The Marrow Thieves

What strength have you seen in Minerva character in Chapter 20?

What strength have you seen in Minerva's character in chapter 20?

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In Chapter 20, we see Minerva's strength of character, her inner strength, her spiritual strength, as she refuses to be oppressed and tortured by the Recruitors. We learn that the Recruiters took Minerva to School #47E. She was compliant and even jovial, humming throughout the journey. The Recruiters, who found Minerva “spooky,” cut her hair and shaved her skin. She refused to answer questions. When the Cardinals fastened wires to Minerva’s neural connectors and the probes reached into her body, Minerva began to sing with all of her heart.

She “called on her blood memory, her teachings, her ancestors,” and “pull[ed] every dream from her own marrow and into her song.” Minerva has always dreamt in her Native language, and she has collected the dreams in language and song to use in this moment. In the face of Minerva’s powerful song filled with these dreams, the probes malfunctioned, the wires sparked, the computers fried and a fire spread to the whole building, burning it down. When the Council’s man arrived, Indigenous people were camped around the site without fear. As the wind shifted, blowing smoke their way, they cupped their hands and pulled the air over their heads and faces, “making prayers out of ashes and smoke.”

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The Marrow Thieves