45 pages • 1 hour read
Joseph BruchacSkeleton Man
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Skeleton Man
Throughout the novel, no character looms larger than the monstrous figure of the Skeleton Man, who symbolizes pure evil and clearly wants nothing more than to harm humans. Many Indigenous cultures have legends featuring monsters who take human form in order to hunt humans. For example, the Wendigo (or Windigo) figures in the religious beliefs of Algonquin-speaking peoples, including the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe)and the Cree. Nearly always portrayed as a giant, the Wendigo is an evil spirit. Basil H. Johnston, a noted Anishinaabe scholar and enrolled member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation in Ontario, describes the Wendigo in great detail, stating:
The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash-gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep in their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave (Johnston, Basil H. The Manitous. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001, p. 221).
The novel’s descriptions of the Skeleton Man resemble this rendition closely, suggesting that Bruchac may have drawn on the Algonquian story when creating the villain for Skeleton Man. Because Molly must fight and vanquish the Skeleton Man on her own Bruchac uses the figure of the Skeleton Man to illustrate The Courage and Resilience of Young People. In addition, when Molly’s father asserts that the family’s recent experience only makes sense in the context of “our old stories” (113), he is recognizing The Importance of Cultural Heritage and Traditional Wisdom, even in a modern context.
The Rabbit
Bruchac uses the rabbit as a symbol of traditional wisdom. Through the presence of the rabbit both in her dreams and in the waking world, Molly connects with the traditional wisdom of the Mohawk people. In her dreams, a talking rabbit provides Molly with crucial advice for her real-world problems, and Molly accepts this with equanimity because her culture stresses the belief that animals have special gifts and talents and can appear in dreams to deliver important messages. Indeed, many Indigenous cultures see animals as messengers. In Anishinaabe legends, for example, rabbits are often portrayed as intelligent and wise, but at the same time, they can fill the role of the trickster. Likewise, Iroquoian people such as the Mohawks historically inhabited woodlands like their Anishinaabe neighbors, and such landscapes would abound with rabbits. In this novel, the rabbit represents a swift-footed messenger and a sly helper. In addition, in Molly’s dream the rabbit serves as a conduit from the universe to instruct Molly on the best way to trick Skeleton Man so that she can free her parents from his control.
Mrs. Rudder, Mr. Wintergreen, and the School Psychologist
Bruchac uses these adults to symbolize white people with power who dismiss the lived experience of a young Indigenous woman out of hand. All three are flat characters who never reconsider their own biases and prejudices. When confronted with what they believe to be a mental health issue, they turn to mainstream medical panaceas and suggest that Molly’s problem is “chemical” in nature. Moreover, none of these adults question the disappearance of Molly’s parents. As avatars of white officialdom, they dismiss the seriousness of the situation and remain arrogantly ignorant of the true stakes involved. Their indifference stands as a sharp contrast to the courageous and resilient young Molly, who values her cultural heritage and takes her dreams and intuition seriously.
Related Titles
By Joseph Bruchac
