protect not only himself but the other’s as well. The shift from being on the cusp of death to growing into a young boy with a grasp of the values and sacrifices needed to maintain a family. Miig, who can be considered the parental figure of the group ensures that each kid is taught the skills they need to survive. Enforcing good habits to improve like telling the “boys need to work on (their) hunting”. These skills gave French the confidence in himself that he is able to protect himself and his family and be able to survive the challenging terrain and obstacles around him. With each individual slowly sharing their coming to story’s, French as well as the reader gains a better understanding of who they are, how the world had brought them together and how he has changed because of …show more content…
One of the main topics she would talk about with the group was how she’s “a fighter”. Rose is an important character to French for many reasons. The first is that she’s the love interest and second is that she brings new concepts to the table. Such as rebelling against “the government aresholes” themselves instead of waiting for it to pass over. This is important to French’s character development because it is planting a seed that will soon grow. In all past conflicts, French hasn’t had the need to fight his pursuers, the reasonable thought was to hide to survive. Sadly, the way that French learns the fastest is tragedy. Mid novel, the group passes by “The Other Indians” (chapter 14) and after the devastating loss of the youngest Riri, French makes the choice to kill the traitor and “pulled the trigger”. This event is a monumental change for French. It causes him to need the time to think about who he is and who he wants to be. The question of where to cross the line before he turns into the people that are chasing him. Through the following events, French is able to learn more about himself and re evaluate what he values and what is important. Taking his pain and struggle, French is able to overcome the rapid emotions of the everchanging living situation and crazy hormones as a young boy and I able to continue on towards his new goal of