Rogers 1

Téa Rogers

Ms. Woolley

ENG 1DI-02

January 24, 2022

In the novel The Marrow Thieves, written by Cherie Dimaline, Frenchie is an admirable protagonist.

The reader is presented with many instances in which Frenchie displays his best qualities and character

traits, as to make him more endearing to the reader. He is a likeable protagonist who prioritizes family,

and who respects each member of his family and cares for them deeply. “I picked up the scissors when

she set them down and cut my own braid to send off with Minerva.” (Dimaline 212). Throughout the

whole of the novel, Frenchie has shown that he cares deeply about each member of his “patchwork

family” but him cutting off his braid was an act that solidified for the reader how much these people mean

to him. In Indeginous culture, one’s hair is considered sacred, and a symbol of cultural identity and

strength. Somebody will only cut their hair willingly if they have experienced a significant loss, such as a

traumatic event or the passing of a close family member. The fact that Frenchie cut his hair to honour

Minerva’s death speaks volumes about how much Frenchie cared for his elder. Though Frenchie can be

empathetic, he is a determined protagonist who won’t give up even in the toughest of times. “I stood back

up, dropped the can, and shouldered my pack. Onward.” (Dimaline 13). Even though at this point

Frenchie was weakened, starving, thirsty, and dealing with the grief of his brother being taken, he still

perseveres and tries to survive. His efforts paid off, for if he had not tried he would have never met the

family he now is an important, and irreplaceable part of. He could have given up and let himself be taken

by the Recruiters, or let himself die, but instead he is determined to survive for himself and for Mitch. In

The Marrow Thieves, Frenchie meets many people who he forms deep rooted bonds with. In the novel,

Frenchie will do everything in his power to ensure that said people are safe, even if it should mean

sacrificing his own life. “I felt the electricity enter my hand, shoot up my arm, and land like a ball of
hornets in my aorta. I swear I did.” (Dimaline 57). Frenchie chooses to risk sacrificing himself so Miig

can survive. He knows that if Miig, the leader, perishes then the rest of the family will be in disarray and

he does not want to witness his family in that state of grief, when he knows that he could have done

something to prevent it. Frenchie witnessed the losses of his biological family members, and following

these events, he will do everything in his power to make sure that he does not need to say goodbye to this

group that he has grown and evolved with. Frenchie, like any other human, has flaws and quirks, and he is

by no means a perfect character. Cherie Dimaline wrote Frenchie to be a real person, he is courageous and

knightly, yet he is still a teenager who lost his family to the Recruiters, and is not sure if tomorrow is a

promise when there are people constantly combing the land for their ‘right’ to dreaming. Despite

Frenchie’s shortcomings, he is still an admirable protagonist that many teenagers can in some way relate

to.