The Farming Of Bones Sparknotes

The Haitian massacre involved the mass execution of over 20,000 Haitians, equivalent to the population of New York State. The novel The Farming of Bones, written by Edwidge Danticat, is a compelling depiction of a woman surviving the Haitian massacre. Amabelle Désir is born in the poverty-stricken country, Haiti, but has lived in the Dominican Republic since she was a child. As Amabelle matures in a country she is not born into, she feels a division between the two belligerent countries. When the Haitian killing forces drive Amabelle out of the Dominican Republic, Amabelle moves to Haiti. Danticat uses Amabelle’s escape as an analogy that the connection one has with the people determines nationality, rather than the location of the country.

Despite this, Haitians come to the Dominican Republic and build a family that remains “in Algeria for generations” achieving better opportunities (Danticat 68). “Some of them [have] Dominican spouses” tying their nationality to the Dominican Republic (Danticat 68). The goal of the Haitian immigrants is to achieve a better life for their children’s future. It is through these personal connections that derive a sense of belonging to a country. A country is a piece of land, and it is the people and culture that give it meaning. Similar to the United States and Mexico, people risk their lives for a better future of money and safety for their families. Immigrants desire to experience the pride of their new country rather than hold onto the past. However, Amabelle is slightly different since Papi and Señora Valencia take her in, rather than Amabelle intentionally traveling to the country. Amabelle did not stay in the Dominican Republic for the opportunities, instead for Papi and Señora Valencia. They have a comparable relationship to a family. When Señora Valencia and Amabelle were children, they would “sleep in the same room” and keep each other’s company, comparable to sisters (Danticat 6). Amabelle is torn between Haiti, the country she is born in, and the Dominican Republic, where she has matured into a young

In Haiti, as people grow close to death they believe it is important to “try to be near the bones of your people” (Danticat 242). Amabelle travels to Haiti in hopes of finding Sebastian and Mimi, and when they are pronounced dead Amabelle views Haiti as a refuge instead of a home. Despite Amabelle having relatives buried in Haiti, she has never known nor felt an interpersonal connection to the land. Shortly succeeding their successful escape to Haiti, Amabelle and Yves are housed by Yves’s mother, Man Rapadou. Man Rapadou cares for Amabelle while she was recovering from the escape. She “fed [Amabelle] the soup” as if she was “a sick, bedridden child” (Danticat 225). This corresponds to the memory of Amabelle’s mother taking care of her when she was sick. Henceforth, Man Rapadou becomes a surrogate mother to Amabelle. In light of Amabelle not retaining any family, Man Rapadou provides Amabelle with a sense of identity and connection to