Trauma in “The Marrow Thieves”, Cherie Dimaline: 04/11/23 Trauma is one of the main topics covered in The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Trauma is when a family member or close friend is taken from you or when small children are left to fend for themselves. Trauma is discussed throughout The Marrow Thieves, from the very first page to the very last. This essay will demonstrate how trauma and its effects are a prominent theme in this impactful book. Frenchies' trauma of losing his brother is immediately conveyed to readers in the first chapter, "He yelled when they each grabbed an arm and began pulling," "Then the door slid shut," "And I was alone" (p. 4). Immediately after, it is discovered that he also lost his mother (the night before going to the Friendship Centre), her eyes screamed, "I'm going to die," (p. 13) and his father. "At what was supposed to be my father's last Council meeting before he took his family …show more content…
There were two crucial events that happened in The Marrow Thieves that affected the group as a whole. The first one was RiRi’s death, “A single pink boot, all shiny like candy, one of the fastest boots in the world, real nishin. And it was empty, on its side, at the edge of the cliff.”, (p.135). The second was Minerva being taken away, “They dragged out Minerva, who stayed silent, whose smile was the last thing we saw as they turned through the doorway, whom we were sure we would never see again.”, (p.151), and later she was shot, “I grabbed her hand placing it under mine, and over the hole in her chest. Blood, hot and sticky, gushed out between our fingers. Her thin shirt was already soaked through.”, (p.210). After RiRi and Minerva died, the family collectively grieved. This clearly shows that every character in the book is broken in one way or