Ever heard the saying, "fall down seven times, stand up eight?" Basically, it just means that resilience comes from brushing yourself off and getting back in the game when you get knocked out. In Marked by Fire, Abyssinia certainly is resilient—she makes quite the life for herself when all is said and done—but she gets knocked down time and again by violence, particularly at the hands of Trembling Sally and Brother Jacobs. Ugh. Abby isn't the only recipient of violence in the book, and Trembling Sally and Brother Jacobs aren't the only perpetrators. In fact, even Mother Nature rolls up her sleeves and steps into the ring.
Questions About Violence
- What is the worst act of violence Abby experiences? Why?
- Is it fair to call Trembling Sally violent? How do her violent tendencies intersect with her madness?
- There's plenty of physical violence in Marked by Fire, but what other forms of violence are there? What patterns do you notice across these forms, and what do they reveal about violence in general?
Chew on This
Without Mother Barker and Patience, Abby never would have recovered from Brother Jacobs's attack.
Trembling Sally is the worst because she presents a constant threat to Abyssinia and Abby never knows when she'll strike.