Previous
Wab
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 when she speaks at all, and Frenchie initially thinks that being assigned to stay at camp with her is a waste of time. He begins to reevaluate this when Rose shares that Minerva takes the time to teach those at camp the Cree language. Miig suggests that they all undervalued and underestimated Minerva when she sacrifices herself to Recruiters, especially when they later learn that she burned down the residential school by singing when they tried to harvest her marrow. At this point, it becomes clear to Frenchie and others that Minerva, as an Elder fluent in the language, is the key to beating the schools and creating change. She dies, however, in the attempt to rescue her. Frenchie learns that Minerva is so mothering to the children in the family when they get sick because she lost an adopted baby to a cough. Miig also shares that Minerva's baby grandson was taken from her by Recruiters, who raped her and left her to die.
Minerva Quotes in The Marrow Thieves
The The Marrow Thieves quotes below are all either spoken by Minerva or refer to Minerva. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Magic Words
Quotes
"How do you have language?" My voice broke on the last syllable. My chest tightened. 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 suppose.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Rogarou Comes Hunting
Quotes
"But why? Aren't these supposed to make noise?" Slopper was confused. We'd been told over and over that silence was the only way to move out here, the only way to stay alive.
It was Chi-Boy who answered, out of character. "Sometimes you risk everything for a life worth living, even if you're not the one that'll be alive to live it."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
On the Road
Quotes
Everything was different. We were faster without our youngest and oldest, but now we were without deep roots, without the acute need to protect and make better. And I had taken up a spot that'd opened up in the middle of it all, somewhere between desperation and resolve.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Loss
Quotes
In them, there is always this feeling, an understanding more than an emotion, of protection. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt, and scout, and build camp, and break camp, to protect the others. I winced even thinking about it. My failure. I'd failed at protecting, and now, as a result, I failed at remaining myself.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Marrow Thieves LitChart as a printable PDF.
Minerva Quotes in The Marrow Thieves
The The Marrow Thieves quotes below are all either spoken by Minerva or refer to Minerva. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Magic Words
Quotes
"How do you have language?" My voice broke on the last syllable. My chest tightened. 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 suppose.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Rogarou Comes Hunting
Quotes
"But why? Aren't these supposed to make noise?" Slopper was confused. We'd been told over and over that silence was the only way to move out here, the only way to stay alive.
It was Chi-Boy who answered, out of character. "Sometimes you risk everything for a life worth living, even if you're not the one that'll be alive to live it."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
On the Road
Quotes
Everything was different. We were faster without our youngest and oldest, but now we were without deep roots, without the acute need to protect and make better. And I had taken up a spot that'd opened up in the middle of it all, somewhere between desperation and resolve.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Loss
Quotes
In them, there is always this feeling, an understanding more than an emotion, of protection. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt, and scout, and build camp, and break camp, to protect the others. I winced even thinking about it. My failure. I'd failed at protecting, and now, as a result, I failed at remaining myself.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
