The Farming Of Bones

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1998

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Symbols & Motifs

Shadows

Amabelle is surrounded by and discusses shadows throughout the novel. The first reference comes when she is recalling her father’s warning to her not to play with shadows. Shadows, being visually dark but not tangible, seem to represent suggestions of danger, rather than actual danger. For example, the shadows that Sebastian helps her fight are just dreams, representations of danger but not danger itself. During one of the dreams about her mother, her mom refers to Amabelle as her shadow. This tugs on the idea that Amabelle may create some of her own shadows, that they are not all forced on her externally. Amabelle eventually concludes that all her ancestors are shadows—dark spots on the horizon that disappear as soon as she reaches for them.

Kites

The symbol of the kite makes three significant appearances in the book. The first instance takes place when Sebastien is talking in his sleep. He tells Amabelle that he would like to fly a kite, but when she offers her red ribbon for him to fly it, he never responds. The next instance takes place when Amabelle visits Father Romain, hoping he will calm her fears about the possibility of an attack on the Haitians. When she arrives, he is helping some small school children fly a kite. The kite appears again post-massacre when Amabelle visits a mentally disturbed Father Romain. He is attempting to a fly a kite, except this time there are no joyous children to join in the fun. The kite’s ability to fly while remaining grounded is what makes it such an important symbol in this book: both Father Romain and Sebastian are trying to lead better lives without losing sight of their roots.

Leaves

Leaves are connected to luck in the novel. They are initially used by Amabelle’s parents to help deliver babies. Later on, readers see them pinned to Doctor Javier’s jacket in an attempt to bring luck to himself. Furthermore, when the cane is ready to harvest, the leaves are burned, leading to a very unlucky harvest for both workers and owners.

Parsley

Parsley is used by the Generalissimo as a litmus test for finding out who is Dominican and who is Haitian. The word for parsley in Spanish requires a trilled r that those who speak Haitian Creole cannot pronounce. When faced with whether or not to kill someone, soldiers asked the potential victim to say the word parsley and the pronunciation would determine their fate. In the book, Amabelle and Yves have their mouths filled with parsley over and over. This is a more intense way of showing the potential parsley has to hurt them. Parsley, which usually is added to a dish for its health benefits, and “to cleanse,” is robbed of its intended use and in excess is used to soil rather than sanitize characters in the novel (202).