Farming Of Bones Themes

The Farming of Bones is the historical novel by Edwidge Danticat that gives an account of the Parsley Massacre through the eyes of fictional characters. A theme that is developed in the story is inequality between the Haitian characters and their Dominican counterparts. The Haitian characters are forced by this unfairness to struggle for their lives as the Dominicans mercilessly kill them. The immorality of the novel, which is exhibited in the lack of equality, induces the true feeling of the suffering caused by the Parsley Massacre in Danticat’s novel. To begin, the Dominicans use the inequality between themselves and the Haitian workers to justify their actions as they become more violent toward the Haitian population in the story. At

The Haitian are forced to flee in terror from their homes as the Guardia, the protector of the people, fail to protect them. During the journey to the border, Amabelle and the people she travels with come across horrendous acts of hate and violence. One example of this is the hanging of the Haitian trading family. It is clear that the family suffered at the hands of Dominicans and no justice will ever be achieved to avenge their inhumane deaths. The family was slaughtered like pigs who have no control over their lives. This act is something that has evolved into a standard practice as suggested by Amabelle saying “For him (Señor Pico) it seemed to have been regular work” (158). As the recruits from the Guardia take the workers captive, Amabelle watches as “Unèl was tied with a cattle rope” after Señor Pico says the workers “work like beasts who don’t even know what it is to stand” (157, 154). The use of the word “beasts” compare the Haitian workers to uncivil animals and this idea is continued as the cattle rope is used to tie Unèl. The workers’ inadequacy in the eyes of the Dominicans once more serves to explain why it is acceptable to harm the Haitians. This rational depicts the flawed morality, caused by the inequality between the two nations, that is overtaking the fictional

Up to this point, Amabelle has not been entirely thrown into the madness of the massacre but has viewed it from a relatively safe distance. While waiting for Wilner and Odette to return, Amabelle and Yves are suddenly attacked and their “jaws were pried open and parsley stuffed into” their mouths while being beaten (193). The sudden change from bystander to victim allows for a new understanding of the emotions of terror that the Haitian characters endured from the Dominicans. The encounter also continues the idea of the Haitians being treated like beasts. This occurrence makes the situation more personal and descriptive as Danticat’s story unravels to fully express her interpretation of the Parsley Massacre and the its brutality towards human life. The tragedy of the massacre is even more closely identified with when Wilner is killed in front of Odette and Amabelle. “Wilner did not even have time to reply” when a guard called out to him and shot him in cold blood. Once more, the deficiency of morality that developed from the unequal opinion of the Haitians has led to violence and