Skeleton Man

“A tall, elderly, thin man with stooped shoulders, all dressed in gray—even his shoes!—was standing there looking out the windows. […] He turned around and looked at me with a face that was so thin it looked like bone. He didn’t look like an Indian.”

From the first glimpse of Molly’s so-called “great-uncle,” she is shaken by the ominously monstrous aspects of his appearance, and as a result, his appearances in the story are always accompanied by her distinct unease and her certainty that all is not as it seems. Given that the novel opens with an objective summary of the Skeleton Man legend, the details that Bruchac chooses to include at this first glimpse suggest that Molly is indeed facing the Skeleton Man himself.

“And that was that. Unlike in a court of law, when grown-ups make a decision about a kid’s future there is no appeal.”

With this statement, Bruchac highlights the injustice of Molly’s predicament, for she knows very well that she is in danger and yet has no control over her life. The author also establishes the fact that Molly is the ultimate authority on her own experience and should be taken seriously. Likewise, the author’s narration also makes it clear that he holds adults in this situation in disdain. Given the United States’ long history of white adults taking Indigenous children away from their families and placing them in oppressive boarding schools, this aspect of the novel stands as a pointed critique of historical injustices against Indigenous people. Molly’s subsequent success at rescuing her parents underscores The Courage and Resilience of Young People.

“I imagine that his feet don’t really move. He just glides half an inch above the rug like Dracula in the movies. I know that can’t be what happens. I know I’m just scaring myself.”

While this passage arguably serves as evidence of Molly’s active imagination, the scene also shows that Molly is in an intelligent and perceptive person who can distinguish fact from fiction. Although she is afraid of her great-uncle and suspects that something is wrong, these inner thoughts indicate that she is trying to keep the details of her situation in perspective. In doing so, however, she is fighting against her own intuition, and as the story gradually reveals, it is only by embracing her instincts that she will gain the ability to free herself and her parents from this situation. In addition, the horror genre often depicts villainous characters and sinister events as having a “normal” explanation, only to prove those explanations wrong later in the story.

“It is what my dad calls an ‘aware dream.’ That is, a dream where you know you are a dreamer and, if you are alert enough, you’ll get some help from your dream. Someone or something will guide you or give you a message.”

Molly recalls her father’s teaching about “aware dreams,” also called “lucid dreaming.” In such dreams, the dreamer knows they are dreaming, but are also able to interact with dream creatures. In many Indigenous traditions, such dreams can provide valuable tools for problem solving. By including passages such as these, Bruchac provides explanatory information even as he connects Molly to her Indigenous heritage.

“‘Little Sister,’ the rabbit says, ‘thank you for sparing me. Now I will tell you what you must know. The one you think is your great-uncle is no human.’”

Although Molly has intuitively sensed that there is something wrong with her supposed her great-uncle, she has not been able to identify the cause of her unease. With the receptivity of her dream state, she is able to engage with the fantastical truth—that the man is not human at all. With this scene, Bruchac draws upon the belief that animals in dreams can send important messages from the universe.

“While I am in the bathroom, I look at myself in the small, smoky mirror hanging over the sink. I think I have the kind of face that only a mother could love.”

Molly’s description of herself indicates a deep unhappiness with her appearance. The features that she most dislikes are those that reflect her Indigenous identity, and her desire to have a makeover suggests that she has at least partially internalized mainstream cultural standards of beauty and has learned to devalue her own cultural heritage. However, her attitude changes over the course of the novel as she draws upon her Mohawk heritage to save both herself and her family.

“Maybe I’m the truly strange one with my worries about being drugged and my blockading my door at night and imagining what might be happening in that shed. Too much imagination, that’s me.”

In this passage, Molly tries to explain away the inner warnings that her intuition is screaming at her, discounting her own imagination and her dreams. In so doing, she blames herself for her own fear and unhappiness, rather than criticizing the adults who are treating her badly. Her impulse to ignore these warning signs also reflects the natural inclination to assume that nothing is amiss, as accepting the opposite is much more difficult to do.

“I move the bedside lamp closer so I can get the most out its feeble light, lie down on my stomach, and breeze through my homework. Even the math problems are really no problem at all.”

Bruchac portrays Molly as an intelligent, responsible, and resilient young person, and this passage provides concrete evidence that even in difficult circumstances, Molly can live up to her responsibilities and complete her assignments. Also, because the work is easy for her, the narrative suggests that she is very intelligent and will be a match for the challenges headed her way.

“I see for the first time that his fingers are long and hairy, and his fingernails are thick and sharp, more like claws.”

The matter-of-fact tone in which Molly conveys this information acts as a sharp contrast to the implied danger of the scene. Given the fact that Bruchac has already conveyed the details of the legendary Skeleton Man, the great-uncle’s increasingly monstrous appearance is designed to heighten the horror of the scene and intensify the danger that Molly is in. In addition, the imagery provides concrete evidence for Molly that her great-uncle is not human.

“I have this feeling that if I’m ever to going to see my mother and father again, I need to be here. […] Trust your dreams. Both my parents said that. That’s […] our Mohawk way.”

This passage makes it clear that despite momentary doubts, Molly pays attention to how she feels and acts on instinct, even if she has no concrete logical reason for her inclinations. Because intuition is based on feelings rather than on conscious reasoning, Molly’s thoughts indicate that she is learning to trust her intuition. In addition, she draws on her parents’ wisdom and on her Mohawk culture to justify taking her dreams seriously. In the process, she is discovering that there are many different ways of gathering knowledge.

“She’s not very tall, but she has a way of looking at people that makes them feel as if they’re being shrunk down under a microscope.”

