Discuss the title. What does salvage the bones mean? You can answer this in the context of the novel or in general from a broader perspective.
In analyzing the title of "Salvage The Bones", I find that it has a huge hidden meaning that I only really fully understood when I had finished the book.
In the context of the novel, throughout its entirety, Esch always uses uncommon words to describe people. When describing herself, she is bony, all hard angles. When describing Big Henry, he is huge, with legs and arms like tree trunks. Additionally, when thinking of Skeetah's dog, China, especially during the dog fight, her bones are sinewy where Kilo ripped and pulled.
Everything about Esch's view of the world is it the context of bones, built strong like her mothers, or weak enough that Junior could break his back at any second.
Additionally, buildings are seen as bones and skeletons too. Esch's grandparents house, which used to be a place of happiness, is now described as a skeleton, robbed of all of it's insides and the lumber that supported the building so that Esch's family home could become more stable.
Further, due to the poverty that the family finds itself in, they are constantly scavenging and trying to save and "salvage" everything that they can. From the chicken eggs that are hidden everywhere in the woods, to all the old broken down machines that litter the Pit yard, to China's puppies, whom Skeetah tries so hard to keep alive.
Additionally, I found it interesting how bonded together the children from Esch's family are. They are fiercely loyal, even to their father, an alcoholic who has basically neglected them their entire lives. Therefore, the children are also, in a way, trying to "salvage" their own lives by always looking out for each other and being positive. Skeetah's dog, China, also plays a big part in the novel by demonstrating how much love and respect an animal can show for a human boy. Skeetah used China to get over the death of his mother and to salvage what little happiness he had left and to let go of the grief.
Another key aspect of the book is pregnancy. China gets pregnant due to Manny's cousin's pitbull and Esch gets pregnant due to Manny. There is an importance in trying to salvage how little you really knew about the world before entering a new journey and bringing another life into the world. Esch learns that Manny is not worth salvaging and that she can handle this next phase through the help of all of the "fathers" that surround her. China represents female strength and the power of motherhood, while also showing how strong and bones are of the femininity structure.
In a broader perspective, when looking at the damage that huge natural disasters cause, entire communities and nations work together throughout the aftermath to "salvage" what is left over in order to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. This is a gruelling task and salvaging the bones of entire communities can take decades. However through constant global support and communities sticking together, just as the Batiste family demonstrates, anything is possible.
The novel also drew attention to the terrible poverty that entire communities live in. However, even with mass amounts of poverty and sadness, the novel shows that this variable can actually bring communities closer, each person helping the next like a cog in a huge machine. Further, through the dog fights illustrated in the novel, it demonstrates how lives can be salvaged and wars still won during great poverty, sadness, and catastrophe.
To conclude, the title "Salvage The Bones" has many meanings, but it all boils down to trying to find the light and positivity at the end of a very dark tunnel. Banding together and working hard to obtain peace.
In the context of the novel, throughout its entirety, Esch always uses uncommon words to describe people. When describing herself, she is bony, all hard angles. When describing Big Henry, he is huge, with legs and arms like tree trunks. Additionally, when thinking of Skeetah's dog, China, especially during the dog fight, her bones are sinewy where Kilo ripped and pulled.
Everything about Esch's view of the world is it the context of bones, built strong like her mothers, or weak enough that Junior could break his back at any second.
Additionally, buildings are seen as bones and skeletons too. Esch's grandparents house, which used to be a place of happiness, is now described as a skeleton, robbed of all of it's insides and the lumber that supported the building so that Esch's family home could become more stable.
Further, due to the poverty that the family finds itself in, they are constantly scavenging and trying to save and "salvage" everything that they can. From the chicken eggs that are hidden everywhere in the woods, to all the old broken down machines that litter the Pit yard, to China's puppies, whom Skeetah tries so hard to keep alive.
