Family can be many things in Marked by Fire. It can be a source of strength and comfort; it can be blood relatives or friends; it can be an intense and crushing burden. Abyssinia has the good fortune of having two mother figures—Patience, her biological mother, and Mother Barker, her godmother—which comes in extra handy when Strong hits the road. Lily Norene, however, has the terrible misfortune of having one totally awful husband who beats her down, physically and emotionally. As with most things, Marked by Fire present family in a nuanced and complicated light—sometimes it's awesome, but when it's bad, it's pretty much the worst.
Questions About Family
- Abyssinia doesn't have any siblings and Mother Barker doesn't have any children. Do you think this matters? Why or why not? How does it inform their relationship?
- Mother Barker and the foreman think of Abby as their child, but how does she think of them? How do they compare to Patience and Strong for her?
- Why don't Lily Norene's daughters motivate her to leave her husband? What do you think Abyssinia's relationship with them will be like going forward?
Chew on This
Family is one of two things in this book: It's either a source of incredible strength or the cause of unbearable pain. There's no middle ground.
Without her family's help, Abby wouldn't have recovered from Brother Jacobs's attack.