In this passage, Bruchac uses a simile to demonstrate Mrs. Rudder’s talent for silently demeaning other people. The use of the simile reveals an important feature of Mrs. Rudder’s personality without directly stating that she is overbearing and arrogant. In addition, Mrs. Rudder’s rudeness contrasts with Ms. Shabbas’s kindness and courage.

“I’m standing next to the rabbit now. There are moccasins on my feet, there’s a rawhide bracelet around my wrist, and I’m wearing her deerskin dress…my deerskin dress.”

The details that Molly provides about her dream indicate that she is now viewing a scene from the past. The trees are much bigger and older, and the dream-Molly is dressed in the way that Mohawk children dressed many years ago. By placing her in the past, Bruchac allows Molly to connect with the traditions of her people on a more visceral, concrete level.

“For some reason, that makes me angry. After all that’s happened, I don’t need some furry Oprah Winfrey to tell me I need to get my spiritual act in order.”

In her dream, Molly is confused and is not sure what to make of a talking rabbit, indicating that she is still learning how to honor her cultural traditions. Bruchac uses the popular culture allusion to Oprah Winfrey to inject humor into the story and to provide insight into Molly’s frustration. She has not yet learned to fully trust her dream as a way of solving the problem of her parents’ disappearance.

“They think my problem may be a chemical one and that I need counseling.”

In this passage, Bruchac reveals the shortcomings of the adults that Molly contacts for help. Rather than hearing and believing what Molly has to say, they attribute her fear and anxiety to a stereotypical mental health issue. Because the adults do not understand Molly’s problem, Molly realizes she must solve her problem on her own. By having the adults act in this way, Bruchac drives home the idea that young people can be courageous and resilient enough to act independently.

 “Ms. Shabbas is not like most teachers. When she likes someone, trusts someone, she really talks to them. I’ve never realized how much Ms. Shabbas likes me.”

Bruchac contrasts Ms. Shabbas’s treatment of Molly with that of the other adults. Ms. Shabbas is an ally and a helper, and she also listens to her own intuition and acts upon it. She knows that there is something very wrong with Molly’s uncle; however, the structures and systems of the public school do not allow her to intervene as she would wish to.

“After all, I’m the daughter of a Mohawk man who worked the high iron before he went into the banking business and met my mom.”

In her dream, Molly explains that one reason she has never been afraid of heights is because her father “worked the high iron.” This statement is a reference to the fact that Mohawk men were instrumental in helping to build New York City’s bridges and skyscrapers. Bruchac’s allusion illustrates Molly’s pride in her father’s bravery and her knowledge of her people’s history.

“‘Back during the American Revolution,’ my mom told me, ‘one word from Molly Brant went farther than a thousand words from any white man. No one ever got the best of Molly Brant.’”

Molly’s parents named her after Molly Brant, an 18th-century Mohawk woman who was highly influential during the American Revolutionary period. Bruchac’s use of this historical allusion connect Molly with her ancestors and gives her courage for her task.

“Now that it is free on both sides, the door almost falls over, but I lean my shoulder against it and manage to prop it against the doorjamb. I slip out and pull my pack out after me.”

Molly demonstrates her physical strength and competence as she takes the screws out of the door and removes it from its frame, effectively freeing herself from her prison and taking direct action to save her family. The step-by-step descriptions of Molly’s bid for freedom add tension to the moment and indicate her determination and concentration as she implements her plan to break free.

“All I know is that I have to take the whole stack of pictures from his computer desk. I put them into the folder in my backpack. There’s other stuff on his desk, too. Lists of things that have to do with databases and computers like the one at the bank where Dad works.”

Throughout the novel, Bruchac has emphasized the importance of dreams, intuition, and traditional knowledge. Here, however, he also demonstrates the importance of hard evidence, implying that although Molly uses her intuition to navigate her dilemma, she must also obtain hard evidence in order to prove that her so-called great-uncle has nefarious intentions.

“Looking back will only slow me down. I won’t risk that again. I feel the strength of that story from long ago in my legs. I won’t get tired.”

In this moment of desperation, Molly draws on traditional wisdom to assess her own strength and urge herself onward. She understands her own strength to be just like the strength of the girl who defeats Skeleton Man in the Mohawk story. Thus, Bruchac demonstrates the importance of traditional wisdom and storytelling, for Molly uses the stories and wisdom of her people to motivate herself to flee from the Skeleton Man.

“But something tells me different, that this is the same rabbit and it is trying to help me. It runs ahead of me and then suddenly darts off the main path onto a smaller, even steeper trail.”

One of Bruchac’s main themes is the idea that intuition can be a valuable tool in decision-making and problem-solving. In this example, Molly weighs what she knows about rabbits in general against her intuition about this particular rabbit, and her choice to listen to her intuition becomes instrumental in saving her life.

“I wish I could say they found my so-called uncle. But they didn’t, not on the rocks below or in the swift running stream. Even though the water was high and the current would have carried him down into the deep lake, they should have found him. But they didn’t. Where his body went remains a mystery.”

In many horror stories, although the monster is seemingly vanquished, there remains an element of uncertainty as to whether it is truly vanquished. With the conclusion of Skeleton Man, Bruchac conforms to this common trope, leaving the ending somewhat ambiguous. The disappearance of Skeleton Man’s body allows Bruchac to bring this monster back for the sequel, The Return of Skeleton Man (2009).

“The reason creatures like Skeleton Man do what they do is that they like to hunt us. The only way to defeat them is to be brave.”

Molly’s father explains why some creatures do horrible things, and this explanation is implied to extend to people as well. Thus, Bruchac employs the characters of the story to relay a grim truth about the world, using terms that are designed to resonate with younger readers. Most importantly, Bruchac implies that such monsters—or people—can only succeed if no one resists them.