A Constant River Of Grief: The Farming Of Bones

Will Shilling

Thomas

Honors English 2

31 March 2023

A Constant River of Grief

The story of the brutal 1937 parsley massacre is captured in Edwidge Danticat’s novel The Farming of Bones. The book tells the narrative of Amabelle Desir, a Haitian woman battling to escape the Dominican government. The book examines the turbulent and violent histories of both the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as their complex connection. In addition to coping with the grief of genocide and loss, Amabelle must navigate the complexity of her identity as a Haitian woman far from home. Through the motif of the river, the author displays the emotional resilience one must possess in order to navigate the grief associated with loss.

As Amabelle sleeps at night

Although Amabelle sees the river as a death trap, it is her only way to freedom. Amabelle and her fellow travelers make their way across the river when Amabelle says, “Behind us on the shore, someone was calling to Wilner…We stopped our struggles immediately, letting the current carry us downstream. I reached for Odette’s mouth and sealed it with both my hands when the shot rang out. Wilner did not even have time to reply.” (Danticat 201). While Amabelle is so close to her freedom, the river represents the physical border between her and freedom. Additionally, the river serves as a constant reminder of death which is an emotional obstacle she must navigate in order to overcome her grief. The death of Wilner is significant because it is another person important to Amabelle being killed in the

Amabelle returns to the river where she finds a man nearby and says, “I wanted to ask him, please to gently raise my body and carry me into the river, into Sebastien’s cave, my father’s laughter, my mothers eternity.” (Danticat 310). Throughout the novel, the river has continuously represented the death of Amabelle’s loved ones. But at this moment, Amabelle is finally able to make peace with her grief and use the river to bond with her loved ones. The river ultimately represents the obstacles she has overcome in order to replace her grief with loving