Additionally, I found it interesting how bonded together the children from Esch's family are. They are fiercely loyal, even to their father, an alcoholic who has basically neglected them their entire lives. Therefore, the children are also, in a way, trying to "salvage" their own lives by always looking out for each other and being positive. Skeetah's dog, China, also plays a big part in the novel by demonstrating how much love and respect an animal can show for a human boy. Skeetah used China to get over the death of his mother and to salvage what little happiness he had left and to let go of the grief.
Another key aspect of the book is pregnancy. China gets pregnant due to Manny's cousin's pitbull and Esch gets pregnant due to Manny. There is an importance in trying to salvage how little you really knew about the world before entering a new journey and bringing another life into the world. Esch learns that Manny is not worth salvaging and that she can handle this next phase through the help of all of the "fathers" that surround her. China represents female strength and the power of motherhood, while also showing how strong and bones are of the femininity structure.
In a broader perspective, when looking at the damage that huge natural disasters cause, entire communities and nations work together throughout the aftermath to "salvage" what is left over in order to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. This is a gruelling task and salvaging the bones of entire communities can take decades. However through constant global support and communities sticking together, just as the Batiste family demonstrates, anything is possible.
The novel also drew attention to the terrible poverty that entire communities live in. However, even with mass amounts of poverty and sadness, the novel shows that this variable can actually bring communities closer, each person helping the next like a cog in a huge machine. Further, through the dog fights illustrated in the novel, it demonstrates how lives can be salvaged and wars still won during great poverty, sadness, and catastrophe.
To conclude, the title "Salvage The Bones" has many meanings, but it all boils down to trying to find the light and positivity at the end of a very dark tunnel. Banding together and working hard to obtain peace.
Hi Paytra, Wow! I think you made amazing connections in this response. You clearly and very nicely tied together all the connections you made to your point in the conclusion. I think this was a great response and that all your points have a supportive explanation.
I really enjoyed reading these connections that you made! They are very well-thought out. You pointed out some great examples of the imagery that the author uses throughout the book to describe Esch, her family, China, and the setting of the novel. Well done!
Paytra, you should be a book critic. I did not pick up on all of these metaphors, and I'm glad you've pointed them out for us.
So, there's a character "Bone" that is mentioned a few times, but I think this may not necessarily tie in to the title.
On the bone theme, I love the part when Esch describes Katrina as the "murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive." What a powerful image. She also describes the relationship between Skeetah and China with this recurring metaphor, saying China is "of the bone bounded by his blood." Bones can last for thousands of years, which makes them a perfect symbol for resilience
So, there's a character "Bone" that is mentioned a few times, but I think this may not necessarily tie in to the title.
On the bone theme, I love the part when Esch describes Katrina as the "murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive." What a powerful image. She also describes the relationship between Skeetah and China with this recurring metaphor, saying China is "of the bone bounded by his blood." Bones can last for thousands of years, which makes them a perfect symbol for resilience
Hey Paytra, this is a great analysis of the title. You are completely right! when I was reading the first connection I made was the title being used as a metaphor for how the characters scavenge from their past to better or protect their future. I appreciate all the examples that you put support your concluding statement, It was truly a great read.
I remember growing up and hearing the saying "the bare bones." Often we were referring to necessities or the remains of something when using this expression. It is this saying that I think of when considering the title of this book. Firstly, as it relates to Esch and her family. I would argue that this family never healed from the loss of their mother, evidence of this can be seen in how Esch reminisces about her, how Junior holds onto the wedding ring, and how miserable Claude is, throwing himself into work and leaving the other kids to care for Junior. In this way, they are salvaging what is left of their family, making do with what they have. In this view, it is the resilience and love of the kids and their home that represent the "bones." Moreover, in the last chapter, Ward's description of St. Catherine's leaves me to image a town stripped down to the bare bones, with piles of wood, and few remnants of buildings. Accordingly, the town has also been stripped down, leaving the people to salvage what is left and try to piece things together again. In this instance, it is these remains and the people that are the "bones." Finally, salvaging the bones is not just a title, but a theme throughout the book, as it is about holding things together, no matter how minimal, and trying to piece them back together again in some way, be it a family or a town.
