A Theme Of Maturity In The Novel The Marrow Thieves
The definition of maturity might be summed up best by M.J Croan: “Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it”. However, for more accuracy, as stated by Wikipedia, maturity is the ability to respond to the environment awake of the correct time and location to behave and knowing when to act, according to the circumstances and the culture of the society one lives in. In the novel The Marrow Thieves the topic of maturity is represented by Francis and his incapability to do so as he grows up. Francis has difficulty becoming an adult unlike a regular teenager because of what the world has turned into; the government is killing Indigenous people because of their capability to dream, the weather conditions are not good, half of the population is dead and surviving in general is difficult. Francis does not mature psychologically nor morally throughout the novel The Marrow Thieves.
Francis has not developed from a child to an adult psychologically because of his selfishness and jealousy. One example when Francis exhibits he has not grown up as an individual is when he gets mad at Miig for not letting him share what he saw to the family, demonstrating his selfishness: “‘Let’s talk about that up front here, French. No need to bother everyone’ … I shrugged back into my pack and dragged my feet to follow Miig, upset that I had news I couldn’t share, especially with Rose … Frigging Miig, so bossy … who died and made this guy Chief? Wanted all the info for himself first” (Dimaline 97). That demonstrates the reader that Francis puts his own priorities first before thinking about how the news might affect the group. He gets mad impulsively when Miig wants to talk privately and does not realize the importance of some decisions unless someone explains it to him. Another situation that demonstrates Francis does not progress as he continues to grow is by expressing his fear of losing Rose through getting jealous of Derek and behaving rudely towards her: “What in the hell is she doing with that jerk? And why was she smiling so big? … But then the drumming started … and then Derek joined in, and damn it all to hell, his voice was amazing…”. “‘Why don’t you go watch Derek wrestle over there … I’m sure he’d love to have a cheerleader … Why don’t you just call me French? Only people I respect can call me Francis’”. Francis’ comments and thoughts towards Rose make him look irrational. Given his age and all he has been through, one could think he would know how to behave, control and express himself better. Expressing fear by getting angry and lashing out on simple actions show that Francis is not psychologically mature, if he were, he should have known that talking his feelings out is the better option. Being selfish and childish at Francis’ age demonstrate he has not matured psychologically. In addition, he does not mature as he continues to grow either morally by viewing things in a morally simplistic way and acting immoral based on anger.
Other examples that show Francis still has a long way to go to become a morally mature individual is because he cannot control his emotions and is simple minded. Firstly, it is shown Francis is immature morally when he kills someone as an impulse without thinking it through based on his feelings, anger in this case: “I cocked the barrel and trained it on the prostrate man in front of me … That’s the only time I felt anger through it all … Tree was trying to reason with me. Or maybe it was just the wind … I heard him whine at the end of his plea. But then, maybe it was just the wind. I pulled the trigger and the wind stopped blowing”. As Lincoln killed RiRi, Francis gets extremely upset making him unable to reason to. Being deliberate make a person morally mature. Given the situation it was for the better for Travis to be killed. However, it was for the best if they talked and made the decision between all of them. Even when Francis feels guilty afterwards, it does not change the fact that he still acted immorally based on anger. What if the circumstances had been different and he still acted the same way? If the first time he felt anger through it all, imagine what his actions would be in a different situation. Secondly, people who are simple minded demonstrate lack of virtuous thoughts causing them to look at things in a morally simplistic way. Francis exhibits this mindset when he snaps at his dad: “I was getting irritated. ‘What do you mean why? Because she was taken. I spent the first two years in the bush trying to find Mitch after he was taken. Because that’s what we do. We look for each other. Didn’t you bother to look for us?’ … Resentment that my father was out here being revolutionary while his kids were left with an unstable mother who eventually left us all alone. That I hated him for leaving Mitch to sacrifice himself for me. That I was angry about my childhood left to wither and starve in the woods”. Francis gets mad at his dad for leaving and not finding them. Even though Francis regrets it as soon as he says it, he still thought about it. He does not understand that the circumstances made it hard for his dad to go look for him and find him, it was not simple. All people make mistakes and it is common for young people to regret something they have said; however, Francis does not seem to learn from his mistakes. Therefore, Francis has not matured morally as an individual because he acts on impulse based on his emotions and has a simple mindset.
In conclusion, throughout the book The Marrow Thieves it is evident that Francis has not developed morally nor psychologically. The lack of psychological development is shown as Francis is concerned for his own personal benefits, lacking consideration for the family and choosing to express his fear of losing Rose by acting irrationally rude to her. The scarcity of moral development of the character is displayed when he commits an immoral act based on anger such as killing Travis and getting mad at his father for assuming he did not look for him, portraying him simple-minded. Maturing is not something that happens overnight, adolescents struggle because they are not prepared for all the responsibilities that being an adult implies. It is about a choice and therefore a skill, the reason why it comes through trial and error.
