Salvage the Bones is a novel that illustrates several strong themes all brought about through the experiences of Esch. These experiences have heavily shaped her character. The first being the passing of her mother. Esch’s mother passed away suddenly after giving birth to Junior. It becomes clear through several flashback scenes that her mother was someone she really looked up to and loved. This explains why life without her mother was very difficult. The song titled “Gone too Soon”, by Simple Plan, perfectly expresses this. In the first verse Simple Plan writes, “You left me here/ So unexpected/ You changed my life/ I hope you know/ ‘Cause now I’m lost/ So unprotected/ In the blink of an eye/ I never got to say goodbye”. Esch was blindsided by the her mother’s death and though she may not be able to see it for herself she was left unprotected. To grow up, surrounded by boys, without a female role model to look up to, Esch fell into several troubled situations. She never learned to value herself, instead she let boys take advantage of her sexually. One must wonder how Esch’s life may have unfolded differently had her mom lived. Another lyric that stood out was, “I wish you could see/ How much your memory will always mean to me/ Shine on”. The smallest instances will bring back memories of Mama to Esch. For example, as Esch wanders around the Pit in search of eggs, she is reminded of how Mama used to say, “Look but don’t look, they’ll find you. You gotta wander and they’ll come”(199). With each tiny memory of her mother a bigger picture is painted of the loss she feels. Not to mention a theme of memory is developed. Though her mother was only alive for a short period of time, she continues to “Shine on” in Esch’s memories.
Another strong theme portrayed in Salvage the Bones, is unhealthy relationships. For a young girl, Esch has been involved with several boys. Manny, however, has caught her attention. He is only interested in using her for sex while she dreams of more. Although she is aware he is using her, there is something that keeps pulling her towards him. She is hopefully he will change and actually love her. This type of relationship is painful and confusing. I believe Esch would be able to relate to the lyrics of “Love on the Brain, by Rihanna. In the first verse Rihanna sings, “And I tried to buy your pretty heart, but the price too high”. Esch is physically attracted to Manny. In her mind, giving her body to him is the only way of buying his “pretty heart”. We see that this is not enough for him as he pushes her away at times. When Esch makes an advance Manny replies, “You know it ain't like that” (56). To this Esch describes all the pain coming at once, like a sudden deluge .Rihanna sings, “ You love when I fall apart (fall apart)/So you can put me together/ And throw me against a wall”. Manny desires power over Esch. He creates distance between them because he knows Esch is desperate for love. He gets her hopes up then immediately leaves her, creating a toxic dynamic. Other lyrics from “Love on the Brain” that stood out were, “I'm fist fighting with fire/Just to get close to you”, “And I run for miles just to get a taste”, and “What do I gotta do to get in your heart?” Without a female role model, Esch is left in the dark when it comes to understanding relationships and more importantly, respecting herself. She believes she must change and be submissive. Rihanna describes being “Beat black and blue” and “Played like a violin”, yet she still is addicted to that person. In both cases there is an imbalance of power creating a unhealthy relationship, one that is hard to leave behind.
The last theme that Jesmyn Ward spends a significant amount of time developing is the idea of motherhood for Esch. As we find out early on, Esch is pregnant. This is horrible timing considering her age, the fact that she lives in poverty, and the looming hurricane about to hit her hometown. She does not trust anyone to tell the big news to. She also struggles accepting reality herself, refusing to even look at her stomach and brainstorming ways to accomplish a self induced abortion. In the song, “Small Bump”, by Ed Sheeran there is a sense of wonder in the development of a child. In “Salvage the Bones”, Esch also has a lot of questions. Ed Sheeran writes, “But for now you're scan of my unmade plans/A small bump in four months you're brought to life/A small bump in four months you'll open your eyes”. Esch’s pregnancy was also unmade, the result of a hookup with Manny. Like Ed Sheeran, she is amazed that life could develop inside of her. In one instance Esch pushes out all of her breath and sinks in the pond. She thinks to herself, “Is this how a baby floats inside its mother” (56)? Apart from her curiosity, she is also constantly worried that her family will notice her “small bump”. While both Esch and Ed Sheeran are fascinated with the growth of a baby in the womb, they are at different chapters of their life. Esch is not prepared to care for a child. There is a great sense of fear and sadness in moving forward with the pregnancy. In the song “Small Bump”, Ed Sheeran is excited to meet his child but is unprepared to find out there was a miscarriage. The connection is a theme of feeling immensely unprepared for news followed by a sense of curiosity. There is not much closer for the reader/ listener in both cases. There can only be hope that they will be able to continue on, with or without a child.
Esch experiences the themes of memory, unhealthy relationships, and pregnancy throughout the course of the book. Surprisingly finding songs that connected to these themes was not a difficult task. However, I noticed the selected songs were sung by artist who were much older than Esch. It is fascinating to see Esch placed in the similar situations because despite the difference of age, there is the same level of vulnerability displayed.
