Literary Analysis Essay on Salvage the Bones by Jeanine Ward

Introduction

According to the novel, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, Esch's father is aware of the hurricane that is coming. From his knowledge, he understands that the storm is going to a big one. However, his family is not excited about the Hurricane likely to be experienced since this has been occurring every year. The family does not know that it is going to be a category five storm commonly known as Katrina. The family had lost their mother seven years ago, Esch a15-year old girl and her two old brothers, Skeetah and Randall had to take care of the sibling, Junior. Their father is always absent from home because of his daily drinking behaviour. Randall is interested in basketball, and he hopes to get a scholarship so that he gets out of the town to look for a better life to help his siblings. Skeetah is busy looking after his pit bull, China, give birth to her first litter. To him, he believes that the puppies will be a potential goldmine if they survive to be sold.

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The family is faced with a lot of problems, and they lost their mother seven years ago who died while giving birth but their father who should be taking care of them is addicted to drinking. He rarely comes home to be with his family; instead, he spent all his time drinking. Randall, the oldest son, wishes to pursue his dream of becoming a great basketballer but because the family lives in poverty, he cannot manage to proceed. However, he tries to apply for a scholarship to get the opportunity to realize his dream. This implies that the father is not supportive of his children. He does not take up the responsibility to help his children achieve their goals. Parents are expected to empower their children and take care of them.

Similarly, Skeetah spends his time to look after his pit bull, China as he waits for her to give birth to puppies. Hopes that the puppies survive to maturity so that he sell them to get money. In this case, it is evident that the children survive based on their means despite their father being alive. They do whatever it takes to provide for themselves and look after their young brother, Junior.

Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones is a coming of age story, tracking 15-year-old girl Esch's early stages of pregnancy in a society dominated by men. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Esch progresses from a quiet girl used by the males to one who can speak up and even fight for herself as a result of her pregnancy as well as her observations of the only other major female character, her brother's dog, China. Throughout the novel, Esch refers to the Greek myth of Medea and Jason, with Medea known as both a goddess and a witch, thus suggesting a dual persona that Esch will come to understand. Ward presents Esch's realisation of the ferocity of females through the alignment of China and Medea's storylines, motivating her to become a stronger woman herself. Esch begins to realise the cruelty associated with females when she watches China kill her puppy, comparing it to the myth of Medea, a mother who kills her children.

Throughout the novel, motherhood is seen as the strongest theme that talks about family relationship and taking care of the children. For instance, in the first case, the novel opens as China the fighting dog that was owned and raised by Skeetah gives birth to valuable puppies whom he describes as a potential goldmine. The author emphasizes the ceaseless efforts demonstrated by Esch and Skeetah to look after the infant animals. It is stated that Esch gets pregnant but is left with no choice other than giving birth. She looks at the life of China, and she struggled to give birth to her puppies sending a great message of what the future life will look like. Esch becomes entangled with Medea and Jason's mythologies which make her immensely fascinated. She compares the feelings she has for Manny with the feelings that Medea has for Jason. She imagines how it will feel if Manny passes her for another girl which she believes he will do one of the days.

Conclusion

In the novel, it is evident that each character fights his or her own battle based on the circumstances. The father is sunk into drinking and does not recall to take up his family responsibilities. Randall is anticipating for a basketball scholarship to actualize his dream, and he spends most of his time thinking about it. Skeetah believes that if his pit bull China gives birth to puppies and they live, he will sell them to get money. As a result, he spends most his time taking care of his fighting dog. Finally, Esch gets pregnant, but she fights through to give birth despite the challenges she faces from her relationships and the family. The children decide to take care of themselves and look after their young brother despite their father being away.