Theme of Sacrifice in The Marrow Thieves Essay Example

Everyone will at some point make a sacrifice. This may not feel good in the moment, but it will pay off in the long run.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, which delves into the difficult lives of indigenous people and residential schools Self-sacrifices are made to benefit the group in order to if survive during difficult times. First, Mitch's brother gives up his life to save his brother Frenchie's, which establishes the plot of the story. Second, in order to save her family, Minerva surrenders herself to the recruiters. Finally, Frenchie gives up his life with his father to pursue Rose.

Mitch gives up his life to save Frenchie. Mitch and Frenchie are hiding in a treehouse when Mitch notices a recruiter and tells Frenchie to climb out the window and hide. "Mitch begins banging on the plywood walls, screaming tabernacle!" to create a distraction. "Come get me, Devils!" (Dimaline 3) Mitch creates a distraction to divert attention away from Frenchie, directly saving his life. It is significant to the story because if Mitch did not do that, the main character of the story would be gone, without a main character the book would come to an end. Finally, Mitch sacrifices himself for the sake of Frenchie, demonstrating that self-sacrifices were made and had to be made.

Minerva risks her life to keep her family safe in the chapter Rogarou goes hunting. Minerva surrenders herself to the recruiters in attempt to save her family.

Minerva insists on staying on the ground when setting up a spot to sleep in a barn. She was close to yelling it. “Stay.” (Dimaline 149) Furthermore, Minerva’s shouts have a forceful and stern tone to them. Minerva continues to cover her lips and shushing everyone, displaying confidence as if she has a plan in place and is well aware of what needs to be done. Minerva's decision to sleep on the ground demonstrated that she knew something that the others didn't. She's sacrificing herself because she's leaving herself in the open for recruiters. The group benefits from this heroic act as this sacrifice gives them a spark of motivation to continue to fight back against the recruiters. In conclusion, Minerva made it absolutely clear that she would only sleep on the ground, indicating that she knew something the others didn't, and so sacrificing herself.

Frenchie has the dilemma of staying with his father or following Rose. Instead of taking the chance of living with his father, Frenchie chooses to follow Rose. Since he loves and cherishes Rose, Frenchie chooses to chase her. Frenchie had to make this decision rapidly and didn't have time to think about it. He is sacrificing a life with his Father and the people he has spent so much time with by making this decision. However, while it is not directly benefiting the group, seeing Frenchie grow and make difficult decisions of his own would make his family proud. In conclusion, Frenchie's decision to leave his father's life and pursue Rose is a self-sacrifice because he will lose his blood family and group. However, the reward is that Frenchie will mature as a person and be capable of making his own decisions.

In challenging times, individuals must make self sacrifices in order to have a long-term impact on the group. Cherie Dimaline's novel The Marrow Thieves depicts the lives of indigenous people who are continually threatened by residential schools. To begin with, Mitch Frenchie’s brother gives up his life to give his brother a chance at survival. Second, Minerva saved her family through her calm yet persistent acts. Finally, Frenchie's quick judgments have sacrificed a life with his father and his friends.