Rina Zhu / Staff reporter
This is a fictional story set in a future Canada where most humans have lost the ability to dream, and only a few native Canadians still have the ability to dream, making them targets for human capture.
The marrow thieves by Cherie Dimaline is a story about Canadian natives who are constantly on the run from people and looking for a safe place to live. The escape story revolves around Frenchie and his friends, as scientists discover that the bone marrow of Aboriginal Canadians contains a special substance that can restore their lost ability to dream. They fled not only to protect themselves, but also to protect their own culture. This is also the author’s core point.
Author
Being an Indigenous writer is an absolute gift.
Cherie Dimaline is a Canadian writer, and a descendant of Mesis. The story <The marrow thieves> wons the Illustration Literature Award, the Government General’s Literature Award in Canada, and Cox Award in the United States. Her works typically involve elements of indigenous culture, social life, and futurism.
Dimaline considers herself exclusively a Métis or Indigenous writer, saying “I would love to be recognized as a writer of Indigenous stories. I’m not a Canadian writer. This is what is now known as Canada; it means something different to and for me.” As well as, she was founding editor of Muskrat Magazine, was named the Emerging Artist of the Year at the Ontario Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Arts in 2014, and became the first Aboriginal writer in residence for the Toronto Public Library.
About the book
The Marrow Thieves cover features Michael Snake, who commented for the book, “This book rekindled my native pride. It taught me resilience by relearning your culture and people.” Michael is an Indigenous teenager who shot the cover of the book, so it had a big impact on him. I think this book will make him realize how important it is to preserve indigenous culture and give him a sense of pride and identity in his own culture.
What‘s the big idea of the book?
For the Canadian Aboriginal cultural traditions and protection is a major in the whole story. Indigenous Canadians protect their culture and identity from being destroyed. Facing great difficulties and challenges. It shows their tenacity and tells readers to respect and protect indigenous culture. The second important aspect is the author’s tone on environmental protection and human destruction of nature. The novel is set in a future Canada, where humans have lost the ability to dream due to the constant destruction of nature. The author hopes to remind people of the importance of protecting nature.
Who leads
“I was nicknamed Frenchie as much for my name as for my people—the Metis. I came from a long line of hunters, trappers, and voyageurs. But now, with most of the rivers cut into pieces and lakes left as grey sludge puckers on the landscape, my own history seemed like a myth along the lines of dragons.”
These are the words of a 16-year-old Metis boy. He is the main character of the novel. His name is Frenchie. Frenchie is an orphan who lost his family at an early age, which traumatically left him. The Frenchman is good at hunting with a rifle and relies on this skill to help his friends survive. French has been mimicking the behavior of his elders in order to act as a leader in the group as they seek a safe haven to survive, and he can also lead the development of the story. Frenchie leads the story from the beginning of the search for shelter to the end of the story of pride in her culture.
Information through the text
- Sacrifice
The characters in the novel are willing to protect their indigenous culture despite the constant threat to their lives. The greatest point of their existence is that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to fit into a society that looks down on them. Although the novel is fictional, the real-life sacrifices made by indigenous societies throughout history cannot be ignored. By illustrating these sacrifices, let the reader reflect.
- Cultural identity and preservation
Indigenous people can face great difficulties and challenges in order to protect their culture and identity. This informs the reader of the importance of preserving indigenous culture. Frenchie and other indigenous people have been working hard to preserve their culture. This resilience demonstrates the importance of cultural identity and the power to maintain it in the face of oppression.
- Environmental protection
The novel is set in a future Canada where the environment has been destroyed due to human overexploitation of natural resources. In particular, the novel describes the lack of water resources, and human beings are facing serious survival challenges. The author hopes to remind people of the importance of protecting nature.
Review
The theme of this book revolves around man and nature. The cultural traditions and conservation of Canadian Aboriginals are the most important core of the whole story. Indigenous Canadians face difficulties to show their determination to protect their culture and identity from being destroyed, and tell readers about the importance of preserving indigenous culture now.
The second important aspect is the author’s emphasis on environmental protection and human destruction of nature. The background of the novel is due to the continuous destruction of nature by human beings, human beings have lost the ability to dream. The author hopes to remind people of the importance of protecting nature.
Dimaline’s research on the theme of dreams wants to explain to readers the combination of dreams and dreams in reality, and to combine them to show that dreams are closely connected with the surrounding world, thus hinting at how important it is for readers to protect and respect indigenous culture and protect the environment. If it is not followed, there will be serious consequences and disasters.
Final Recommendation
As well as the setting, the novel made me think about what dreams might bring me in real life. By reading this novel, I can understand the fate of the protagonist and the cultural connotation of the indigenous people. I feel the appeal for environmental protection and indigenous cultural protection expressed by the author, as well as the reminder of cultural discrimination and environmental destruction in real life.
Overall, by describing a future world, the novel reminds readers to reflect on the real society and emphasizes the cooperation and dependence among human beings. Frenchie and other survivors have been working together to survive while preserving their traditional culture and facing difficulties and challenges together. The novel also inspired my understanding of solidarity.
Sources:
Indigenous Canadians protect their culture and identity from being destroyed
the author’s emphasis on environmental protection and human destruction of nature
The cultural traditions and conservation of Canadian Aboriginals are the most important
the importance of protecting nature
emphasizes the cooperation and dependence
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