Hey Nicole! You're analysis really made me think. I like your connection with "The bare bones" as I also grew up using this saying. The family is most definitely Salvaging their own bare bones, or what is left anyway. I also like your connection to the city after the storm!
This is a great point! I agree with you when you said that throughout the book Esch and others are trying to "salvage" what they can out of what they have to make things work and hold themselves together. Because they don't have much due to poverty, the resources around them are definitely limited. Due to this, they have to survive with what they have. Similarly, I find the the title of the book parallels to how Skeetah will literally skin animals, and strip them to their insides, such as the squirrel. It makes some pretty gruesome imagery that leaves the reader on edge a little.
Great discussion! You have even thought of things that I had not! Salvage the Bones made me cry reading it. I was heartbroken over and over. I think each time we as readers are drawn into the bare bones (as it were) of the family, their home (and the grandparents home), their life, their way of survival, we are introduced over and over again to what it takes to salvage their lives -- to survive.
I think all of these points that everyone made are really strong. I personally lean towards the idea that the bones is not just literal bones but, as Paytra and Nicole pointed out, likely the towns themselves, which now need the people to salvage them in the wake of the hurricane even more than they did before. I also think the quote Marc used is really relevant to the book as a whole (I was looking for that quote in an earlier response but couldn't find it anywhere, so thank you).
When I was reading through these replies, I remembered one more instance of bones that I think is more literal than the title itself represents but made me think about the deeper meanings in this book. Nicole mentioned the moment when Junior finds their mom's wedding ring-- he had to pry it off their father's severed finger. This is one version of salvaging the bones, and it hits hard for me, because Junior is so desperate to feel some sort of parental love and connection to his mother that he literally pulls something off a dismembered finger. I don't know how to put it into words, but this is a heartbreaking example of what Junior and his siblings have gone without.
Additionally, I wanted to point out that a literal example of bones is their father's missing fingers, which Skeetah suggests they find (salvage) so they can feed them to China-- every bit of protein counts. I think this points to the general level of how desperate they any additional sources of support in a way that reminds us that poverty is never something that should be romanticized, because it is gritty and leads to all sorts of choices other people would never consider.
I also leaned towards the idea that the bones reflect the towns or what is left after the hurricane and salvage represents the rebuilding of normal life and community after the fact.
The salvaging the literal bone from their father is not something that I have thought of and I think that is a really interesting idea connecting that to the novel.
The salvaging the literal bone from their father is not something that I have thought of and I think that is a really interesting idea connecting that to the novel.
Hi Nicole
I really appreciate this response.
Throughout the novel the characters are required to make the best of what they have around them. Esch salvages the lessons and experience she had with her mother. They talk about going to the old house to retrieve items until there was very little left, this is another example of the Batiste family salvaging what has been left.
I really appreciate this response.
Throughout the novel the characters are required to make the best of what they have around them. Esch salvages the lessons and experience she had with her mother. They talk about going to the old house to retrieve items until there was very little left, this is another example of the Batiste family salvaging what has been left.
Hi Nicole,
I love your analysis of the family salvaging their bones throughout the book, it made me see many scenes in a different light. I agree that so many situations throughout the novel seem to be characters almost working in reverse, salvaging what they can of their circumstances. We can see this with Randall and the sick puppy, or Esch and her situation with the baby. Poverty evidently plays a huge role in their lives and I think poverty creates many of these situations where Esch and her family are forced to "salvage the bones".
I love your analysis of the family salvaging their bones throughout the book, it made me see many scenes in a different light. I agree that so many situations throughout the novel seem to be characters almost working in reverse, salvaging what they can of their circumstances. We can see this with Randall and the sick puppy, or Esch and her situation with the baby. Poverty evidently plays a huge role in their lives and I think poverty creates many of these situations where Esch and her family are forced to "salvage the bones".