1. Motivations
1.1. Indigenous Values
1.1.1. How could she have the language? She was the same age as me, and I deserved it more. I don't know why, but I felt certain that I did. I yanked my braid out of the back of my shirt and let it fall over my shoulder. Some kind of proof I guess. - Frenchie, Marrow Thieves, page 38
1.1.1.1. This quote directly relates to Frenchie's motivations of status, being able to prove himself, and his Indigenous values. We see how he compares himself to Rose due to her more extensive knowledge on the language of their culture. Frenchie then uses his braid to validate himself and assure him that he is still a worthy member of the Indigenous community. We see later in the book when Frenchie meets Derrick what the negative effects of comparison are.
1.2. To prove himself
1.3. Status
1.4. To protect others
1.4.1. Miig was too important to lose. We couldn't manage without him, and yet here he was, about to take a run at a potentially electrified fence so that we could be sheltered and fed for another night. I locked my eyes on Rose, on that bowed cord of vein and muscles that curved from her earlobe down her neck to her collarbone, and took a quick step to the right and forward. Before Miig could start his run, before I could lose my nerve, I reached out and took two chain links in my fingers. - Frenchie, Marrow Thieves, page 57
1.4.1.1. Cherie Dimaline used this inner dialogue to convey to the reader that Frenchie can be a selfless character, mainly when it comes to protecting others. This scene along with ones where Frenchie takes lookout, shows the reader that as a character, Frenchie cares more about the safety of others than he does for himself.
1.5. Family
1.5.1. Frenchie loses his father, his mother, and his brother Mitch. He is burdened by these losses and holds a great tie to the memories he has with his family, and how much he cares for them. In this book we see Frenchie go to great lengths to defend his new family he found within Miigs group, along with witnessing how his actions are affected by memories of his past family
1.5.1.1. Frenchie's initial instincts at the start of the book were to go North, where his father said they were going.
1.5.1.2. When Frenchie is all alone, he decides to run through his brother's warm up routine, even though his brother is captured.
1.5.1.3. When Minerva ( a member of Frenchies new family) is kidnapped, his first instinct is to rescue her.
2. Conflicts
2.1. Man vs Man
2.1.1. Frenchie's conflict with Derrick, or Frenchie's conflict with Travis
2.2. Man vs Self
2.2.1. Frenchie growing into his maturity and battling against his negative personality traits. Those include things like being stubborn, jealous, and comparing himself to others.
2.3. Man vs Nature
2.3.1. Frenchie surviving in the wilderness with his new family
2.4. Man vs Society
2.4.1. Frenchies struggles against a society filled with heavy discrimination against Indigenous peoples.
3. Impact of motivations
3.1. He gets jealous
3.1.1. And finally, the jealousy turned to full-blown murder stomping about my guts when I saw them dance, hand in hand, around the circle. By the time they were facing me, Derrick looked me straight in the eyes and smiled the biggest smirk of self-satisfaction you ever could imagine. - Frenchie, Marrow Theives, page 191
3.1.1.1. This quote is from the scene where Frenchie gets jealous of Rose and Derrick. His jealousy stems from his protective nature, and the importance he puts on status.
3.2. Compares himself to others
3.2.1. I puffed out my chest a bit, remembering that I still had the longest braids, even in this larger group. That made me a better Indian, after all. - Frenchie, Marrow Thieves, page 190
3.2.1.1. The quote is from the scene where Frenchie watches Derrick drum. We can see that Frenchie is caught comparing his worth to others based on Indigenous values.
3.3. He becomes more selfless
3.3.1. Something had changed. Whether it was the second huge loss or the life I'd taken with all the speed of vengeance back at the cliff, I wasn't sure. But there was no more north in my heart. And I wasn't sure what I meant to do until I said it out loud. "I'm going after Minerva." - Frenchie, Marrow Thieves page 153
3.3.1.1. This quote represents Frenchie's motives switching from self-serving to more selfless. We see Frenchie have the goal of going North for the entire first half of the book. This goal was based on the promise Frenchie's Dad gave him, that life would be better there. Frenchie choosing to put this goal on hold to rescue Minerva shows the reader that Frenchie is willing to sacrifice his own personal gain for the benefit of his new family.
3.4. He grows into maturity at a young age
3.4.1. We see a huge development of maturity in Frenchie throughout this book. His motivations of wanting to develop a family and protect those around him force him to take on a heavy leadership role in the group. This development can be seen in many ways, including him being more comfortable with a gun, and when Frenchie kills Travis.
4. Actions
4.1. He kills travis
4.1.1. This action is backed by Frenchies motivations of family, and his need to protect others. When Riri is killed he describes feeling "nothingness". He is stunned by this loss as he has been trying his best to keep his family together, but was unable to protect their youngest member. This is what pushes him over the edge and makes him kill Travis. It is also a result of Frenchie becoming more mature. Earlier in the book he couldn't even kill a moose, and now he was able to kill a human being.
4.2. Gets mad at Rose
4.2.1. This action stems from the jealousy he feels regarding Derrick and Rose. He feels threatened by Derrick and becomes angry when he sees Rose with him. This majorly damages his pride and causes him to lash out at Rose. " What and leave your new boyfriend, Derrick, behind? Whatever. Dont expect me to chase after you." - Frenchie, Marrow Thieves, page 196
4.3. Going after Minerva
4.3.1. The action is directly related to Frenchie becoming more mature ( as mentioned earlier ). It is a symbol of his priorities shifting as he begins to care more about the safety of his new family, opposed to holding onto what his father told him.
4.4. Cutting off his hair
4.4.1. After losing Minerva, Frenchie follows Rose's example and chops off his long braid. This is an under-appreciated moment in the book as it signifies major character development in Frenchie. Throughout the book we see him use his braids as a form of crutch, to validate himself when he feels threatened. By cutting off his braids Frenchie is showing that he now understands what is really important in life.
4.5. Leaving his father
4.5.1. Frenchie choosing to follow Rose over staying with his father teaches us that family isn't always the people you are biologically related to. In this novel, Frenchie loses all of his immediate family and finds a new form of family in Miigs group. By choosing Rose over his father he proves that other bonds you make in life can be just as strong, if not stronger than ones you have with family.
5. Themes
5.1. Indigenous issues
5.1.1. The theme of Indigenous issues is explored all throughout this book. We see history repeat itself through the reinstatement of residential schools. I believe Cherie Dimaline chose to add this theme to the book to make readers ask themselves, are we really doing enough to make sure history doesn't repeat itself?
5.2. Family
5.2.1. Arguably the most prevalent theme in this book was family, and what family means. We see how a group of individuals, all of different ages, upbringings, and backgrounds, can band together and create their own form of family. This theme is important for us as readers to fully understand. We must grasp the idea that family bonds can be found all around us, and are essential to building a strong community
5.3. Sacrifice
5.3.1. In The Marrow Thieves, we often times read about characters making sacrifice for others. Examples of this are Mitch sacrificing himself for Frenchie, Minerva giving herself up to the recruiters, and Frecnchie sacrificing a life with his father for Rose. This theme is present in the book to help guide readers into thinking, what would you be willing to do for someone you love? Being able to adapt self-sacrificing qualities will help you to form deeper bounds and truly understand what your purpose is in life.