The Farming Of Bones Character Analysis

The book The Farming of Bones is a constant reminder of loss and regret shared by almost all of the characters. The story is a tragic event in itself but the character’s pain doesn’t start with the massacre. Throughout the story, water is a reoccurring entity not always shown in a positive light. This is what makes the ending scene difficult to interpret and the significance varies between readers. In the ending scene, Amabelle is laying naked in the river “waiting for a new dawn” not really hinting if this new dawn is in heaven or still on earth. Personally, I believe Danticat is insinuating Amabelle is preparing herself for death from the way he uses water in other situations that do not turn out well for the characters.
Water seems to play an important role in Amabelle’s life and affects her and the people around her. In the opening scenes we find out
We learn from Tibon, one of the traveling companions, whom Yves and Amabelle met on their way to dejabon, that the Dominican soldiers and citizens actively made the Haitian immigrants choose their death. “They make us stand in groups of six at the edge of the cliff, and then it’s either jump or go against a wall of soldiers with bayonets pointed at you and some civilians waiting in a circle with machetes (Danticat 173).” That was choice number one, the second choice was even worse, “when you jump, it’s a long way from the cliff to the sea,” he explained as he himself had jumped off the cliffs. “I fall and fall, passing the rocks where many of the bodies land on the way down. And then me, I fall in the water. I know too when I strike the water because it is so cold and sharp, the water, more like a big machete than water (Danticat 174-175).” Tibon portrays the water as being a machete, the weapon of choice for the massacre, showing its deadly potential. If you clear the cliff you can still die from impact or get seriously