The Marrow Thieves Character Analysis

Frenchie

A sixteen-year-old Métis boy and the protagonist of the novel. His given name is Francis, but few people call him that. Frenchie lost Dad, Mom, and his older brother, Mitch, by the… read analysis of Frenchie

Miig

The father figure of a ragtag group of Indigenous children. He's a middle-aged Anishnaabe man who speaks the Cree language and is skilled at teaching his adopted family of eight children the ways of his… read analysis of Miig

Wab

Wab is an eighteen-year-old woman in Frenchie's family. As the oldest girl, she has the power to choose how, what, and by whom domestic tasks get done, though she often chooses to do things… read analysis of Wab

Minerva

The Elder of Miig's family. She's very small, wears her gray hair in two braids with a kerchief tied around her head, and often seems questionably sane. She usually sings or mutters in Cree… read analysis of Minerva

RiRi

A seven-year-old girl in Frenchie and Miig's family. Miig explains to Frenchie that RiRi came to the group as a baby with her mother, but Recruiters took her mother not long after. RiRi is… read analysis of RiRi

Rose

A teenager about Frenchie's age who joins Miig's group at the beginning of the novel. She's extremely beautiful, with curly brown hair, big eyes, and a big smile—when she's not angry and defensive… read analysis of Rose

Dad

Frenchie's biological dad. Frenchie spends much of the novel believing that Dad died in the residential schools. Dad left Mom and his sons with his Council to speak to the Canadian government about… read analysis of Dad

Travis

Travis is a short Indigenous man who travels with Lincoln. Wab remembers him when she sees him the first time: he was the man who set up her bogus run that resulted in being… read analysis of Travis

Isaac

Miig's husband. He's of mixed European and Anishnaabe descent and looks more European than Indigenous in appearance, with green eyes and light skin. He was a poet and somewhat of a linguist, and is… read analysis of Isaac

Chi-Boy

The oldest boy in Frenchie's family. He's in his late teens, is extremely tall, and seldom speaks. Chi-Boy often runs patrols—he's skilled at moving silently through the forest and at leaving false trails for… read analysis of Chi-Boy

Tree

One of the twelve-year-old twins in Miig and Frenchie's family. He and his twin Zheegwon are extremely close, to the point that they're essentially the same person in terms of behavior and speech. Tree… read analysis of Tree

Zheegwon

One of the twelve-year-old twins in Miig and Frenchie's family. He and his twin Tree are extremely close, to the point that they're essentially the same person in terms of behavior and speech. Zheegwon… read analysis of Zheegwon

Slopper

An overweight nine-year-old boy in Frenchie's family. Slopper exists in a space between child and adult—he heard Story at age seven and is therefore aware of the danger in the world, but he still… read analysis of Slopper

Clarence

A member of the resistance group's Council. He's Anishnaabe and is very kind to Frenchie, though Frenchie has to contend with the fact that Clarence is also Derrick's uncle. Clarence shows that he… read analysis of Clarence

Derrick

An indigenous teen who's about Frenchie's age. He's handsome, strong, full of himself, and he takes an instant interest in Rose. Frenchie is intensely jealous of Derrick for this reason, though he comforts… read analysis of Derrick

Wab's Mother

Wab's mother was an alcoholic who, when alcohol became scarce in the city, turned to cocaine. She traded sexual favors for drugs, which often put young Wab at risk of sexual abuse, too. Wab's… read analysis of Wab's Mother

Lincoln

A tall, hulking Indigenous man who travels with Travis. Frenchie observes that the two men move suspiciously—they leave obvious garbage, stay in one place for several days, and don't seem like they're on the… read analysis of Lincoln

Minor Characters

Mom

Frenchie and Mitch's mom. She was taken by Recruiters about five years before the novel's main story begins. Frenchie implies that Mom was severely depressed after Dad left and didn't come back, and that she knowingly put herself in a position that made her vulnerable to Recruiters.

Mitch

Frenchie's older brother. He cares deeply for Frenchie and takes his responsibility as Frenchie's sole caregiver seriously once they lose both Dad and Mom. When Frenchie is eleven, Mitch sacrifices himself to the Recruiters in order to protect his younger brother.

Freddie

A mute Malaysian man who lived with Wab and Wab's mother in a dumpster. His wife was Taiwanese and was taken to the residential schools.

Father Carole

A Catholic man who works for the residential schools, but who also passes information to the Indigenous resistance group.

William

One of Rose's grandmother's brothers. He died after six years of being on the run with Rose and his brother Jonas.

Jonas

One of Rose's grandmother's brothers. He died a few months before Rose found Miig's group, and taught Rose how to hunt and how to head north.

Uncle

Frenchie's uncle. When Frenchie was a young child, Uncle introduced him to the band Pearl Jam.

Bullet

An older Indigenous woman and a member of the resistance group's Council.

General

A middle-aged Indigenous man. He's a member of the Council.

Talia

A Guyanese nurse who helps smuggle people out of the residential schools.

Helene